Scripture: Then a wind from the LORD sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground. And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague. Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving. From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.
Numbers 11:31-35 ESV
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Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Moses gathers the seventy around the tent of meeting to wait on the Lord. And he would not be disappointed, for the presence of God descended in the cloud and “took some of the Spirit” that Moses possessed and placed it on the elders, who immediately prophesied. But two of the “registered” men remained in the camp and proceeded to prophesy. So, a young man (likely Joshua) ran, told Moses of their deplorable behavior, and implored Moses to stop them. But Moses, described as the meekest man on the earth (12:3), recognized that this was the hand of the Lord. Thus, he expressed his desire for all Israel to receive the Lord’s Spirit and prophesy.
Today’s passage concludes Israel’s egregious faux pas, resulting in Yahweh meting out consequences. First, Yahweh fulfills his promise for meat and directs a windstorm that blows quail into Israel’s camp. Amazed at the massive number of birds, the people greedily gather the quail around the clock for a day and a half. Thus, even the minimum collected per household equaled about sixty bushels (vv.31-32). As theologian Ronald Allen rightly imagines, it was a riot scene of “people screaming, birds flapping their wings, everywhere the pell-mell movement of a meat-hungry people in a sea of birds” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Numbers, Vol. 2, p. 795). But as they began to consume the quail voraciously, the Lord struck down those “who had the craving” with a plague (vv.33-34).
Takeaway: Assuming those who instigated the complaint had likely devoured the raw flesh of the quail without first roasting the meat over a fire, they would have digested harmful bacteria that caused their inevitable death. Nevertheless, regardless of how Yahweh invoked the plague, Israel aptly named the location of this carnage Kibroth-hattaavah, which means “Graves of Craving” in Hebrew, to remind future generations of their folly.
Our takeaway? The Israelites provide us with a cautionary tale. Wandering in the desert, they complained about their monotonous diet of manna compared to the variety of fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic they had eaten in Egypt. It’s an example of selective memory to justify ungratefulness. Yes, they had more dietary options in captivity, but food could never alleviate their past physical and mental suffering at the hands of Pharaoh. A temporary, restrictive diet was a small price for their freedom and future home in a land flowing with milk and honey. Yet, instead of looking forward, they focused on the past.
Still, we might ask, Why did God provide what he knew would cause some to come to ruin? Similar stories throughout Scripture show humans exercising their free will under God’s permissive will. Our sovereign Lord could have said no to Israel’s grumbling and ungratefulness, but this would not have changed their faithless hearts. They needed to see how the depths of their insatiable desires led to ravenous, animalistic behavior. Words would not fix this heart condition. They must bear the weight of their ingratitude. And our Lord will do the same when we obstinately demand things to go our way, when we are ungrateful for what we already have.
Our part? When tempted to complain about present challenges, we must resist craving the past by looking forward to our eternal Promised Land and giving thanks for our means of forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life. As Paul reminds the church in Thessalonica, we must “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for [us]” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV). Indeed, expressing gratitude for what Christ has prepared for us (John 14:2) and done for us (Colossians 1:19-22) is an unbeatable combo for resisting craving the past, which otherwise leads to self-pity and ungratefulness.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for your Son, who never looked back but set his sight on Calvary. So, please help us follow his lead and resist craving the past by celebrating with thanksgiving what you and your Son have already done for us and focusing on what lies ahead as we press onward and upward to our eternal home with you. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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