Numbers 11:1-15

the Murmuring Flesh-lovers

Numbers 11:1

We cannot wonder at the people's murmuring. They were unaccustomed to the fatigues of the desert, and had not realized the length of the journey. Let us beware of querulous complaints. See 1 Corinthians 10:10. Let us also guard against familiarity with those who have never known God's regenerating grace. “The mixed multitude” was largely composed of Egyptians, whose evil example spread to the chosen people, Exodus 12:38. When our religious life is low, we tire of angels' food, and our hearts turn back to the world we have left.

Moses' outcry is hardly to be wondered at. He was thoroughly overstrained by the immense demands of his life. But he ought not to have spoken as though the entire weight of the pilgrimage rested on him. His Almighty Friend was bearing and carrying them during “all the days of old.” See Isaiah 63:9. We must never look at our responsibilities apart from Him who makes all grace abound, 2 Corinthians 9:8.