So, we’re three days out from Sinai, and for the first time the Lord has brought them to a place where they can rest (10:33). His Presence is with them, protecting and shading them. Daily they gather the manna (literally heavenly food eaten by angels, see Ps.78:24-25). And bizarre though it may seem, they ‘began to crave other food’, and wailing about having been redeemed by the Lord. At least a proportion of the Israelites actually began to wish they could go back to their slavery... at least they had a varied diet.
The impact on Moses is a tragedy in its own right. Amongst the greatest pastors the Church has ever been blessed with, Moses has faithfully led the Israelites out of Egypt. He has been used by the Lord in singular ways to teach and structure the life and worship of this new-found people. He has modelled for them the glorious ministry of Christ their Mediator. He has taught them, interceded for them, led them, endured their grumbling, and their sullen reluctance to embrace the vision of life their Lord has held out to them. He is likely elated on their behalf at the success of their first journey. His own response has been one of worship as the Ark was settled back into its place in the Tabernacle (10:36). But his joy is punctured when he hears ‘the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents’ (11:10). He is overwhelmed and crushed that – in spite of everything they have experienced over the last year – they would reject the Lord’s purposes for them so fundamentally. To wish they had never been redeemed... to long not for the Land the Lord had promised them, but for a return to the tyranny and threat of Egypt... to refuse to trust that He could and would provide for them! Moses is pushed to the limit by their petulance, and is actually willing to die if that is the only way out (11:15). Their heart is revealed (Deut.8:2), and it is not a heart that trusts and delights in the Lord. Like Esau of old, they would sell their birth right for meal (Gen.25:29-34, contra Matt.4:1-3).
The Lord answers both prayers: Moses’ for help in bearing the burden of the people; and the peoples’ for meat. Though the manner of answering is radically different. Elders are raised up to share the burden of the people; and quail to a depth of 3ft falls daily on the camp. People literally had to wade through quail. But even this miraculous and extravagant provision doesn’t produce repentance; the people don’t confess the sinfulness of their failure to trust the Lord’s goodness. They ignored the Lord, and simply stuffed their faces for 24 hours straight (11:22-23). Finally, the Lord’s anger (and remember, he is slow to anger, so this is an extraordinary moment) could be constrained no longer! Their ingratitude and greed shows the idolatry of their own appetites. The people are given a terrifying lesson: sin only ever leads to death. To choose to be obsessed with our own appetites and desires, rather than with the Presence and provision of the Lord, is to be buried in ‘the graves of craving’.
Questions
In Exodus 16:31 the manna was said to taste of honey, but here in Num.11:8, it is said to ‘taste like something made with olive oil’. What’s changed? What is this teaching us about the spiritual dynamics of our own pilgrimage through the ‘wilderness’ of this age?
Can you understand someone who is offered the bread of angels to live on, but who would rather have the menu of 11:4-5? What is going on in their mind and heart?
Who do you think this ‘rabble’ is? Why are they spoken of in such disparaging terms?
Is Moses’ reaction (11:10-15) appropriate? ...understandable? ...sinful? Why does the wailing of the people have such a profound impact on the leadership? How does this insight into the experience of Church leadership effect the way you think about the relationship between a congregation and their leadership? How would that play out in MIE?
Seeking first the things of the Lord and trusting Him to provide for us remains one of the first lessons He would have us learn (Matt.6:33). From that passage in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt.6:25-34), what do we need to be convinced of before we can learn this lesson? Can you share from your own experience of being a Christian how this looks for you? Have you any stories you can share about when you experienced God’s provision after you first sought His Kingdom and righteousness?
Read Phil.4:10-13. How is Paul’s attitude different from that of the Israelites in Num.11? Why does Paul call the ability to be content a ‘secret’? How can we learn this secret? How can you spot a Christian who is content?
Do you think that all of the 70 elders were actually Christians (11:25)? What about Eldad and Medad (11:26)? Can you experience the Spirit, and even be caught up in the gifts of the Spirit and not be a Christian? Have a look at Heb.6:4-6. How can someone who has ‘shared in the Holy Spirit’ then fall away as in Heb.6:6? Do you think the parable in Heb.6:7-8 helps us understand Num.11 any better?
What do you make of 11:29? What would it mean if Moses wish were granted?
