The Book Of NUMBERS
Numbers 21:8 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole:
and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."
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CHAPTER 23:
Verses 1-2: The seven altars and the fourteen burnt offerings are not an indication that Balaam is honoring or worshiping God. According to Biblical scholars and historians, seven was a sacred number in the ANE, and we know from Genesis that animal sacrifices have been an integral part of mankind’s culture and tradition when God made animal skins to clothe Adam and Eve after the Fall. And since it’s clear from the text that both Balaam and King Balak are heathen men, it’s also clear that these burnt offerings are not the same as the ones God described for the Israelites in Exodus and Leviticus. Balak is a superstitious man, and he’s doing what he thinks will bring him the most reward from his false gods. Verses 3-5: Balaam tells Balak to stand by while he goes “…to an high place…” to meet with God. (v.3) This could be reference to a nearby hilltop or another sacred site of Baal that is a short distance away. Balaam tells the LORD that he has prepared seven altars and done two burnt offerings on each one. (v.4) Given the pagan worship that is represented by those offerings, this is either incredible pride and arrogance on the part of Balaam or he is simply so naïve in his sin that he somehow thinks that God is pleased by those sacrifices just because God has chosen him to be His oracle. Nevertheless, God tells Balaam what he will speak, and Balaam returns to Balak. Verses 6-12: This is the first of four blessings/prophecies that Balaam gives regarding God’s chosen people. It’s not just King Balak that is listening, but he has all his princes with him. (v.6) Verse 7 describes Balaam’s words as a parable, meaning that what he’s about to speak is more than just an ordinary blessing. (Job 27:1, 29:1, Psalm 78:2) What God has given Balaam is a fundamental, divine truth, a revelation that can neither be given nor found anywhere else except from Yahweh, the one, true God, creator of heaven and earth. In other words, King Balak and his princes are about to get far more than they bargained for, and it’s definitely not what any of them want to hear. For us, however, who truly believe and worship JEHOVAH, the words of Balaam in this chapter and the next are a heavenly parable indeed! Balaam begins by stating who has summoned him and from where he has come. (v.7) King Balak and all of Moab desire to defy Israel. (1 Samuel 17:10) But Balaam says he cannot curse those whom God has not cursed, nor can he defy them that God has not defied. (v.8) The children of Israel stand apart from all other people of the earth, “…and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” (v.9) (Exodus 33:16, Deuteronomy 32:8, 33:28, Joshua 11:23, Ezra 9:2) The LORD, speaking through Balaam, is confirming His covenant with Abraham here. Israel has been called out, separated from all other nations and peoples of the earth, and no one shall come against them or defy them, for they belong solely to God. “Who can count the dust of Jacob…” (v.10) (Genesis 13:16, 22:17, 28:14, 2 Chronicles 1:9) Abraham’s seed numbers about two million, even with the recent deaths due to disobedience and rebellion. From their vantage point atop this peak, Balaam and Balak can see only a quarter of Israel’s encampment. (“…the number of the fourth part of Israel…”) Balaam ends his blessing with a confirmation of Israel’s righteous state before God. Note from my study Bible: “This episode is a test case for the Abrahamic covenant in its most elemental and fundamental level. Balaam was called by Balak to put God to the test.” Balak, of course, is not at all happy with this blessing, but Balaam reminds him that he can only “…speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth.” (v.11-12) Verses 13-17: Balak thinks a change of view will alter the outcome of Balaam’s prophecies, so he relocates everyone to “…the field of Zophim, to the top of Pigsah…”. (v.14) This site offers a different view of Israel’s encampment. (v.13) Another seven altars are built and another round of burnt offerings are completed. Balaam once again tells Balak to stand by “…while I meet the LORD yonder.” (v.15) Once again, God tells him what to say to Balak. (v.16) Verses 18-24: The immutability of God is stated clearly in verse 19. “…hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” What God wills will be done, and no man can change that or stand against it. The first part of this verse is referring to the fact that God cannot go back on the promise He made to Abraham. He gave His word to Abraham that his seed would number as the stars of the heaven, and that through him all nations of the earth would be blessed. God also specifically stated “…I will bless thee…” (Genesis 12:2) and “…I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curesth thee…” (12:3) Although Balak is asking Balaam to curse Israel, what he’s really seeking is that God – through Balaam – curses Israel. God – through Balaam – is making it clear to Balak that He can’t do that. He is not like men that He can lie and break His promises. “…He hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it,” Balaam says to the king. (v.20) “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel…”. (v.21) (Psalm 32:2, Romans 4:7-8) These verses refer to Israel’s standing before God. He has found the nation righteous in the same way that believers today are seen as righteous before God because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of Israel’s faith and their keeping of the law, God sees them as upright and blameless before Him. This is also another way of saying that they are God’s chosen people, and the second half of the verse attests to Israel’s victories because the LORD is on their side. (Psalm 89:15) Balaam then gives examples of God’s might, power, and sovereignty. (v.22-24). The first example is, of course, His deliverance of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. God’s power is compared to that of a unicorn, a reference that is used frequently in the OT to refer to God’s supernatural might and providence. (v.22) (Numbers 24:8, Deuteronomy 33:17, Job 39:9-10, Psalm 22:21, 29:6, 92:10, Isaiah 34:7) The exact definition of this word as well as the animal to which it is referring is unknown to modern Biblical scholars. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Bible dictionary gives this definition: “Probably the great aurochs or wild bulls which are now extinct. The exact meaning is not known.” The KJV translators used the term “unicorn” because it was the closest that we have in English to whatever mighty and powerful animal was native to this region of the ANE at this time. Whatever the case, Balaam is making it clear to King Balak that God is far more powerful than man, and what He has wrought cannot be undone by any mere mortal. Balaam confirms what God has told him from the start: no one can come against the seed of Jacob with any form of divination or supernatural power except that God allows it. (v.23) Not even Satan with all of his power and demonic forces can attack Israel, for God is their strength and protection. By His power the nation shall rise up against her enemies as a mighty lion, young and full of fury. (v.24) Anyone that comes against her will be utterly destroyed. (Genesis 49:9, 27, Psalm 31:19, 44:1) Verses 25-30: Balak now tries a different tactic, telling Balaam to neither curse nor bless Israel at all. (v.25) But Balaam reminds the king that he can only speak what God tells him to say. There’s also an interesting point here in that not only is Balaam allowed to speak only what God gives to him, but neither can Balaam refrain from speaking at all! God’s will is that Balaam publicly blesses the children of Israel, and Balaam has no choice but to obey! Balak, however, refuses to accept Balaam’s reply, and he relocates everyone to yet another mountain peak overlooking the plains of Moab. (v.27) The king foolishly and stubbornly believes that just because he and Balaam change the venue that God will suddenly change His mind as well. The new site is the mountaintop of Peor, looking towards Jeshimon. (v.28) (Numbers 21:20) As before, Balak and his princes build seven altars upon which Balaam performs the usual burnt offerings. CHAPTER 24: Verses 1-9: From the top of Mount Peor, Balaam and Balak can see all of the camp of Israel. (v.1-2) (Numbers 2:2, 34) This time Balaam has no need to depart a ways off in order to first consult with God before giving Balak a new parable. On the previous two occasions, God had spoken to Balaam through whatever method of divination and spiritual enchantment Balaam regularly practiced. Now, however, the spirit of God comes upon him directly. (v.2) (Numbers 11:25, 1 Samuel 10:10, 19:20, 23, 2 Chronicles 15:1) Verse 3 is the Lord speaking through Balaam about Balaam. He is “…the man whose eyes are open…”. Verse 4 gives further detail about Balaam’s appearance. He is clearly in a trance, seeing a “…vision of the Almighty…”. The seed of Jacob is compared to a bountiful garden full of rich, flourishing trees. (v.6) (Psalm 1:3, 104:16, Jeremiah 17:8) Cedar trees in the ANE always yielded strong, sturdy wood, and the forests of Lebanon at that time were ripe with these towering trees whose roots ran deep. Balaam prophesies that the nation of Israel will have seed as abundant as the waters of the earth, and their king will be exalted above all kings of the earth. (v.7) King Agag of the Amalekites is named specifically here, even though he is yet to be born. (1 Samuel 15:8-9) It’s also possible that Agag is a title rather than a proper name, like Pharaoh, and thus Balaam could be referring to the whole nation of the Amalekites rather than a specific man. The Amalekites were the first people to attack Israel after their exodus from Egypt, and that’s probably another reason that Balaam specifically mentions them here. There is a sudden change of pronouns starting in verse 8. Where Balaam referred to all of Israel in the two parables from chapter 23, he now shifts to a singular masculine pronoun. The simile of the unicorn is used again. (“God hath brought him forth out of Egypt…”) The rest of that verse continues the metaphor of the lion that was begun in the previous chapter. (Numbers 23:24, Psalm 2:9, 45:5, Jeremiah 50:17) None of His enemies shall be left standing when all is said and done. He will bask in His victories, as a lion that lays down in his den after devouring his prey. (v.9) Balaam closes this parable by repeating God’s promise to Abraham, even keeping the singular pronoun that God used in those proclamations. (Genesis 12:3, 27:29) There is a dual prophecy in verses 8-9. Balaam is speaking of the nation of Israel and her early victories that will come after entering the promised land. But he is also predicting the coming Messiah, the King of Kings and LORD of Lords, the One who will destroy all of Israel’s enemies in the last days of the Tribulation before establishing His millennial kingdom. Verses 10-19: Balak’s anger, of course, now reaches a boiling point, indicated by the phrase “…he smote his hands together…”. (v.10) (Ezekiel 21:14, 17) Rather than be humbled and corrected by Balaam’s words, the king’s heart hardens even further, and he orders Balaam to return home. (v.11) His claim that “…the LORD hath kept thee back from honour…” shows the extent of Balak’s sinful pride, as if he is the one who is right and Balaam deserves to be punished for disobedience! Balaam, nonplussed by Balak’s outburst, reminds the king yet again that he warned Balak he couldn’t say anything except what God allowed him to speak. (v.12-13) No amount of the king’s wealth and bestowed honor could override God’s sovereignty. But Balaam doesn’t stop there. He has one more prophecy to deliver before he returns to his homeland. (v.14) This one concerns the actions of Israel in the latter days against all her enemies. (Genesis 49:1, Deuteronomy 4:30, Daniel 2:28) Verses 15-16 echo verses 3-4, indicating once more that the spirit of God has come upon him directly. Once again, Balaam references both a specific person as well as the whole nation of Israel. The Moody Bible Commentary has this to say of verse 17: “Balaam envisioned this individual as a Star and a Scepter. A star was often mentioned in conjunction with royal figures (Isaiah 14:12, Matthew 2:2), and the scepter designated power and authority (Genesis 49:10, Psalm 45:6). While King David foreshadowed many of the predictions here, these images were clearly fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 2:2, Hebrews 1:8, 2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 22:16).” This whole chapter contains one of the clearest and strongest Messianic prophecies in all of the OT. (NOTE: the Moody Institute scholars are not using the KJV 1611 Bible as their source for the cross reference of Isaiah 14:12. There is actually no mention of a star in that verse except in the other corrupted English translations of the Bible. Isaiah spoke of Lucifer in those verses, not Christ, and nowhere in scripture does God compare anyone other than His only son to a morning star. This is another example of how all the other English translations of the Bible – which are based on the corrupted manuscripts that came out of Alexandria, Egypt – seek to rob Jesus Christ of His rightful deity. In the case of that specific verse in Isaiah 14, to refer to Lucifer as the “morning star”, “star of the morning”, or “day-star” – all of which are used by the ASV, CEB, CSB, ESV, LSB, NASB, NIV, NLT, and RSV – is outright blasphemy. The other cross references from Hebrews, 2 Peter, and Revelation prove this point.) The conquest of Edom is predicted in verse 18. (2 Samuel 8:14) Verse 19 is possibly a dual reference to King David as well as the Messiah since David is the one that will eventually subdue Edom and many of the other nations of the promised land during his reign. (Genesis 49:10, Amos 9:11-12) Verses 20-25: Balaam closes with three more prophecies regarding the Amalekites, the Kenites, Asshur, and Eber. In verse 20 he names the Amalekites, who are the descendants of Esau, as “…the first of the nations…”, referring to their might and power. They were also one of the first nations to attack Israel right after the exodus from Egypt. (Exodus 17) But, in the end, they will be utterly destroyed by the seed of Jacob. Verse 21 references the fact that the Kenites are well known for building strongholds in the sides of cliffs, yet they will eventually fall captive to the dominant empire of Assyria (Asshur). (v.22) But even Assyria, along with Eber (Genesis 11:14-17), will one day fall to another power whose mighty ships will come from Cyprus (Chittim), a possible reference to the world domination of Greece and Rome. (v.24) (Genesis 10:4, Ezekiel 27:6, Daniel 11:30) Both Asshur and Eber exist within the greater area of Mesopotamia at this time which will one day be conquered by both Greece and Rome as they build their respective empires. When this last parable is concluded, Balaam and Balak go their separate ways. (v.25) Balaam’s life comes to a tragic end not long after this when he is slain by the very people about whom he prophesied. (Numbers 31:8) The sovereignty of God is absolute. Every atom, molecule, and speck of everything in this universe, both living and non-living, sentient and non-sentient, is under His absolute and infinite control. There is nothing that occurs, or that a man says or thinks or does, that is not already known to God long before that event, or choice, or word, or thought is planned, made, spoken, or formed. When He so chooses, God may reach down from His throne in the highest heaven to turn the mortal, weak tongue of a single man to speak only the words that the Lord puts in his mouth. Our free will is like ashes in the mighty wind of God’s sovereignty, and the fact that we are free to make any choice in anything at all is only by His grace and mercy. God still allowed Balaam a free will after his meeting with King Balak, and we know this because of his tragic end seven chapters later. Balaam was indwelt by Almighty God, possessed by His spirit, and yet Balaam still chose of his own free will to reject God and suffer damnation accordingly. On the flip side of that coin, the Israelites continually turned back to God of their own free will following His divine punishment for disobedience. God had chosen the seed of Abraham and Jacob to be consecrated especially to Him, a sacred people through whom would come the salvation for all mankind. No mere man would be allowed to curse those people, and the Israelites stood righteous and pure before God always, even now in our present age. The time is coming soon when God will gather His chosen people from the ends of the earth, and He will have a final reckoning with them before giving them absolute dominion over all the earth. The Messiah about whom Balaam prophesied in this chapter will return to earth in all His might and glory to reign for a thousand years from His throne in Jerusalem, and the children of Israel will be the firstborn of all nations once and for all time. Praise be to Almighty God, hallelujah and amen!
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A mere three days after leaving Mount Sinai the children of Israel begin to complain and murmur against God. This chapter and the next stand in stark contrast to the first section of this book where Moses has written in great detail about the obedience and submission of the nation to God’s direction and leading.
Verses 1-3: It doesn’t say here exactly what the people are complaining about, nor does it matter. The point of this introduction is that Israel disobeys God by displaying ingratitude for all that He has done for them in the first year since their exodus from Egypt. (Exodus 16:2, 17:3, Numbers 14:2, 16:11, 17:5, Deuteronomy 9:22) As punishment, the LORD sends a great fire upon the outskirts of the camp which consumes some of the people and their tents. (v.1) (Leviticus 10:2, 2 Kings 1:12, Psalm 78:21) This, of course, brings about regret and repentance from the rest of the nation who entreat Moses to intercede with God on their behalf. (v.2) (Numbers 12:11, 13, 21:7) Moses prays to the LORD, and the fire is extinguished. (James 5:16) As is usual for the culture of the ANE, Moses names this place Taberah, which means "place of burning", because of this incident. (v.3) Verses 4-9: Sadly, it doesn’t take long for the children of Israel to fall back into rebellion, ingratitude and failure to trust in God for their providence and care. Verse 4 refers to a “mixt multitude”, which very likely is made up of some of the Egyptians that had come out with Israel in the exodus. (Exodus 12:38) These begin to complain because they are dissatisfied with the manna from heaven that God has been providing for the nation every morning. (v.6-8) Verse 4 calls it “lusting”, which means they are craving or longing for the variety of food that they had enjoyed back in their native land. (1 Corinthians 10:6) This is a good example in scripture of the fairweather “Christian”, the one who is not truly saved but, instead, follows Christ and the church during the good times in life when blessings are plenty. But as soon as hardship or testing from the Lord comes into their lives they quickly retreat, complaining and desiring the ways of their old life which they see as more comfortable and easier than remaining with the flock of God. (Mark 4:5-6, 16-17) Even worse, the sour attitude and the ungratefulness of the Egyptians rubs off on the Israelites who also begin to complain about a lack of meat. “Who shall give us flesh to eat?” That is an odd complaint given the size of the flocks and herds of the Israelites which, in turn, indicates the depth of sin and rebellion in their hearts. After all that God has done for them, starting with the parting of the Red Sea, they cannot even trust Him to continually provide enough livestock for both the required daily sacrifices and daily sustenance. They should have been more than grateful for the meat they already possessed, as well as the daily manna that fell from heaven. Instead, they long for the fish, “…the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick…” (v.5) (Exodus 16:3) They complain about having nothing but manna to eat all day every day. (v.6) (Numbers 21:5) Verses 7-9 give a quick review for the reader of what manna is and the many ways in which it can be prepared and eaten. (Exodus 16:14, 31) The shortsightedness and the immaturity of the Israelites is astounding. In Egypt they had been slaves. That means they suffered extreme physical torment on a daily basis, and many of them died because of it. Their lives now compared to then are as different as night and day. Yet instead of remembering God’s mercy and goodness and the providential miracles He has performed on their behalf since then, they behave as spoiled children with extremely short term memories. All they can think of now is the variety of food they had in Egypt, but even that is probably not accurate. The Egyptians would have had all the food that is listed in verse 5, but it’s very unlikely the Hebrew slaves would have eaten that well. Not only that, but to grumble and complain so soon after many of their fellow Israelites were killed by God as punishment for grumbling and complaining against Him is even more astonishing. It is little wonder, then, that Moses loses his temper and his patience with the people because of all this. Verses 10-15: One of Moses’ greatest weaknesses is anger (Exodus 2:11-12), which he again reveals here as he vents his frustrations to the LORD, whose anger is also once again aroused against the Israelites. (v.10) Moses complains to God about the responsibility of leadership that He has laid on Moses’ shoulders. (v.11-12) (Exodus 5:22, Deuteronomy 1:12) His complaint in verse 13 about the lack of meat demonstrates the same faithless attitude as the people. It should have been Moses that reminded the Israelites of God’s provision for them thus far in their journey, as well as the abundance of meat they already possessed in the form of their own livestock and herds. The rebellion of the people is too much for Moses to bear alone (v.14), and he begs God to end his life now in order to put him out of his misery. (v.15) (Exodus 18:18, Deuteronomy 1:12) Verses 16-20: God responds to Moses’ complaint first. The seventy elders of the nation mentioned here are probably not the same ones that Moses selected several months earlier on the advice of Jethro, his father-in-law. (Exodus 18:25, 24:1, 9) While Exodus 24 does mention seventy elders, the wording of verse 16 here in Numbers 11 suggests that these elders are being chosen for the first time. Also, those that were selected in Exodus 18 were administrative and judicial leaders, not spiritual. The seventy elders chosen here will serve a different function for the people, as indicated in verse 17. The LORD will pour out His spirit upon the elders in the same way that He has bestowed His spirit upon Moses. (1 Samuel 10:6, 2 Kings 2:15, Joel 2:28) Because of this, “…they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.” As for the people, God tells Moses that He will give them meat; so much so, in fact, that it will “…come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you…”. (v.20) The Moody Bible Commentary has this to say regarding the use of the word “nostril” in verse 20: “This is interesting because the word for ‘anger’ (v. 1) and the word for ‘nostril’ are spelled the same in Hebrew: ‘aph. The seat of anger was associated with nostrils (i.e., nostrils flaring when one is angry). When the LORD’s ‘nose’ is angered, the consequences will be felt in the ‘nose’ of those being judged.” The people will have enough flesh to eat for a whole month (v.19), and they will be sick of it by the end of that time. While their physical hunger will be temporarily sated, it will not address the true source of their rebellion and discontent. That is a spiritual problem, as noted later by King David (Psalm 78:29, 106:15), and it’s an issue that will consistently plague the children of Israel during their journey to the promised land. This is stated plainly in verse 20: “…because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you…”. It's not the lack of meat that is Israel’s real problem here: it’s a complete lack of faith and trust in God. This spiritual immaturity will eventually cost this current generation the promised land, and the same holds true for us today. Too often we focus on our current circumstances, grumbling and complaining to the LORD about our afflictions, and so easily forgetting all that God has done for us up to this point in our lives. The nation of Israel was focused on their physical needs and infirmities rather than turning their attention off themselves and their surroundings to the God of their fathers that had brought them out of slavery and affliction in Egypt. As He does here for them, the Lord will often give us whatever temporal, physical thing we are seeking, but, of course, it doesn’t satisfy us, and we find ourselves even more despondent and afflicted than before. And then we wonder why we’re so unhappy and miserable. Verses 21-23: God’s answer should have satisfied Moses, but his lack of faith persisted, as indicated by verses 21-22. He is basically stating here that feeding two million Israelites for one month will be impossible for God. Moses even brings up the results of the current census that was just completed: “…six hundred thousand footmen…”, as if to say, “Lord, do you realize how many people there are in this nation right now? Are you serious???” God’s rebuke in verse 23 is terse and direct. He says, in essence, “Do you believe My power is limited? Stand back and watch as I keep My word.” (Numbers 23:19) Verses 24-30: Moses finally obeys God’s instructions and gathers the seventy elders around the tabernacle. (v.24) God fulfills his word to Moses: His spirit descends upon all the elders, and they begin to worship and prophesy. (v.25) (1 Samuel 10:10, Acts 2:17-18, 1 Corinthians 14:1) The text doesn’t give a precise definition here of what that prophesying is, but from the general definition of the word “prophesy”, as it is found throughout scripture, we can safely infer from this passage that the elders were teaching and administering to the people in much the same manner as a pastor does in the modern church today. Both Strong’s Concordance and the Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Bible dictionary define the word “prophesying” in verse 26 as “under the influence of divine spirit”, as is often the case when used in scripture, especially in the NT. When Paul uses the word “prophesy” in his epistles, he means one who teaches and preaches the word of God, not someone who predicts the future. Here in the OT, one who prophesies is often one who teaches and preaches to the people as well as one who reveals God’s prediction of a specific future event as a warning or a blessing to the people. Here in Numbers 11, it seems clear from the text that this instance is an example of the former. These seventy elders were needed to help guide the nation spiritually, to admonish and encourage them in their worship and obedience to God. It’s also very likely that they rebuked the people for their disobedience and rebellion against God, just as Moses has done and will continue to do. There are three possible ways to read this passage regarding Eldad and Medad: 1) they were supposed to have been part of the original seventy, which means that Moses gathered only sixty-eight elders at the tabernacle, which means that he and these two disobeyed God’s instructions; 2) Eldad and Medad were physically unable to meet at the tabernacle because of some temporary sickness or other infirmity that prevented them from leaving their tents; or 3) they were not part of the seventy elders, and God’s spirit came upon them as unexpected and surprising spiritual bonus. The reaction of Joshua (v.28), Moses’ student and servant, upon hearing the news that Eldad and Medad are prophesying among the camp strongly suggests option #3. He advises Moses to forbid them from doing so because they are not part of the group that God summoned to the tabernacle. (Mark 9:38, Luke 9:49) Joshua is mistakenly trying to protect Moses’ status as leader of the people. Moses’ answer once again demonstrates his wisdom as God’s appointed leader: “Are you jealous for my sake? I desire that God would pour out His spirit on all the people!” (v.29) (1 Corinthians 14:5) He then instructs Joshua and the elders to go out into the camp and minister to the people. (v.30) Moses understands that God is the true leader of the nation, and that he – Moses – is no more than a mere servant. Verses 31-35: The Hebrew word for “spirit” in verse 25, rûach, is the same word used for “wind” here in verse 31. Both refer to the power of God. (Exodus 16:13, Psalm 78:26, 105:40) True to His word, He supplies more than enough quail to feed the entire nation. (v.32) There’s so much of the fowl, in fact, that each man is able to gather at least ten homers, which is the equivalent of 60 bushels! That’s more than plenty, even for just a month, but the Israelites are so consumed by greed that they eat far more than their fill. Their indulgence is to the point of gluttony, and this angers the LORD. (v.33) As punishment, He smites the nation with a plague. Moses names that place “Kibroth–hattaavah”, literally translated as “Graves of Craving”. (v.33) It’s implied in this verse that those among the dead are the same ones that caused the rebellion and discontent in the beginning. (v.4) It's important to note here that God did not punish the Israelites merely because they asked for some food other than the manna or because they failed to thank Him for the quail. As with so much of Israel’s rebellion and apostasy, the problem here was the condition of their hearts. As noted earlier, the people were acting out of ingratitude and selfishness, and they had given into the lust of their flesh. They were not content with the manna and the meat of their own livestock, and this indicated a sinful heart which resulted in their greed and gluttony. It’s the same temptation that caused Adam and Eve to fall. They were not content with all the variety of fruit and vegetation that God had provided them in the garden. Instead, they wanted the one fruit that God had expressly forbidden. The phrasing of verse 33 suggests that God would not have smote the people with a plague if they had not been so greedy. If they would have taken only as much as they needed and not eaten to the point of gluttony, they might not have died. But it was the very act of gluttony, caused by greed, that angered the LORD. This is one reason Paul exhorts the Corinthians to keep self-control and self-discipline in all things, but especially the lusts of the flesh. (1 Corinthians 6:12-13) Keeping our desires and cravings under control, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will not only enable us to live physically healthy and vibrant lives, but will also help us greatly in service and obedience to God who is our provider and sustainer. We should be thankful every day for whatever He gives us and be content with what we have, not looking with lust at the greener grass on the other side of the fence. |
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