Numbers 11:1-35
1 And when the people complained,a it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.
2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.
3 And he called the name of the place Taberah:b because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.
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 thereof as 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 it was as the taste of fresh oil.
9 And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.
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 upon me?
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 for me.
15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, 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 it not thyself alone.
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 two days, 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 unto thee or not.
24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men 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 of the men 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 them.
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'sc 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 them all abroad 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:d because there they buried the people that lusted.
35 And the people journeyed from Kibrothhattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.
The Old Testament Book of Numbers
In the Desert
Numbers
Marion Adams
Chapter 11
God sends fire – Numbers 11:1-3
v1 The people started to complain about their problems. The *LORD heard them. He became very angry. He sent fire. The fire burned among them and it destroyed the edges of the camp. v2 The people cried out to Moses for help. He prayed to the *LORD and the fire stopped. v3 So they called that place ‘Taberah’ (‘Taberah’ means ‘it is burning’). They gave it that name because the *LORD had sent fire to their camp.
Verses 1-3 This passage records the first of many times when the *Israelites complained on their journey. In the camp near Sinai mountain, they had obeyed God completely. But on their journey to the *Promised Land, often they did not obey him. They complained often, too.
The *Israelites had travelled for three days only. But already they had begun to complain. The text does not tell us why they complained. Perhaps they did not like to travel in the *desert. Perhaps they were tired. But they did not trust God to look after them. They did not thank him because he was leading them to the *Promised Land. This upset the *Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). So the *Israelites had removed themselves from God’s protection.
This first time, God sent fire to their camp to show that he was angry. When the people saw the fire, they were afraid. They asked Moses to speak to God on their behalf. Moses did this and the fire stopped.
In chapter 33, there is a list of places where the *Israelites camped. But the list does not include Taberah. However, experts think that it was probably near Kibroth Hattaavah (see Numbers 11:34).
God provides food – Numbers 11:4-9
v4 Some foreigners were travelling with the *Israelites. They wanted to eat meat very much. Again, the *Israelites started to cry and to complain. They said, ‘We wish that we had some meat. v5 In the country called Egypt, we ate as much fish as we wanted. It cost us nothing. Also, we ate different types of vegetables and fruit. We ate the fruit called melons. We ate the vegetables called cucumbers, leeks, onions and garlic. v6 But now we do not want to eat. That is because we have only *manna to eat.’
v7 The *manna was like small seeds. It was pale yellow. v8-9 The *manna appeared with the dew (water that appears on the ground by night). In the morning, the people collected the *manna. They made flour from it. Then they boiled it and they made thin biscuits. It tasted like something that had *olive oil in it.
Verses 4-9 When the *Israelites left the country called Egypt, some foreigners came with them. We do not know why these foreigners came. Perhaps some of them were slaves who wanted to escape, too. But they did not know God. They complained because they had no meat. Then, the *Israelites started to complain, too.
God was providing food for them every day. They called this food ‘*manna’. There is a description of *manna in Exodus 16:14-16, too. They had plenty of it. It tasted good. Exodus 16:31 says that the *manna had the flavour of honey.
But on this occasion, the people wanted to eat different food. They talked about the different foods that they had eaten in Egypt. But they did not talk about the bad things that had happened there!
They were not grateful that God had rescued them. They were not grateful that he was providing lots of food in the *desert. They did not thank God because he gave them food. Instead, they complained about it! Still the *manna tasted good. But the people did not enjoy it because they wanted other things to eat. The *manna had not changed. But the people had changed. They had become greedy and selfish.
There is a lesson here for us. Nothing can satisfy people who are greedy and selfish. They are unhappy because always they want more.
We must remember to thank God always for everything that he provides. We must be grateful for the good things that we have.
Moses complains to God – Numbers 11:10-15
v10 The people stood near to their tents. They were crying and they were complaining. Moses heard them. This upset him, because the *LORD was angry with them. v11 Moses prayed to the *LORD:
‘I am your servant. But you have given this problem to me! It seems as if I have done something to upset you. You have made me responsible for all these people. v12 But they are not my children! However, you asked me to look after them as if they were babies. You want me to carry them to the *Promised Land! v13 They are crying and they are complaining. They want meat. But I cannot get enough meat for all these people. v14 I cannot look after all these people. This job is too difficult for me. v15 If you continue to do this to me, please kill me now! Otherwise, my life would have achieved nothing!’
Verses 11-15 God had chosen Moses to be the *Israelites’ leader. But Moses did not want to be their leader still. He felt that God had given to him too many responsibilities. He was desperate. So he prayed about the matter. And he told God about how he felt.
Moses had obeyed God. Moses had led the people out of the country called Egypt. But he realised that he could not do the work of a leader alone. He felt that he was failing as a leader. And he was so desperate that he asked God to let him die.
God answered his prayer. But God did not let him die. God did not expect him to do all the work of a leader without any help. The work was God’s work. So God would provide the help that Moses needed. God would tell Moses what he had to do.
Moses chooses 70 helpers – Numbers 11:16-17
v16 The *LORD said to Moses, ‘Choose 70 of *Israel’s leaders. They must be men whom the people respect. Go with them to *God’s Tent. v17 I will talk with you there. I will give to them some of your authority. Then the *Spirit, which is upon you, will be upon them. And they can help you. They can share the responsibility for my people. You will not have to look after them alone.’
Verses 16-17 God did not do what Moses asked. He did not let Moses die. Instead, he told Moses to be the leader. But he wanted him to share his responsibilities. So he answered Moses’ prayer, but not in the way that Moses expected.
God had given his *Spirit to Moses. God’s Spirit is the *Holy Spirit. He gave his *Spirit to the 70 leaders, too. God’s *Spirit gave them special authority to lead his people. Also, God’s *Spirit gave to them the power to do what God wanted.
These leaders were not priests. But they had special tasks to do. In the *Old Testament, God gave his *Spirit to particular people to do particular work for him. God gave his *Spirit to Moses. So the people recognised that God was with Moses in a special way. Like Moses, these leaders could *prophesy. So, the people would recognise that God was with these leaders, too.
But in the *New Testament, we read about how God gives his *Holy Spirit to all *Christians (Romans 8:9 and Romans 8:14-17). The *Holy Spirit helps us to do things for God that we could not do alone. Whenever we need God’s power and strength, we can ask the *Holy Spirit to help us.
God promises meat – Numbers 11:18-23
v18 The *LORD said, ‘Tell the people to prepare themselves so that I will accept them. They must prepare themselves for tomorrow, when they will have meat. I heard them when they were crying. I heard them when they were complaining. They said, “We wish that we had some meat! Things were better for us in the country called Egypt!”
Now I will give meat to them. They will have to eat it. v19-20 They will eat it for a whole month, not just for a few days, or even 10 or 20 days. They *rejected me although I am among them. They cried and they complained. They wanted to return to Egypt. Now they will eat meat until it makes them sick.’
v21 Moses answered, ‘There are at least 600 000 men here. You say that you will give to them meat to eat for a month. v22 We would not have enough meat for them if we killed all our sheep and cows. If we caught every fish in the sea, we would not have enough!’
v23 The *LORD answered, ‘I can do anything. I have said that I will do this. Soon, you will see whether it happens!’
Verses 18-23 Also, God solved Moses’ other problem. The people wanted meat. So God promised to provide it. But he was angry that they preferred to live as *slaves in Egypt. So he promised to provide so much meat that they would hate it!
But Moses argued with God. He did not believe that God could provide so much meat. Moses was looking for a natural solution to the problem. But God intended to solve the problem with a *miracle. God did not become angry with Moses because Moses had doubts. He told Moses to wait. God would do what he had said.
‘Tell the people to prepare themselves so that I will accept them’ (verse 18). God would provide food for the people by means of a *miracle. The people had to prepare themselves to receive this wonderful gift. They should have been expecting God to do what he said. They should have been humble and grateful. Instead, they were greedy and they were complaining. So they needed to change their bad attitude. They needed to prepare themselves so that God would accept them.
God gives authority to the leaders – Numbers 11:24-30
v24 Moses told the people what the *LORD had said. He chose 70 leaders. He went with them to *God’s Tent. He made them stand in a circle, so that they surrounded *God’s Tent. v25 Then the *LORD came down in the cloud. He spoke to Moses. The *LORD took some of the authority that he had given to Moses. He gave it to the 70 leaders. So the *Spirit, which was upon Moses, was upon the 70 leaders too. When the *LORD’s *Spirit controlled them, they began to *prophesy. They did this only once.
v26 Two of the 70 leaders had stayed in the camp. Their names were Eldad and Medad. They did not go with the other leaders to *God’s Tent. However, the *LORD’s *Spirit controlled them, too. They *prophesied in the camp. v27 A young man ran to Moses. He said, ‘Eldad and Medad are *prophesying in the camp.’
v28 Joshua, Nun’s son, said to Moses, ‘You must stop them, sir!’ Joshua had been Moses’ helper since he (Joshua) was a young man.
v29 Moses answered, ‘You think that this might upset me. And that is why you are worried. But I wish that the *LORD would give his *Spirit to all his people. I wish that they were all *prophets!’
v30 Then Moses and the 70 leaders returned to the camp.
Verses 24-30 When God gave his Spirit to the 70 leaders, they all *prophesied. They did not do this by natural, human means. God’s *Spirit gave to them the power to do this. This included Eldad and Medad, who had stayed in the camp. We do not know why they had stayed in the camp. But they began to *prophesy too. A young man went to Moses and told him. We know that Eldad and Medad had God’s *Spirit because they *prophesied. This shows that they were not doing anything wrong.
However, Joshua, Moses’ helper, was worried about what was happening. Perhaps also he thought that Moses might lose all of his authority. But Moses was not worried. He was happy that these men had God’s Spirit, too. He was happy that they were not complaining. Instead, they were praising God. In this case, that is what the word ‘*prophesy’ means. These men were not telling people what would happen in the future. They were not doing the special work of a *prophet. But they were praising God. And they were speaking about the wonderful things that he does. This would encourage the people to praise God, too (see 1 Corinthians 14:3). The *Holy Spirit gave to them the power to do this (see Joel 2:28).
The *LORD provides meat – Numbers 11:31-35
v31 Suddenly, the *LORD sent a wind. It blew in quails (a kind of bird) from the sea. They surrounded the camp. There were piles of these birds everywhere, for many kilometres. These piles were about a metre high. v32 The people were picking up the birds during the next two days. Each person gathered at least 1000 *kilograms of birds. They spread the birds’ bodies out to dry the meat. v33 But as soon as the people started to eat the meat, the *LORD became angry. He sent a disease to the camp. v34 The people buried those greedy people who had wished for meat. So they called the place ‘Kibroth Hattaavah’. This means ‘graves for greedy people.’
v35 Then they moved to Hazeroth. They set up their camp there.
Verse 31-32 ‘These piles were about a metre high’ (verse 31). God provided as much meat as he had promised. There were piles of birds everywhere! It is possible to translate this sentence in a different way. The *Hebrew words could mean also that the birds were flying about a metre from the ground. Anyway, the birds were easy to collect.
The people dried the meat so that they could keep it for a long time.
Verses 33-34 God gave to the people what they wanted. But also he punished them. They had not prepared themselves as God had ordered. They had not changed their attitude so that God would accept them (Numbers 11:18). God had given them an opportunity to do this. But they had not done it. Still they were greedy and ungrateful. So many of them died from a disease.
The *Hebrew word that we have translated as ‘greedy’ means ‘to want something very much.’ That thing can be good or bad. They were greedy for the wrong things. So many of them died.
Verse 35 ‘Hazeroth’ comes from a *Hebrew word that means ‘a place to make a home.’ It was a temporary home for the *Israelites as they travelled north to the *Promised Land.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. In Hebrew, it is Yahweh. This name means something like ‘I am’ or ‘always alive’.Lord ~ one who rules. God is the Lord who rules everyone.
Hebrew ~ the language of the *Jews.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.'Promised Land ~ the country that God promised to give to Abraham and his *descendants.
desert ~ a dry region, or a region where there is just a little water. A few wild plants are able to grow in some deserts. So people who are travelling can live in these deserts in their tents. And they can lead animals through the desert. The Israelites lived in a desert for nearly 40 years.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.
manna ~ food that God provided for the Israelites when they were in the desert.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
desert ~ a dry region, or a region where there is just a little water. A few wild plants are able to grow in some deserts. So people who are travelling can live in these deserts in their tents. And they can lead animals through the desert. The Israelites lived in a desert for nearly 40 years.
'olive oil ~ oil that people make from fruit called *olives. They use the oil to cook food. Also, they put it on their hair and their bodies.Spirit ~ the Holy Spirit.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.
'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the *Jews’ holy book. The writers wrote this before the life of Jesus.prophesy ~ to speak or to write God’s words.'New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the *church and what *Christians should believe.
reject ~ not to accept or not to believe in someone or something.
kilogram ~ 1000 grams.
gram ~ a measurement of weight today. 28 grams make one ounce. 1000 grams make one kilogram.
Hebrew ~ the language of the *Jews.