We left off with what we could learn from the deaths of Nadab and Abihu. Context is always important when trying to understand the lessons Jehovah is providing us. How much time has elapsed since they left Egypt?
Numbers 9:1 Thus the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 9:2 "Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time.
9:3 "On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances."
9:4 So Moses told the sons of Israel to observe the Passover. 9:5 They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. As you recall, they left Egypt right after the first Passover.
Now one year has passed, Jehovah has given them the ten tablets of His commandments. They experienced the destruction of Egypt through the 10 plagues. They saw Jehovah destroy the entire Egyptian army by drowning them in the same Red Sea they had just crossed safely. They have heard His voice and trembled. They were led by a cloud by day and fire by night. They have received water from a rock, manna from heaven, and yet, they continued to grumble and complain.
Numbers 11:1 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 11:2 The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD and the fire died out. 11:3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them.
It would seem that they were never really thankful or even acknowledged the blessings that Jehovah continued to pour out to them.
Numbers 11:4 The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat? 11:5 "We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 11:6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna."
11:7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 11:8 The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil. 11:9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.
So the mixed multitude, which included the Israelites and all who came with them continued complaining. In reality they were accusing Jehovah of withholding blessings from them. They were even beginning to think being slaves in Egypt was better than being the people of Jehovah.
It is a very sad deception when we begin to reminisce about the ‘good old days’ that really weren’t all that good.
Numbers 11:10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased.
11:11 So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? 11:12 "Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers'?
11:13 "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat that we may eat!' 11:14 "I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. 11:15 "So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness."
Moses was not one to be consumed by self-pity, but you can read that their constant complaining, Aaron’s disobedience, and the weight of being in total charge was weighing him down. It would seem that he forgot the power of Jehovah as well.
Numbers 11:16 The LORD therefore said to Moses, "Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 11:17 "Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.
Jehovah was going to give Moses some much needed help to share the burden of judging these 2+ million people. But, that was not all!
Numbers 11:18 "Say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, "Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat and you shall eat. 11:19 'You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 11:20 but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'"
11:21 But Moses said, "The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 on foot; yet You have said, 'I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.' 11:22 "Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?"
11:23 The LORD said to Moses, "Is the LORD'S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not."
It is interesting that the people’s knowledge of Jehovah as quite limited and faulty. They apparently did not know that He could hear their grumbling. They may have thought, even though that is hard to believe, that they were grumbling only to Moses. Jehovah even had to remind Moses, by asking if Moses thought His power was in any way limited.
Numbers 11:31 Now there went forth a wind from the LORD and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. 11:32 The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
11:33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very severe plague. 11:34 So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy.
Just for understanding, an homer is about 3.7 quarts, or almost a gallon. So the greedy gathered 10 gallons of quail from the first opportunity.
How did Jehovah respond to their grumbling, irreverent comparison to life in Egypt, and lack of any sense of thankfulness? He sent a severe plague with the quail. They had just put the first bite in their mouths when the plague struck them.
What lessons can we learn from this sad episode in the lives of the Israelites?
First, grumbling and complaining is really an indictment against Jehovah; He has not done enough for us, or so we think.
Secondly, an incomplete knowledge of Jehovah leaves us prone to follow the wrong leaders.
Thirdly, failure to both remember and praise Jehovah for all that He had done, leads us away from Him and into the powers of Satan and all his deceivers.
Let us never forget all that He has done for us and continues to do for us!
His power is without limits as is His knowledge of us.
More next Saturday.