Numbers 11:4-35

Numbers 11:4-35

[4] And the mixt multitude  that was among  them fell a lusting:  and the children  of Israel  also wept  again,  and said,  Who shall give us flesh  to eat?  [5] We remember  the fish,  which we did eat  in Egypt  freely;  the cucumbers,  and the melons,  and the leeks,  and the onions,  and the garlick:  [6] But now our soul  is dried away:  there is nothing at all, beside  this manna,  before our eyes.  [7] And the manna  was as coriander  seed,  and the colour  of bdellium.  [8] And the people  went about,  and gathered  it, and ground  it in mills,  or beat  it in a mortar,  and baked  it in pans,  and made  cakes  of it: and the taste  of fresh  oil.  [9] And when the dew  fell  upon the camp  in the night,  the manna  fell  [10] Then Moses  heard  the people  weep  throughout their families,  every man  in the door  of his tent:  and the anger  was kindled  greatly;  Moses  [11] And Moses  said  unto the LORD,  Wherefore hast thou afflicted  thy servant?  and wherefore have I not found  favour  in thy sight,  that thou layest  the burden  of all this people  [12] Have I conceived  all this people?  have I begotten  them, that thou shouldest say  unto me, Carry  them in thy bosom,  as a nursing father  beareth  the sucking child,  unto the land  which thou swarest  unto their fathers?  [13] Whence  should I have flesh  to give  unto all this people?  for they weep  unto me, saying,  Give  us flesh,  that we may eat.  [14] I am not able  to bear  all this people  alone,  because it is too heavy  [15] And if thou deal  thus with me, kill  if I have found  favour  in thy sight;  and let me not see  my wretchedness.  [16] And the LORD  said  unto Moses,  Gather  unto me seventy  men  of the elders  of Israel,  whom thou knowest  to be the elders  of the people,  and officers  over them; and bring  them unto the tabernacle  of the congregation,  that they may stand  there with thee. [17] And I will come down  and talk  with thee there: and I will take  of the spirit  which is upon thee, and will put  it upon them; and they shall bear  the burden  of the people  with thee, that thou bear  [18] And say  thou unto the people,  Sanctify  yourselves against to morrow,  and ye shall eat  flesh:  for ye have wept  in the ears  of the LORD,  saying,  Who shall give us flesh  to eat?  for it was well  with us in Egypt:  therefore the LORD  will give  you flesh,  and ye shall eat.  [19] Ye shall not eat  one  day,  nor five  days,  neither ten  days,  nor twenty  days;  [20] But even a whole month,  until it come out  at your nostrils,  and it be loathsome  unto you: because  that ye have despised  the LORD  which is among  you, and have wept  before  him, saying,  Why came we forth  out of Egypt?  [21] And Moses  said,  The people,  among  whom I am, are six  hundred  thousand  footmen;  and thou hast said,  I will give  them flesh,  that they may eat  a whole  month.  [22] Shall the flocks  and the herds  be slain  for them, to suffice  them? or shall all the fish  of the sea  be gathered together  for them, to suffice  them? [23] And the LORD  said  unto Moses,  Is the LORD'S  hand  waxed short?  thou shalt see  now whether my word  shall come to pass  [24] And Moses  went out,  and told  the people  the words  of the LORD,  and gathered  the seventy  of the elders  of the people,  and set  them round about  the tabernacle.  [25] And the LORD  came down  in a cloud,  and spake  unto him, and took  of the spirit  that was upon him, and gave  it unto the seventy  elders:  and it came to pass, that, when the spirit  rested  upon them, they prophesied,  and did not cease.  [26] But there remained  two  in the camp,  the name  of the one  was Eldad,  and the name  of the other  Medad:  and the spirit  rested  upon them; and they were of them that were written,  but went not out  unto the tabernacle:  and they prophesied  in the camp.  [27] And there ran  a young man,  and told  Moses,  and said,  Eldad  and Medad  do prophesy  in the camp.  [28] And Joshua  the son  of Nun,  the servant  of Moses,  one of his young men,  answered  and said,  My lord  Moses,  forbid  [29] And Moses  said  unto him, Enviest  thou for my sake? would God that all the  LORD'S  people  were prophets,  and that the LORD  would put  his spirit  upon them! [30] And Moses  gat  him into the camp,  he and the elders  of Israel.  [31] And there went forth  a wind  from the LORD,  and brought  quails  from the sea,  and let them fall  by the camp,  as it were a day's  journey  on this side,  and as it were a day's  journey  on the other side,  round about  the camp,  and as it were two cubits  high upon the face  of the earth.  [32] And the people  stood up  all that day,  and all that night,  and all the next  day,  and they gathered  the quails:  he that gathered least  gathered  ten  homers:  and they spread  for themselves round about  the camp.  [33] And while the flesh  was yet  between their teeth,  ere it was chewed,  the wrath  of the LORD  was kindled  against the people,  and the LORD  smote  the people  with a very  great  plague.  [34] And he called  the name  of that place  Kibrothhattaavah:  because there they buried  the people  that lusted.  [35] And the people  journeyed  from Kibrothhattaavah  unto Hazeroth; 

What does Numbers 11:4-35 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The "rabble" or "worthless foreigners" (CEV, Numbers 11:4) were the non-Israelites who had come out of Egypt with God"s people ( Exodus 12:38). It did not take them long to become discontented with conditions in the desert and to complain about their bland diet of manna. Their grumbling quickly infected the Israelites ( Numbers 11:4). These malcontents despised God"s provision of manna for them and longed for the stronger flavors they had enjoyed in Egypt. They failed to take heed to the warning God had given at Taberah.
"To spurn a regularly occurring, abundant and nutritious food only because it is boring is understandably human-a pitiable mark of our tendency toward ingratitude." [1]
As believers we must be careful of the strong flavors of the interesting and stimulating fare that the world has to offer and not imbibe these things too much. Too much participation in these things can make us feel bored with and lose interest in what God has provided for our spiritual nourishment, which may seem bland and unappealing by comparison. God"s provision for our nourishment and growth, our manna, are His written word and His incarnate Word, the Bread of Life (cf. 1 Peter 2:2; John 6:48-58).
Moses must have felt caught in the middle ( Numbers 11:10-15). On the one hand the people seemed to be mutinous, and on the other God was angry because of their attitude ( Numbers 11:10). The discomfort of desert travel seems to have affected him too. He failed to look to God for His wisdom and provision. Instead he became frustrated. This frustration seems traceable to Moses" taking on more responsibility for the people than was really his.
Moses" use of the mother figure to describe God ( Numbers 11:12) is unusual but not unique in Scripture (e.g, Exodus 4:22; Isaiah 49:15; Isaiah 66:13; Hosea 11:1; cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:7). Normally the Bible presents God as a male because He relates to people in traditionally male roles primarily. However, He also deals with us in ways that are more typically female, and in these instances He compares Himself to females.
God again accommodated to Moses" weakness ( Numbers 11:16-23; cf. Exodus 4:14) and provided70 men to share Moses" responsibility of explaining God"s will to the people. He did this so their complaining would not grow into mob violence. God"s Spirit rested on Moses in a special measure ( Numbers 11:17). God now gave these elders His Spirit in similar fashion and with Him the ability to prophesy.
"Prophesying here does not refer to prediction or even to proclamation but to giving (in song or speech) praise and similar expressions without prior training (see the comparable experience of Saul in 1 Samuel 10:9-11)." [2]
The people"s discontent with God and His will for them ( Numbers 11:20) had given them an unrealistic picture of their situation. They claimed to have been happy in Egypt ( Numbers 11:18; Numbers 11:20). They forgot that they had been slaves.
". . . in ancient times meat was eaten in Israel only on special occasions. In the wilderness it would have been very much a luxury. In any event, the offense of the demand for meat was just part of the larger offense of romanticizing the time in Egypt, where there had always been an abundance of fish and fresh vegetables. They were saying in effect that the entire Song of Solomon -called "deliverance" from slavery had turned out to be one huge disappointment." [3]
God"s gracious provision of meat was a mixed blessing. He gave them what they requested but kept them where they were for a month ( Numbers 11:20) and allowed them to get sick from the meat ( Numbers 11:33; Psalm 106:15). This punishment was not vindictive but disciplinary and designed to teach the people to accept what God sent them as best for them. God permitted their trials in the wilderness to prepare them for the hardships they would face when they entered the land.
"The people were to be broken by the experience because they had despised the gift of God, glorified their stay in Egypt, and characterized their redemption from slavery as a meaningless event." [4]
God"s promise to provide meat stretched Moses" faith to its limit ( Numbers 11:21-22). God reminded him that His power was limitless. Even Moses had temporarily forgotten the miracles in Egypt.
Evidently the elders" prophesying was a singular occurrence; it happened only on this one occasion ( Numbers 11:25). This incident indicates that God"s bestowal of the Holy Spirit at this time was temporary. The Spirit had not previously been on these elders. Furthermore it was selective. The Spirit was not on all the Israelites as He was on these elders. Contrast our day when the Spirit indwells all believers permanently ( John 14:16-17; John 16:7; John 16:13; Acts 2).
"Though the Old Testament does not contain a fully developed theology of the Holy Spirit, it does reveal enough to show that the Spirit was a manifestation of God Himself and not merely a way of referring to some divine attribute (see, for example, Genesis 1:2; Genesis 6:3; Exodus 31:3; Numbers 24:2; Judges 3:10; 1 Samuel 10:6; 1 Samuel 10:10; Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 61:1)." [5]
It is not surprising that Jewish interpreters see this Spirit as Moses" human spirit rather than the Holy Spirit. [6] We have no reason to believe that God withdrew the Spirit from the elders, though the text does not say one way or the other. Perhaps only their ability to prophesy ceased ( Numbers 11:25). [7] This ability was a divine sign to the people that dampened their rebellious spirits. Leon Wood refuted the view that prophesying involved ecstatic utterances. [8] And this passage does not support such a view. The prophesying in view probably involved praising God (cf. 1 Chronicles 25:1). [9] It was not Moses who was indispensable for Israel, but the Lord"s Spirit.
Joshua"s jealousy for Moses" honor in the nation ( Numbers 11:28-29) is understandable (cf. Mark 9:38-39), but he had greater concern for Moses" honor than for the good of the people. Moses realized that Israel would be better off if God had given all the people His Spirit and the gift of prophecy. He has given all Christians His Spirit and the ability to praise Him. God may have included this incident involving Joshua in the narrative because of his later role as Israel"s leader. He also may have done so to emphasize the value of the gift of the Holy Spirit that God graciously gave the people even in their rebellious condition.
"Behind these words [10] lay a world of faith. We see that Moses understood that the issue was not for him to decide but for God. If necessary God would act on his servant"s behalf." [11]
The Spirit (Heb. ruah) of Yahweh settled the leadership problem ( Numbers 11:29), and now the wind (Heb. ruah) from Yahweh would solve the food problem ( Numbers 11:31). The wind blew from the southeast ( Psalm 78:26) and apparently brought quails from the Gulf of Aqabah ( Numbers 11:31-34). Normally quails migrated to the northeast, from central Africa, so the direction from which these quails came was an abnormal provision of the Lord. [7] The NASB interpreted Numbers 11:31 as meaning the quails lay three feet deep on the ground, but the NIV translators understood that they flew about three feet above the ground. The latter interpretation seems more probable to me. The sickness of the people was a judgment for their greed. They wanted something for themselves that God had not chosen for them. [13]
"The central purpose of the narrative appears to be to show the failure of Moses" office as mediator for the people [14].... The ideal leadership of God"s people is shown in the example of the seventy elders.... In other words, this narrative shows that Moses longed for a much different type of community than the one formed under the Law at Sinai. He longed for a community led not by a person like himself but a community guided by God"s Spirit [15].
"The view expressed by Moses in this narrative is precisely that of the later Israelite prophets in their description of the new covenant [16]." [17]
After their month at Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed on to Hazeroth (lit. "enclosures") where the events recorded in the next chapter took place (cf. Numbers 12:16).
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