Numbers 11:1-3
The Israelites had barely set out on their journey when they began to grumble. This has to be a bit like hearing, "Aren't we there yet?" after just leaving on a long road trip. Complaining was lack of trust in God. We don't know the source of the complaint. It may have been sore feet, too hot, sun was in their eyes, etc. A heart of faith humbly asks God for help. A hard heart complains, offended at being inconvenienced or discomfited.
Numbers 11:4-6
The term 'mixed multitude' is only used here so the exact meaning is unknown. A rabble of undesirables seems to be the idea. They had yielded to the intense craving for their old diet of Egypt. Their diet in there, along the river, was one of fish and vegetables. The meat they craved was fish. They had plenty of livestock, but none of these things were part of their regular diet. They weren't starving, just longing for the good ole days!
Numbers 11:7-9
Manna was the bread of heaven, given by God supernaturally. This is first seen in Exodus 16:31. Coriander seed wasn't found in that region but only used as comparison for what it looked like – a small, round seed, off-white in color. Bdellium was a tree resin common in Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa. The people used it to make their food that sounds like pastry or cake.
Numbers 11:10-15
Early in this journey, the politics of community become unbearable to Moses. He took the grumbling and complaints seriously and tried to minister to people. It quickly became overwhelming. Moses presents his case to the Lord as though he was the wetnurse for all these children. Like little kids, 'they weep all over me.' Moses couldn't meet the needs and implies God must help him. The Lord had never asked Moses to meet the needs though, he was to trust the Lord and display that trust to the people. If this was the job, Moses asked the Lord to just end his life.
Numbers 11:16-21
Moses showed all the signs of burnout. This wasn't due to the burden the Lord placed upon Him, but it due to the weakness of his faith and the burden of the flesh. God put His spirit upon Moses but it is when we work outside the Spirit and calling that the burden becomes overwhelming. This can happen to any of us. The Lord doesn't scold Moses for his plea to the Lord. Instead, He instructs Moses to share the work load. Why hadn't Moses set up other leaders previously? Maybe because he didn't want to let go of the responsibility. Maybe he didn't trust other men. We don't know.
The number seventy is a common number and interesting. This is often times seen as symbolic. Maybe in this case it was both the actual number of leaders and symbolic of the fullness of God's portion among His people. The elders and officers were an established group of leaders among the tribe.
The Lord called the men to the tabernacle to stand next to Moses. The Lord came down in a cloud and He would take of the same Spirit that was upon Moses and put His Spirit upon them. The story almost seems interrupted by the remedy for their complaint. These men, some of whom may have been among the grumblers were made part of the solution. The Lord announced they would have meat. The good news is delivered with sarcasm. They may have assumed they would not get tired of the meat. The meat was what they wanted but turned out to be a judgment for them despising the Lord. The Lord identifies Himself through the deliverance of His people. When they complain this way, it must really hurt the Lord.
We might paraphrase Moses' words in verses 21-22 as, "Lord, that's not possible!" We could paraphrase the Lord's words in verse 23 as saying, "Wanna bet!"
Numbers 11:23-30
The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. He put His Spirit upon the seventy elders and they began to prophecy. This was a sign of the Power of God in their life and upon them as leaders. The scripture is specific that they never did so again. It was a one time outpouring to authenticate the work in their lives.
Two elders who had remained in the camp also received the Spirit upon them. They began to prophecy in the camp. Joshua saw this as a problem, probably assuming this was something that only should happen in the presence of the Tabernacle and Moses. Moses thought the Spirit upon many people in the camp would go a long way to resolve many of their problems. Moses didn't see it as a problem at all.
Numbers 11:31-35
The Lord sent quail to feed the complainers. They came in an incredible flock flying in about three feet off the ground. They were in a wide circle around the camp, a day's walk in all directions. The least amount gathered by someone was 10 homers. A homer was a donkey load. The measure was defined more as time went on. This was thought to be 40-60 bushels of quail. The meat wasn't even swallowed when the wrath of God brought a plague. I wonder if it was the greed of gathering more than they could possibly eat. The Lord struck these complainers.
© 2023 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater
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