Numbers 11

CHAPTER 11THEME: The complaint of the people; the complaint of Moses; God provides quailThe children of Israel now have left Mount Sinai, and chapters 11 and 12 tell of the march from Sinai to Kadesh. We will find that when problems arose, the people fell to murmuring. This was a very serious thing, and it carries important lessons for us.

Numbers 11:1

THE COMPLAINT OF THE PEOPLEEvery time the people complained, the glory of the Lord appeared. He was displeased with their groaning and their complaining. We can be sure that the Lord is displeased with many of the criticizing, complaining saints today. They are everlastingly finding fault and nothing seems to please them. God doesn’t want it that way for you, my friend. He wants you to be a happy, joyful Christian.

Numbers 11:2

Now, what is behind all this complaining? Who were the troublemakers? We can locate them here, and we are just as able to locate them today.

Numbers 11:4

Who is it that started this? It is the mixed multitude. You will remember that the mixed multitude were those who were not sure who they were. They could not go up and join one of the tribes. They couldn’t declare their pedigree. They weren’t sure whether they should go on the wilderness march or not. They were the products of mixed marriages. Each of them had one parent back in Egypt and one parent in the camp of Israel. They were Egyptian enough to like Egypt, and they were Israelite enough to want to go on the wilderness march. We have our churches filled with people like that today. They want to mix with church people and go to church. They want to be moral and live upstanding lives; so they join a church. Then, during the week, they run with the world. They are a mixed multitude. They are not quite sure where they do belong. They are not sure if they are born againthey don’t know their pedigree. I have discovered through my years as a pastor that the real troublemakers in any church are the mixed multitude. They are fellow travelers with the world and with the church people. They like to have a church banquet, but they don’t want the Bible study. They don’t want to be forward in the march, close to the ark of God; they want to stay way in the back because they are not sure but what they may want to turn and go back some time. They are not quite clear about what they believe. They are never happy when others are having a real time of spiritual blessing. They’re uncomfortable in the church, but they are also uncomfortable with the world. They just don’t seem to fit in. They are a square peg in a round hole and they are the troublemakers. Now out here in the wilderness, what do you think they wanted? Listen to them.

Numbers 11:5

Notice what they missed. Everything they liked was a condiment, except the fish. They couldn’t catch fish out in that wildernessthere weren’t any lakes out there. They remembered the fish they had in Egypt. There they had all the fish they wanted. I’m of the opinion that in Egypt they were tired of the fish, but now that is what they remembered. They fell to lusting. The children of Israel became infected with this complaining, and they began to weep along with the mixed multitude. This was like a spreading, contagious disease which swept through the camp. Before long, the whole crowd was weeping, remembering Egypt. So they start to complain about the manna. They have the manna to eat, and it is miraculously provided by God every day, but they don’t like it.

Numbers 11:7

The Spirit of God describes manna for us the second time. The thing they didn’t likehow wonderful it was! It was not a monotonous food. The fact of the matter is, as we will see in Deuteronomy, when they went through the wilderness, their feet did not swell. They did not get beriberi from eating the manna. That manna had all the necessary vitamins in it. It was God’s food. That manna gave them complete nourishment. Manna, of course, is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Word of God which reveals Him. There were many ways the manna could be prepared. It could be baked or fried; they could grind it to make a bread or a cake out of it. Mrs. Moses probably compiled a cookbook with one hundred and one recipes for manna. The Spirit of God is saying this was an adequate food, a marvelous food, and He is showing to us that it was this food which the children of Israel despised. Let’s not sit back and say how terrible the children of Israel were. How about you, my friend? That manna speaks of Christ. How do you feel about Him? Do you get tired of Him? Many Christians get tired of manna. A lot of people get tired of Bible study. I think it is safe to say that the largest segment of the church today does not want Bible study. They just won’t go for it. The predicament of the church today is due to the fact that folk have turned from the Word and are trying to feed somewhere else other than on the manna which God has provided.

Numbers 11:10

THE COMPLAINT OF MOSESAfter this, even Moses gets a little weary of this crowd. I must say that I have a certain sympathy for him. Is Moses complaining? It sounds to me as though he is complaining here. Moses wasn’t a perfect man, by any means. He was just a plain human being who was mightily used by God. Moses said he would rather be dead than go through what he was going through with that crowd! I know pastors who have ulcers and nervous breakdowns. I know several men who have left the ministry. They did the same thing Moses didcomplained to the Lord that the burden was too great. They got tired of hearing the criticisms and the complaints and the whining and the difficulties.

Numbers 11:16

Moses made a mistake in complaining like this to God. Moses said that he was the one who was bearing all these people. Well, he wasn’t. God never asked him to. God was bearing them and also bearing Moses, but Moses was not fully casting himself upon God. Now God says, “Alright, Moses, I’ll give you help if that is what you want.” God very patiently, very graciously, provides some assistance for Moses. Seventy elders were appointed. By the way, these seventy elders continued down through the history of Israel. In the time of our Lord they were called the Sanhedrin. One night they met and decided to put the Lord Jesus to death. I don’t think they needed this organization. We seem to think in the church today that if we will multiply committees and organizations and methods, we will solve our problems. Well, it has not solved our problems. We don’t need more organizations; we don’t need Sanhedrins.

Numbers 11:17

God had called Moses to lead the people, and God would provide the strength for Moses to do that. God always does. He never asks anyone to do more than he can do. If you feel that you are overworked or that you are doing too much, maybe you really are. Maybe you are doing more than God wants you to do. God will not overburden those who are His own.

Numbers 11:18

It is interesting to read the comment that the Spirit of God makes concerning this incident. Psalms 106 is a historic psalm, and there we read in verse Psa_106:15, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” God answered their request, but he sent leanness into their soul. I imagine some of them ran around and said they got their answer to prayer, but notice the cost. We are to make our requests known unto God with thanksgiving (Php_4:6), because we know that God is going to hear and answer our prayer. Most of the time God will say no to our prayer, which is the very best answer. Sometimes we pray for things that aren’t the best for us. If we beg and complain, God may answer our prayer but give us leanness in our soul. I remember a certain man who was an official in a church I served years ago. He came to me and asked me to pray for him. His business was shaky, and he wanted me to pray that the Lord would bless his business. He said it offered him the opportunity to become wealthy if he could get it past this critical period. I was a young preacher then, and I went immediately and prayed that the man would make money and that God would establish his business. He prayed for it too. God heard our prayers and the man got rich, which was the worst thing that could have happened to him. He had a fine family until they got more money than they needed. He lost all of his children. God granted their request, but sent leanness to their souls. God tells Moses that for a whole month they will eat flesh until it becomes loathsome to them. He will do this because they have despised Him and have wept before Him.

Numbers 11:21

Moses is asking God how He is going to do this.

Numbers 11:23

God answers him that He will do it. We never need to ask the Lord how He is going to do something after He says He will do it. He will do it, and He doesn’t need your how and my how. He does it the way He wants to do it.

Numbers 11:24

Notice that there was actually no more power than there had been before. There was a lot more machinery than there was before, but there was no more power because the same Spirit was divided among them.

Numbers 11:26

Joshua was very loyal to Moses, and that was wonderful. But even more wonderful is the revelation that there wasn’t a jealous bone in the body of Moses. He was not jealous because these others were able to prophesy. I believe there are three great sins in the ministry: laziness, jealousy, and boredom. Some of us are guilty of all three. We have seen that Moses was not lazy or bored; now we know he was not a jealous man either. Jealousy is an awful thing.

Numbers 11:31

GOD PROVIDES QUAILThe Lord gives them the meat He promised. He is providing quail on toastthey couldn’t have it better than this! I can’t even imagine quail in abundance like this. I’ve been quail hunting all day and found two or three quail.

Numbers 11:32

That is about eighty-six gallons. They didn’t have cold storage; so they had to cook all that. They demonstrated real gluttony.

Numbers 11:33

God judges those things. He still does. Remember that Paul writes, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1Co_11:31-32).