What is known today as THE PARETO PRINCIPLE or the 80/20 rule is traceable to Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist. In 1896, he observed that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. Though The Pareto Principle is an observation and not a law, it has since been applied to several areas with proven validity. For example, crime statistics has shown that 20% of offenders commit 80% of crimes. Perhaps, one can borrow this principle to explain a scenario in the Bible. The people who instigated Israel to murmur against God were not the vast majority. They were the mixed multitude. They were probably people who hadn’t the Hebrew blood in them but had become fascinated by what God did among His people.
This seemingly little group had enough influence to pollute the entire landscape, a pointer to that Scripture that a little leaven can leaven the whole lump.
Knowing how they were variously described will prove some worth. The Good News Translation (GNT) calls them “foreigners”. The Message Bible (MSG) employs the word “riffraff” and the English Standard Version (ESV) use “the rabble”. I think they were a group of people who loved what the God of Israel could do but were not willing to subject their carnal appetites to His Lordship. They had enough grace to leave Egypt but refuse to take extra grace to get Egypt out of them. They were neither here nor there. Call them the company of the Laodiceans. This seemingly little group had enough influence to pollute the entire landscape, a pointer to that Scripture that a little leaven can leaven the whole lump. This is a timely reminder of that verse of scripture that says, “one sinner destroys much good.” Ecclesiastes 9:18 NKJV. We must be careful of the people we allow into our space.
