AM Bible Study Group; May 26, 2010
Numbers 11:1-35
Theme: This passage describes the trials that Moses began to experience with the people in leading them to the promised land.
By this point in the story of the Book of Numbers, the trek to the promised land has begun. When the last chapter closed, we found Moses inviting one of his relatives by marriage to join with the people in their journey to the promised land and to enjoy the good God would do for them (10:29-32). We also found Moses offering up a blessing for God’s good leading (vv. 34-36). But as we come to this chapter, we find that the “good” turns to judgment; and that the blessing turns to complaining.
This chapter tells us about how the people began to display their sin nature along the way to the promised land. Sadly, a prevailing attitude of complaining would eventually result in the people wandering in the wilderness for nearly forty years, until the next generation could enter the promised land in their place. But though the consequences of complaining figures heavily in this chapter, the main focus of attention is on Moses: the leadership challenges he began to face while shepherding the people to the promised land; and God’s good care for His appointed leader over the people. A verse is 23—where God affirms to frustrated Moses, “Has the LORD’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to your or not.”
I. THE COMPLAINING OF THE PEOPLE (vv. 1-9).
A. No sooner do the people begin their march than they also begin to complain (vv. 1-3). We’re not told what the nature of this first mention of complaint was; but we do know that the people had already demonstrated a complaining spirit almost as soon as they marched out of the land (Exodus 15:22-24; 16:1-4). Perhaps, as is suggested in Psalm 78:21, it was over food. God, in His displeasure, caused a fire to burn among them that consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. When Moses appealed to God for them, the fire ceased. The place became named “Taberah” (which means “Burning”). This occurred within only twenty miles from the departure from Mt. Sinai.
B. Shortly thereafter, another complaint is mentioned (vv. 4-9)—this time from among the mixed multitude that traveled with the people of Israel (see Exodus 12:38). Their complaint over the food impacted the people of Israel; and they soon began to express disgusted over the ‘manna’ that God provided for them (see Exodus 16:4-32). They longed for the foods that they remembered from Egypt—although their memory may have been more than a little off! If they had any contact with this food, they probably only smelled it from afar—being slaves; or if they ate it at all, they probably only snatched it from the table scraps and the dumpsters of their slave-masters. In remembering the food, they apparently forgot their enslavement! How easily, when we lust after the short-term benefits of past sins, we forget the long-term pain we suffered while in them!
II. THE FRUSTRATION OF MOSES (vv. 10-15).
A. More was demanded of Moses than any human being has the natural ability to take; and in a moment of weakness, he himself lapsed into bitter complaining to God. When he saw the people “weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent”, he became displeased—and his displeasure poured out to God. He broke into a “Why me?” fit; affirming that it wasn’t him who called these people out of Egypt. It’s hard to blame him for this. Many of us have done much worse under much less pressure.
B. In the frustration of feeling like it was all upon him—even to find the meat for all the people (v. 13)—he prayed that if God was going to treat him this way, then it would be better if God were to kill him (vv. 14-15). Even some of the greatest of God’s saints have done the same (see 1 Kings 19:4; 2 Corinthians 1:8).
III. THE RESPONSES FROM GOD (vv. 16-23).
A. God’s merciful response to His overwhelmed servant comes in two forms. First, he commands that Moses gather seventy leaders of the people on whom He would place the spirit of leadership that was on Moses (see vv. 16-17)—so that they too could share the burden with him. It’s hard to say for sure whether or not this was the same group of leaders mentioned in Exodus 18:24-27 or Exodus 24:1-18. But if it is the same group of men, they would have then received a new power to help Moses lead.
B. The second response from God was to command Moses to tell the people that He would miraculously provide meat (vv. 18-20). This doesn’t seem to be an act of kindness on God’s part, however. Rather, it seems to be an act of judgment—giving the people what they lusted after in rebellion against Him, and allowing them to experience the consequences (see Psalm 78:12-33; see also Romans 1:24, 26, 28).
C. Moses struggled even with this promise from God—still thinking it was all up to him (vv. 21-22). But it was then that God promised to prove Himself (v. 23). The problems we face in God’s work are not our problems. They are God’s problems. And for Him, there are no problems!
IV. THE SHARING OF THE BURDEN (vv. 24-30).
A. In obedience to God, the leaders were gathered around the tabernacle; and coming down very visibly in the cloud, and speaking to Moses, God then placed on them the same spirit He had placed on Moses (vv. 24-25). This most likely means that He gave them the same sense of burden for the people, and the same divinely appointed leadership abilities, that Moses had been given. As a proof of the fact that they had been given the same spirit as Moses, we’re told that they “prophesied”—although, in order to show that Moses’ leadership was still unique, they didn’t do so again.
B. Two of the leaders who—for whatever reason—were not gathered with the others also received this spirit; but one of the young men who heard them prophecy came and complained to Moses. Moses’ assistant, Joshua—who heard this—then urged Moses to tell them to stop (vv. 26-28). Moses’ own attitude appears to have been softened by this point; and he made it clear that it wasn’t about his reputation that he was concerned. He said, “Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” (v. 29).
V. THE JUDGMENT FOR COMPLAINING (vv. 31-35).
A. Finally, a wind blew from the LORD and brought an abundance of meat to the people in the form of quail. They fell a day’s journey on both side, which made travel to them easy; and they fluttered about six feet above the ground, which made capture by hand a very easy matter as well (v.31).
B. But the greed of the people is demonstrated in that they stayed up all night and some of the next day gathering the meat for drying in the sun. We’re told that he who gathered the least had gathered as much as over 500 gallons of meat! But while it was still being greedily chewed by them, the Lord struck them and many died. Some have suggested that they died of food poisoning in the haste of their greed. How tragically just! God often brings judgment upon us by giving us what we want instead of Him; and thus allowing us to suffer the consequences!
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One lesson of this chapter, certainly, is to avoid complaining. As verse 1 reminds us, when we complain about what He has provided to us; when we distrust Him and despise His provision; when we long for what He has not given us, the Lord hears it—and it displeases Him!
But the greater lesson is about God Himself. His arm is never too short! Nothing is to hard for Him. No apparent lack of resources ever hinders Him. And so, when He calls us to do something that is greater than we can do, it’s so that He can prove what only He can do; and say to us, “Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not!” (v. 23).