Have you ever seen a “flash mob?” While, flash mobs are not exactly new, they are becoming a part of our every day society. Typically, they are harmless – a way a new generation can do something odd or nonconformist while not hurting anyone. People are using texting, mass e-mail, and various web sites to gather at a particular time and place to “spontaneously” dance or stand still or lie down for a few minutes and then continue as if nothing had happened. Those who are not “in” on the gag are often surprised, amused, or merely pass by, ignoring the activity. Until recently society was, at most, slightly inconvenienced by ‘flash mobs.’ A more sinister application has arisen though – “flash robs.”
“Flash robs” are when people gather together in order to barge into a theater or a stadium without paying for tickets or to enter a store simultaneously and shoplift and leave. Cases of ‘flash robs’ are popping up all over the country and are confounding law enforcement. When asked about how they are dealing with the problem, law enforcement officers have simply said that they don’t know how and don’t have the manpower to deal with this kind of crime.
In the days of Moses, there was something akin to a ‘flash rob,’ but with a very different ending. Beginning in the 16th chapter of Numbers, we learn that there were individuals in the camp who were tired of following the rules laid out by Moses. They didn’t want to follow the system anymore. They didn’t want to submit to God’s law. In fact, they wanted to steal the leadership from Moses. And so the message went out that they would meet and confront Moses. A rebellion of Korah and 250 leaders showed up and demanded that Moses and Aaron give the leadership of the Israelites to them. God told the people to remove themselves from Korah and his ‘flash mob’ and the earth swallowed them up.
God was not confounded. He didn’t worry about how to handle the situation. He wasn’t concerned about whether He had the manpower or wisdom to deal with Korah’s ‘flash mob.’ And the same is true today. God has a plan for us and has given us the road map. It says we are supposed to be kind to each other and love each other and treat others better than ourselves. We are to respect people and their property. And if we walk in the light as He is in the light, there is a wonderful inheritance laid up in heaven for us. And for those who refuse to submit to His ways…well, there is a plan there too. God’s preference is that we would follow His path and that none would perish. Are you in the practice of submitting to or rebelling against God’s will?
