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."
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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