The Multitude Danger

Exodus 23:2

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

You will rarely find the multitude doing what is right, but that does not mean the multitude is always wrong. In the Scriptures, many got caught up in the multitudes, but the problem with following the multitude is that the multitude will decide what you do, whether good or bad.

God commands the believer, Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil. Now, how did the multitude get to doing evil? The answer is simple: they followed the multitude. If you never follow the multitude, you will never get to doing evil. It was in the following of the multitude that led to the doing of evil.

Look at the multitude in Jesus’ day. The multitudes followed Jesus as long as it was popular, but the same people turned on Jesus when the multitude turned against Him. In one moment, they are following Jesus everywhere desiring to see His miracles, and in the next moment they are crying out, Crucify Him. You would think these people who had seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out devils, and raise the dead would be smart enough to know that Jesus did not deserve to be crucified. However, their following of the multitude blinded them to what they were doing.

I have found there is a great danger in following the multitude. Let me give you an illustration from my life. From childhood to my young adult years, Dr. Jack Hyles was the popular preacher of the day because of the great church that God used Him to build. What is amazing is now that He is in Heaven, many of the same crowd that shouted “Amen” in his preaching and drove hundreds of miles to hear him preach are the same crowd that today criticize his ministry and how he reached the thousands. What has changed? Bro. Hyles is in Heaven, and his works that the multitudes came to see and hear how to do them have not changed. What changed is these people are multitude followers, and that has led them to the evil of trying to destroy the work of a good man.

My friend, it is what you follow that determines whether you do good or evil. If you follow the multitudes, you will find yourself compromising and criticizing those from the past. The multitudes will often follow whatever or whoever is the biggest sway of influence of that day. There will be many times when truth is unpopular, and compromise is choice of the day, and if you follow the multitude, you will follow anything because your belief system is not built on truth, but on the direction of the multitude.

The answer to this problem is simple: Thou shalt not follow a multitude. I know I left the last three words of this phrase out, but you won't do evil if you don't follow the multitude. What are you to follow? Follow truth! Follow God’s Word! If you make following truth, which is God’s Word, your horizon to follow, you will always do what is right.

Now notice, if truth happens to be the popular thing of the day, you will discover you are with the multitude. However, if you make truth your sole focus to follow, when truth is no longer popular and the multitudes are doing evil, you will still be following truth. Make truth the horizon you follow, and it won't matter what the multitude do; you will always be doing right because you follow truth.