Episode #3 – Quail and Salmonella

Episode #3 – I’ll have the Quail with a side of Salmonella

Numbers 11

Psalm 107.8 – “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of men!  For he satisfies the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

• We have moved through ten chapters of Numbers, and the people have not complained or grumbled once.  They have obeyed and followed God precisely according to his command.  Over and again, the people had done what the Lord had commanded, when the Lord commanded it.  That is, up until Numbers 11.
• When we last left our wandering group of Jews they were being lead out of Sinai by Nahshon, the ancestor of Christ.  They were following the pillar of cloud and fire—the presence of the Lord.  When we come to chapter 11, they had forgotten their leader.

• Forgetting the Leader
  • Read Numbers 11.1-3
  • History repeated.  We’ve seen this story before haven’t we?  Remember back to Exodus 14-16 when the people had come out of the Red Sea?  Three days later, they were complaining and grumbling against Moses and Aaron for leading them out into the desert to die of thirst and starvation.
  • How does God respond to their complaints in Exodus?
    • I guess they figured if complaining worked once before, why not try it again?  They were testing God here to see if he would meet their needs in their way.
  • How does God respond to their complaints now?
    • God provided for the people in Exodus in order to strengthen their faith.  They had seen God work time and again in times past, but now God would not step out to meet their every need.
    • While God is long-suffering and patient, he now responds in judgment.
  • What are the peoples “misfortunes” in verse 3?
  • What does Moses then do?
  • If you haven’t noticed thus far, every time something miraculous or significant happens in the life of the Hebrews, they name the place where it occurred.  The name Taberah in v3 means “burning” or “it [the fire] burns” because of God’s punishment.

• • Read Numbers 11.4-10
  • Who is this “mixed multitude”, or “rabble” in verse 4?
    • If you notice in this chapter, the complaining and grumbling was restricted initially to the outlaying group of people known as the mixed multitude.  This multitude, or rabble was a collection of non-Hebrew people who came out with them from Egypt.  They came out for a number of different reasons, but they are the ones who instigate the complaining.
  • What were they complaining about now?
  • Had they forgotten the trails and struggles of Egypt?
  • “They forgot the bondage of Egypt, and remembered only the things that pleased the flesh.”
    • John 6.26-27
    • Matt 4.4
  • How does Moses and the Lord respond here? (v10)
    • The people’s rejection of the manna from heaven was no less than a rejection of the Lord.  Forsaking what God had given them, they were turning their back on the one who gave.
    • This is why the Lord’s anger burns hotly against the people.  They did not appreciate the gift, but were wagging their tongues against the one who brought them out of Egypt.  Rejecting what God had given resulted in swift and destructive judgment.

• Frustration of the Leader
  • Numbers 11.11-15
  • Up until this point, Moses has responded to the people’s complaints and grumblings with great humility and grace.  When he learns of God’s impending judgment on the people, he fiercely intercedes for them.  At one point, Moses is ready and willing to die in their place as a sacrificial offering.
  • How does Moses react to this current crisis?
    • Moses is ready to die again, not for the people’s sin, but for his own sanity and salvation.  Moses has finally had enough of the people’s complaining and grumbling.
    • He takes some frustration out on the Lord, asking him why he must do all this for the people.  Wasn’t it the Lord’s people to begin with?  Why should Moses have to bear all this responsibility?
    • Moses was ready to face death rather than the unfaithfulness of the people.

• Faithfulness of the Lord
  • Read Numbers 11.16-23
  • There are two significant problems here:  the people’s rebellion, and Moses’ frustration.  How does God provide to meet both situations?
  • The problem of burnt-out leaders
    • God sends Moses 70 elders to help meet the spiritual needs of the people.  These may have been the same 70 who were called up in Exodus 18 to help Moses govern the people.  There they were to be civil judges to help settle disputes between the people.  Here they are given the gift of prophesy in order to help Moses spiritually lead this rebellious group.
  • The problem of belly-aching people
    • God gave them what they wanted.  He would send meat to feed the people.  Meat not just for one, two, or ten days, but meat for an entire month!  He would send so much meat that they would become exceedingly tired of it.  Meat enough that would come out of their noses and ears!
  • How does Moses react to this news?
    • Even he doesn’t believe that there is enough meat to go around!  In his frustration, his faith has become shortsighted.  He questions God as to the method and manner of feeding the people.  Moses reacts as if he is the one who is to provide for all these people.
  • God gave them what they wanted…in judgment
    • Read Numbers 11.31-34
    • God let them have their own way
    • God gave them quail to eat.  Quail in abundance.  Quail usually migrate from Africa to the North during the summer, so quail in this region is not unusual.  What is unusual and miraculous was the amount of quail that were gathered.  One commentary said that there were upwards of 105 million quail that congregated around the Israelites camp.  This would have been quail aplenty to feed the people.
    • While they were devouring their lunch, they were struck with a plague.  This seems to me to be a food-borne disease that killed them.  Salmonella is a rough way to die in the desert.
    • The place where the people died was named “the graves of lusting.”  The people were killed because they had forsaken the Lord.  In rejecting the manna, they rejected the Lord and lusted only after things that would fill their stomachs. (11.20)
    • Most of the time, judgment comes in the form of God giving people over to what they most desire.  This turning over can be seen in Romans 1.24-28.  God has given man up to a debased mind that rejects God and exchanges the creator for the creation.  God is doing this in order to bring judgment upon people.  Rather than intervening, God simply lets sin and its consequences run their course resulting in punishment and wrath.
    • Psalm 106.13-15:  “But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.  But they had a wonton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.”

• Bitter complaining and Poisoned Quail
  • Where is complaining evident in our lives?
  • When life gets tough, do we tend to become bitter towards God rather than beg him for deliverance?  Are we really experiencing “misfortunes”, or are we only concerned about the lusts of our cravings?

• • Read Philippians 2.14-16
    • According to this passage, why are we to do things without complaining or grumbling?
    • How do arguments and questioning detract from the message of the gospel in our lives?
  • Read Philippians 2.4-13
    • Paul was facing extremely difficult circumstances when he wrote this letter to the church at Philippi.  He was in imprisoned, awaiting trial and extradition to Rome so he could appeal to Caesar.  Despite his circumstances, he repeatedly exhorted the church to “Rejoice!”
    • Notice his response to circumstances:
      • Start with the right frame of mind
        • God is sovereign
        • We cannot be thankless
      • Start praying
        • Go to God with Thanksgiving
        • Supplications – Praise and Confession
        • Petition – Asking of the Lord (according to the Word)
        • Seeking God’s glory
        • Peace of God
    • By going to God, Paul was able to endure all of his trying circumstances.  His life here in jail is in direct contrast to the people wandering out in the desert.  They had rejected God’s sovereignty over their lives, and reverted to complaining.  Paul had learned that God was in control of every situation in his life, and he could trust God even if Paul’s life was snuffed out.
    • Paul understood that his sole source in life was Christ.  Despite his circumstances, Paul had learned to rejoice in this life because Christ was by his side.  The people in the desert failed to believe and grasp the significance of God’s presence in their lives.  Instead, they bitterly complained and tested God to see if he would meet their every whim and fancy.
    • God gave them over to their craving because they had not tasted and seen that he was good.  Knowing God is the ultimate satisfaction in this life, for everything is from him, and we need to be a constant state of thankfulness to him despite what comes down our path.  We need to learn with Paul the secret of being content:  doing all things through Christ who strengthens us.
    • Did the people in the desert worry about where they were going?  Did they wonder how they were going to feed their children?  Did they remember how relatively easy they had it in Egypt?  Yes!  Are these legitimate concerns?  Yes!  Yet they failed to ask the most significant question:  How can I except God to provide for me today?  What is he teaching me about him and about myself today?  How can I learn how to be satisfied with what he brings me?