I just finished reading the Book of Numbers today. Among the many practical insights and lessons that can be learned from a people and culture very distant from ours today, this one stood out to me the most.
In Numbers 11:4-6 the people of Israel are grumbling that they only have manna to eat saying, “Oh that we had meat to eat” while lamenting the fact that their life in Egypt was “better” because of the abundance of meat. It’s amazing that the desire for meat seems to completely erase from their memory the harsh conditions of slavery that they faced in Egypt.
The people’s complaining causes grief to their leader Moses, forcing him to go before the Lord and ask where all of this meat is going to come from. He even asks for the Lord to kill him rather than make him carry the heavy burden of a complaining people. The Lord in his kindness does not give Moses the easy way out, but calls him to action. He is told to gather 70 elders who then call the people consecrate themselves.
The Lord promises to give the people what they want - meat! However, He tells them that they will eat it “until it comes out at 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 come out of Egypt?’” Probably not the response the people were expecting!
Moses questions the Lord’s wisdom and asks how on His green earth He is going to provide meat for 600,000+ people for an entire month. The Lord’s answer is the knockout punch in this whole narrative. He asks Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened?” and then says, “now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”
Of course God is going to keep His word. He delivers good on His promise as usual and the people get quail piled up 3 feet high, a day’s journey on each side of the camp. After they gather it and as they are eating it the Lord sends a plague that strikes many of the people down. The name of the place where this narrative occurs is called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means graves of craving).
I think there is a lot to be learned from this series of events. First, God has redeemed us from slavery to sin (Egypt) and we should by faith receive and be content with our daily bread (manna) that He faithfully provides. Second, our cravings for more and better things can be dangerous. God knows our needs and what is best for us. Aligning our wills to His requires sacrifice, patience and endurance. Lastly, be careful what you wish for because God just might give it to you. The desire and craving for meat and a return to pre-redemptive living actually lead to eventual destruction and death for the people of Israel. Let us live as those who have been redeemed and with wholehearted devotion continue to trust the Lord to supply our daily bread!
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