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Genesis and then brought in part 
to fruition in the exodus of God's people out of Egypt, bondage 
in Egypt. They gather at Sinai for a period 
of time and there they get legislation concerning the tabernacle. concerning 
priesthood and sacrifice. And then in Numbers 10, they 
depart from Sinai, headed to the promised land. And so Numbers 
records their wilderness wanderings, their journeys along the way. 
We know that this first generation will ultimately be judged and 
shut down. There will be another generation. 
The book ends on the plains of Moab and then sets the stage 
for the book of Deuteronomy. So Deuteronomy is simply a series 
of exhortations by Moses God through Moses to the children 
of Israel to prepare them for the conquest when they go into 
the promised land in the book of Joshua under General Joshua, 
and they take possession of the land that God had promised. So 
Numbers is a very important book, not only to link the earlier 
part of the Pentateuch with the latter part of the Pentateuch, 
But it shows us God's judgment, it shows us God's righteousness, 
it shows us as well the sinfulness of the people of God. They were 
the covenant people, they had a particular body of laws, they 
were to function in a special way, and yet they do not do that. And this is one of the chapters 
that indicates that, so I'll begin reading in chapter 11 at 
verse 1. Now when the people complained, it displeased the 
Lord. For the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So 
the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the 
outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to 
Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. So he called the name of the 
place Tabra, because the fire of the Lord had burned among 
them. Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to 
intense craving. So the children of Israel also 
wept again and said, Who will give us meat to eat? We remember 
the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the 
melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our whole 
being is dried up. There is nothing at all except 
this manna before our eyes. Now the manna was like coriander 
seed, and its color like the color of delium. The people went 
about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in 
the mortar, cooked it in pans and made cakes of it, and its 
taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. And when the 
dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it. Then Moses 
heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the 
door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord was 
greatly aroused. Moses also was displeased. So 
Moses said to the Lord, Why have you afflicted your servant? And 
why have I not found favor in your sight, that you have laid 
the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these 
people? Did I beget them that you should 
say to me, carry them in your bosom as a guardian carries a 
nursing child to the land which you swore to their fathers? Where 
am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all 
over me saying, give us meat that we may eat. I am not able 
to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy 
for me. If you treat me like this, please kill me here and 
now, if I have found favor in your sight, and do not let me 
see my wretchedness. So the Lord said to Moses, gather 
to me 70 men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the 
elders of the people and officers over them. Bring them to the 
tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. "'Then 
I will come down and talk with you there. "'I will take of the 
Spirit that is upon you "'and will put the same upon them, 
"'and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, "'that 
you may not bear it yourself alone. "'Then you shall say to 
the people, "'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, "'and you shall 
eat meat. "'For you have wept in the hearing 
of the Lord, saying, "'Who will give us meat to eat? "'For it 
was well with us in Egypt. "'Therefore the Lord will give 
you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat, not one day, nor 
two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but 
for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes 
loathsome to you, because you have despised the Lord who is 
among you, and have wept before Him, saying, Why did we ever 
come up out of Egypt? And Moses said, the people whom 
I am among are 600,000 men on foot. Yet you have said, I will 
give them meat that they may eat for a whole month. Shall 
flocks and herds be slaughtered for them to provide enough for 
them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together 
for them to provide enough for them? And the Lord said to Moses, 
Has the Lord's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what 
I say will happen to you or not. So Moses went out and told the 
people the words of the Lord. And he gathered the seventy men 
of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 
Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and 
took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon 
the seventy elders. And it happened, when the Spirit 
rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again. 
But two men had remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad, 
and the name of the other Medad. And the spirit rested upon them. 
Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the 
tabernacle. Yet they prophesied in the camp. 
And a young man ran and told Moses and said, Eldad and Medad 
are prophesying in the camp. So Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' 
assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, Moses, 
my lord, forbid them. Then Moses said to him, are you 
zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people 
were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them. 
And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel. 
Now a wind went out from the Lord and it brought quail from 
the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day's 
journey on this side and about a day's journey on the other 
side, all around the camp and about two cubits above the surface 
of the ground. And the people stayed up all 
that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the 
quail. He who gathered least gathered 
ten homers. And they spread them out for 
themselves all around the camp. But while the meat was still 
between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the 
Lord was aroused against the people. And the Lord struck the 
people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that 
place Kibroth-Hadavah, because there they buried the people 
who had yielded to craving. From Kibroth-Hadovah the people 
moved to Hazaroth and camped at Hazaroth. Amen. Well as we 
look at this particular chapter, and if you read some modern commentaries, 
more technical commentaries, they like to suggest that these 
are just random stories kind of thrown together and that what 
we have here are basically three independent units, but there 
is great consistency throughout the entirety of the chapter. 
It's not independent narratives. The people complain in the first 
section, specifically in verses 1 to 6, and then again it's rehearsed 
by Moses in verse 13. The elders are appointed in the 
second section, and in that second section we have the answer of 
God to Moses concerning his prayer, but then as well the answer of 
God with reference to the complaining of the people. He's going to 
bring judgment upon them. And then in the third section 
in verses 31 to 35, we have the execution of that particular 
judgment. So basically, the chapter breaks 
down into three places. First, the complaint of the people 
in verses 1 to 15. Second, the appointment of the 
70 in verses 16 to 30. And then finally, the judgment 
of God in verses 31 to 35. So we'll take up first the complaint 
of the people in verses 1 to 15. Now remember last week, I 
mentioned that there's an idealized version that we have in terms 
of God's guidance of the children of Israel, and then sort of the 
realistic expression of that. There's a parallel, at least 
in terms of thought, in 1 John chapter 2. John says, my little 
children, I write these things so that you may not sin. That's 
the idealized version. John the apostle wants the children 
of God not to sin. But John continues and says, 
but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, 
even Jesus Christ the righteous. So you've got the idealized, 
and then you've got the realistic version. The idealized is set 
out in Exodus chapter 40 at verses 36 to 38, and then again in Numbers 
chapter 9, specifically at verses 15 to 23. The very pillar and 
cloud of God would be their guidance, would be their shepherd, would 
be their leader. He would bring them through the wilderness. 
He would bring them safely to the land of Canaan. And yet, 
along the way, we see the realism. We see the people sin. We see 
the people complain. We see the people resist and 
challenge authority. We see all manner of lawlessness 
on the part of God's people. And so as we look at chapter 
11, we need to be mindful of the fact that God's presence 
is among them. Look at chapter 10, specifically 
at verse 33, when it speaks of their departure from Sinai. So 
they departed from the mountain of the Lord on a journey of three 
days. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them 
for three days journey to search out a resting place for them. 
And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day when they went 
out from the camp. So it was, whenever the ark set 
out, that Moses said, Rise up, O Lord, let your enemies be scattered, 
and let those who hate you flee before you. And when it rested, 
he said, Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel. So 
God is conspicuously present with the children of Israel. 
Realize as well, they hadn't been journeying that long. They 
hadn't been on the 30th day or the 300th day. They hadn't been 
out there for months and months and months and months. So already, 
very soon after they depart from Sinai, they reveal their true 
colors. And so we look specifically at 
the complaint of the people with reference to God. Notice in terms 
of the complaint in verses 1 to 9, you see the sinfulness of 
the people expressed in verse 1. Now, when the people complained. That is a sin because we see 
it is followed by, it displeased the Lord, for the Lord heard 
it and His anger was aroused. So this idea of complaint or 
whining or grumbling on the part of the covenant people of God 
is not just something we do, rather it is something we do 
in terms of rebellion against God Almighty. So we see God's 
judgment, we see the expression of it. Specifically, notice, 
we see the middle of verse 1 there, "...fire of the Lord burned among 
them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp." So the 
people complain, and God responds with His judgment and His wrath. 
The people then make request of Moses to mediate. Remember 
that Moses functions as a covenant mediator. He is similar in many 
ways, but not always, to our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, there's 
some specific contrasts in this chapter that we'll notice at 
the end of the study tonight. But they appeal to Moses to intercede 
on their behalf. Notice in verse 2, then the people 
cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the 
fire was quenched. So he called the name of the 
place Tabra because the fire of the Lord had burned among 
them. So Tabra simply means burning. It was an apt description for 
the place where God's judgment was expressed because of the 
people's complaint. Now, with reference to the particular 
nature, I believe that from this point they have moved from Tabra 
and they are now at Kibrath-Hadavah. So, beginning in verse 4, all 
the way to verse 34, they are at Kibrath-Hadavah. But nevertheless, 
that same spirit of contention, that same spirit of grumbling 
and whining and complaining, is nevertheless present with 
them. So they move from Tabra over to Kibrath Hadovah, and 
now they still continue to complain. And I think it's important for 
us to understand the nature of their complaint, because we can 
read this section of scripture, and we can see what God says, 
and it can almost sound petty. Okay, you ask for meat, I'm going 
to give you meat, you're going to have so much meat, you're 
going to literally vomit. It's going to come out of your 
nose. It almost sounds vindictive and petty. But I think that if 
you have a proper understanding of the chapter, it's not vindictive, 
it's not petty, it is rather an expression of God's righteous 
judgment and His holiness to His people that He had delivered 
from bondage in Egypt, that He was delivering now through the 
wilderness, wanderings, and that He was going to deliver into 
the very land of promise that flowed with milk and honey. So 
when we look at the nature of the complaint, notice the complainers. Verse 4a tells us, now the mixed 
multitude who are among them yielded to intense craving. Who 
is this mixed multitude? We saw them or were introduced 
to them in the book of Exodus, in Exodus chapter 12, specifically 
at verse 28. In Exodus chapter 12 at verse 
28, make sure I'm in the right spot here, I don't think it is 
verse 28. Oh, it's verse 38. I'm sorry. 
A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds, 
a great deal of livestock. So the policy of slavery in Egyptian 
was pretty universal. It wasn't just Israelites that 
were enslaved. It was other peoples from other 
lands that would have been enslaved as well. perhaps even some of 
the Egyptians that had been disenfranchised by their own civil state had 
been put into slavery. So when they hear that these 
Israelites are going to beat foot out of Egypt at the behest 
of their great god, they throw in their lot with them. So there's 
this mixed multitude of riffraff or rabble that we see here in 
11.4 in numbers that begin to yield to intense craving. And 
then it says at the end of verse 4, So the children of Israel 
also wept again and said, Who will give us meat to eat? Now, 
with reference to that, it indicates something problematic with their 
allegiance. They want a who that's going 
to deliver the specific what that they are after. They don't 
want the who who gives them exactly what they need. Remember that 
when they're crying out or they're yielding to intense craving, 
they're not starving. They're not without food. They 
haven't gone 30 or 300 days. They just want meat. And notice in verse 5 their particular 
argument or the rationale for why they are giving in to this 
intense craving. Notice in verse 5, We remember 
the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the 
melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our whole 
being is dried up. There is nothing at all except 
this manna before our eyes. Other than being extremely dramatic, 
drama queens, there according to verse 6, notice the nature 
of their argument in verse 5. Again, the problem was not hunger. God had sustained them via manna 
in Exodus chapter 16 and provided quails for them on their way 
to Sinai. The problem was one of allegiance. They're looking for a new who. And in this looking for a new 
who, they're enticed to look back to where they have come 
from. The problem was one ultimately 
of ingratitude. They were thankless wretches. 
The yearning for Egypt was a repudiation of God's deliverance of them. 
They had been delivered mightily and powerfully by the hand of 
God Almighty. They're just a few short days 
now into the wilderness journey. They're not without food. They're 
not starving to death. They're going to a land that 
flows with milk and honey. They're going to great abundance. 
Now, perhaps they had never camped. Perhaps they had never been in 
a situation like this, which I think is suggested by Moses' 
invitation to Hobab in chapter 10, that he come along with them 
and be something of a guide. But everybody knows that camping 
is somewhat miserable. Everybody knows that camping 
you don't get steak and shrimp. Everybody knows that there's 
going to be some limited rations when you're trying to move this 
many people. Notice in verse 21, 600,000 men 
on foot. Now that was the conscripted 
men. Those were the men that were of military age. Those were 
the men numbered in the census. Those were the men that were 
ready and able to go into the land of Canaan and fight. So 
added to those 600,000 men were lots and lots of women and children. So this is a large group that 
is moving across the wilderness. But again, look at verse 5. I 
think the New King James translation here is a bit off. Notice it 
says, we remember the fish which we ate freely. Now, the ESV renders 
it a bit more literally. It says, that cost nothing. Or the NIV, at no cost. Or the NASB, we ate for free. Literally, we ate for nothing. Now, brethren, they were slaves. They were forced labor. They 
were people that had no freedom. They were people that were restrained 
by the civil state in Egypt. They were under bondage at the 
behest of Pharaoh. Pharaoh had commanded the death 
of their firstborn. Pharaoh was not kind to these 
people, neither were the Egyptians. But you see, as soon as there's 
a little bit of difficulty in terms of their perception, they're 
all too ready to leave the freedom that they have with God and the 
promises of Canaan, and they're willing to forego all that and 
turn back to a who that can give them the sorts of things that 
will satisfy their cravings. Now remember back in Numbers 
chapter 9, I only alluded to it, we didn't go in detail through 
chapters 1 through 9, but in Numbers 9, 1 to 14, there was 
a Passover meal. And remember the Passover meal, 
there was meat, there was other things, and one of the other 
things was bitter herbs. And the bitter herbs that they 
ate were expressive of the bitter afflictions of the children of 
Israel in Egypt, with which their lives were made bitter. So the 
very nature of the Passover meal was calculated to not only feed 
them, and to feed them wonderfully, but as well to remind them of 
the power of God in delivering them from Egyptian bondage, but 
as well reminding them what Egyptian bondage was like. So they've 
got food, they've got provision, they're not that far out, and 
yet they're yielding to this intense craving for meat. Now, notice the baselessness 
of their complaint. That's what verse 7 to 9 indicates. Verses 7 to 9, it's not a menu. It is rather an indictment. It 
underscores the various ways that you can use manna in order 
to sustain your life. So it would be a different story 
if they were complaining because they had nothing to eat. They 
had plenty to eat. They just didn't like it anymore. They got sick and tired of it. 
So with reference to their particular complaint, it is a sinful craving. It is a sinful coveting. It is 
a sinful desire of things that God had not provided to them. 
God understood all too well that they only needed the manna to 
sustain them from point A to point B. Once they get to point 
B, they're going to be flooded with bounty. They're going to 
have all kinds of good stuff. They're going to have all kinds 
of blessings and provisions from God. So with reference to the 
complaint of the people, that then leads us to the intercession 
by Moses in verses 10 to 15. Notice first his displeasure. 
Verse 10. Then Moses heard the people weeping 
throughout their families. Everyone at the door of his tent, 
and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused. Moses also was 
displeased. This was a universal problem. 
It wasn't one band of whiners that happened to occupy the same 
space as, you know, the rest of the faithful Israelites. This 
is something that is foreshadowing bad things that are going to 
come. The people in Israel are going to, most comprehensively, 
make horrible decisions along the way. It is going to result 
in that first generation being cut off, being decimated and 
obliterated, and the second generation then being the ones that enter 
into the promised land. So Moses is displeased, and as 
a result, Moses then prays. And Moses' prayer here is probably 
the kind of prayer that many of us would be afraid to pray. 
It sounds like he's complaining. It sounds like he is in angst. It sounds like he's got a lot 
of anxiety about the situation that he's facing. Now, brethren, 
I don't know that I've ever prayed, and hope I never do. God, kill 
me. I'm ready to go. I guess maybe 
I have prayed that from time to time, and not always in the 
best way. This is an expression of lament, 
which scripture is filled with when you read the Psalms, for 
instance, those Psalms ascribed to Asaph, when you read the Book 
of Lamentations. Where else should we go with 
these kinds of things? Peter tells us we're to cast 
our burden upon the Lord, for he cares for us. And it is intriguing, 
and I'm not sure that this is always the right answer, but 
God doesn't upbraid him for this prayer. God answers this prayer. God doesn't say, how dare you 
pray that way to me, Moses? And again, maybe Moses crosses 
the line. Even the best of men, at times, 
in their anxiety or in their straits or their difficulties, 
may say things that perhaps they otherwise wouldn't have said. 
So notice he questions first the affliction that he's undergoing 
in verse 11. So Moses said to the Lord, why 
have you afflicted your servant? And why have I not found favor 
in your sight that you have laid the burden of all these people 
on me? Well, arguably, God had favored him. God had blessed 
him. There was many provisions given to him. In fact, in the 
next section, at the appointment of the seven day, I'm going to 
take some of the spirit that is upon you and give it to those 
seven day. But again, anxiety, angst, being 
in such a difficult position and situation at times evokes 
prayer from the people of God that perhaps they wouldn't normally 
pray on a Thursday afternoon. Notice he then questions God 
concerning his responsibility. Remember, this isn't five guys 
and a few donkeys. 600,000 men ready for war. All the wives, all the children, 
all the provisions, all the supplies. And remember that there needs 
to be legislation in the midst of this because they don't always 
act perfectly. Remember when Moses goes up onto 
the mountain in Exodus chapter 24, there are elders that are 
responsible for adjudicating the problems in Israel while 
Moses is up on the mountain. He's up on the mountain communing 
with God, receiving instruction from God, specifically on the 
building of the tabernacle that's going to be the meeting place 
of God with the people. And yet, the people continue 
to sin. The people continue to rebel. 
So for Moses, even if all these people never sinned, if they 
were wholly harmless and undefiled, if they were only ever perfect, 
it would be a monumental task to get that number from point 
A to point B. but that they're sinners, and 
that they're whiners, and that they're grumblers, and that they're 
complainers. I think you can at least appreciate what's going 
on in the man's heart. Notice then, thirdly, the question 
concerning provisions in verse 13. He says, where am I to get 
meat to give to all these people? Now, I think, again, what he 
says next underscores that they're not just kind of fantasizing 
about a steak. They really want meat. They're 
complaining. They're grumbling. They're looking 
back to Egypt. They would rather go back to 
slavery under Pharaoh, under the harsh taskmasters, as long 
as it was that they would get what they wanted. So notice in 
verse 13, 4, "...they weep all over me, saying, Give us meat 
that we may eat." They're incessant. They're driving me nuts. It's 
not right. Notice then, fourthly, there's 
a frustration about his dealing with sinners. Verse 14, I am 
not able to bear all these people alone because the burden is too 
heavy for me. Again, a frustration that I think 
is probably obvious. Not commending, praying in frustration 
in a way that sins or transgresses, but this is the heart of a man 
that is stretched thin. And then notice the request for 
God to kill him. Verse 15, if you treat me like 
this, please kill me here and now. If I have found favor in 
your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness. I think 
that rather than highlighting Moses, you know, sort of unhingedness 
at prayer, I think it rather highlights the strength of the 
people's intense craving and the gravity of their sin against 
God. Moses is not equipped to deal 
with that sin against God. Now, just a bit of foreshadowing, 
I said we'd look at this at the end, but notice what it says 
there specifically in verse 11. Why have you afflicted your servant, 
and why have I not found favor in your sight, that you have 
laid the burden of all these people on me? Moses is right. He alone cannot deal with the 
burden of sin. Jesus, in contrast, in Matthew 
11, says, Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden. Cast your burdens upon me. because Jesus alone is able to 
deal with the burden of sin. So Moses understands all too 
well, as covenant mediator in the Old Covenant, he can't do 
it. This is too much for him. There's 
no way that he is able to do this, even to the point where 
he says, God, if I have found favor in your sight, please kill 
me. Not, if you're upset with me, 
if I have sinned against you, cut me off, send me into the 
pit. No, if I found favor with you, God, please kill me. That 
would be a mercy. That would be a blessing. That 
would be a great thing for me as far as this goes, because 
I don't have the ability for it. Well that brings us then 
to the appointment of the 70 in verses 16 to 30. And here 
we see two answers to two specific problems that we see in the first 
section in verses 1 to 15. The first is the direct response 
to Moses with reference to his prayer. So the answer to Moses' 
problem in verses 16 to 17. Notice verse 16. So the Lord said to Moses, gather 
to me 70 men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the 
elders of the people, and officers over them. Bring them to the 
tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then 
I will come down and talk with you there. Now, this isn't by 
local motion. God doesn't move from one place 
to another. This is spoken in the manner 
of men, probably some visible representation, some manifestation 
of his presence in a special way. But verse 17, then I will 
come down and talk with you there. I will take of the spirit that 
is upon you and will put the same upon them. And they shall 
bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear 
it yourself alone. So whatever may be the problems 
with Moses' prayer, it worked. This was his issue. This was 
his burden. This was the difficulty that 
he found himself in. He says, I'm not able to do this 
alone. So on the heels of that, immediately God hears his prayer 
and God answers. And this is reminiscent of Jethro's 
advice to Moses in Exodus chapter 18. Moses, you're going to kill 
yourself. You cannot adjudicate all of 
the problems in Israel. You cannot hear every scenario, 
every issue, every criminal, every civil offense, and be expected 
to give a good verdict on all of that without killing yourself. 
You need help. There's a division of labor. 
Moses, you're supposed to function as the Supreme Court. Appoint 
lesser courts, lesser judges, lesser men. Not that they were 
not somehow the same in terms of image bearing, but Moses would 
be the final court of appeal. So that was good counsel that 
was given by Jethro in Exodus chapter 18. And the same sort 
of a thing here. Moses is suffering because he's 
all alone. So God says, bring me 70 elders, 
which, incidentally, this is what we see in the Sanhedrin. 
In the New Covenant, when we see, or New Testament gospel 
narratives, when we see the council referred to, it's 70 plus a leader. The Sanhedrin, the religious 
and the political council that serves in the New Testament, 
that was opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ, that was opposed 
to the apostles, this is where the taproots lay. There was these 
70 men, again with one particular leader, and they made those decisions 
with reference to the body politic and with reference to the religious 
situation facing the nation of Israel. So Moses was not able 
to bear these things alone. So God in his wisdom, God in 
his kindness, God in his grace, gave him 70 men for the division 
of labor so that they could then help Moses with this particular 
issue. Then notice the second problem 
is dealt with. We've got the judgment of God 
for the people's sin in verses 18 to 23. So after the mentioning 
of the 70, notice in verse 18, God's taking care of business. 
Everything that happens in verses 1 to 15, God's taking care of 
business. Why? Because he's their God, 
because he's present with them, because he is their good shepherd, 
because he is providing them guidance and leadership. And 
so guidance providers and leaders have to deal with various situations 
that arise on their watch. And so Moses cries out for help, 
God gives him help. The people cry out for judgment, 
so God gives them judgment. They got it at Tabra, they're 
going to get it at Kebroth-Hadavah as well. Now notice in verse 
18, Then you shall say to the people, Consecrate yourselves 
for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat. For you have wept in the 
hearing of the Lord, saying, Who will give us meat to eat? 
For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give 
you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat not one day, not 
two days, not five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but 
for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes 
loathsome to you." So this is the judgment of God. Morales 
makes this observation. He says the judgment is one of 
poetic justice. The very flesh they lust insatiably 
to consume will become that which wretches out of their stomachs. God's people are regularly warned 
that in turning to other gods, they risk the judgment of receiving 
what they desire. Think about Romans chapter 1. 
They know God, but they don't honor Him as God, nor were they 
thankful. So what do they do? They exchange 
the truth of God for a lie. They exchange the Creator for 
the creature. And what happens at that point? 
Romans 1, 24, 26, and 28, God gave them over. So I think there's 
a bit of a lesson here. Be careful what you ask for. 
You may just get it. But brethren, notice how verse 
20 ends. It's not just that they wanted 
a bit of meat with their manna. They wanted another god to satisfy 
their desires. Because you have despised the 
Lord who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why 
did we ever come up out of Egypt? There's a lot more going on here 
than, boy, we'd sure like a piece of meat with our manna. That's 
not the issue. This isn't vindictive pettiness 
on the part of God. It is, in the language of Morales, 
poetic justice. The very thing that they're lusting 
after, the very thing that they're craving. The very thing that 
there who hadn't purpose to give to them has evoked from them 
a desire to go back to slavery, to go back to bondage, to go 
back to Pharaoh, and to go back to their harsh taskmasters. And 
going back means a rejection of and a repudiation of the very 
God who delivered them and the very God who promised them that 
he would give them a land flowing with milk and honey. It is a 
lot worse than wanting a bit of bacon with your eggs in the 
morning. Now notice, then, we see God's sovereignty still in 
this subsection. Verse 21. I mean, God just said 
they're going to eat so much meat it's going to come out of 
their noses. So Moses, again, being a real man, understanding 
wilderness, at least thus far, says, the people whom I am among 
are 600,000 men on foot. Yet you have said, I will give 
them meat that they may eat for a whole month. Shall flocks and 
herds be slaughtered for them to provide enough for them? Or 
shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them 
to provide enough for them? Now, notice that God here rebukes, 
reproves, chides Moses by basically expressing His sovereignty. Verse 
23, And the Lord said to Moses, Has the Lord's arm been shortened? 
Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not. 
Remember, these aren't novices or beginners in their trek with 
Yahweh. They live through the plagues. 
They watched the Egyptians bury their firstborn whom the Lord 
God had killed among them. They had marched through the 
waters of the Red Sea. Their feet were dry. On the other 
side, once they got to the other side, they watched Pharaoh's 
armies, their chariots, the wheels fell off. And then the waters 
all collapse on them. These are not beginners. They've 
seen God's power. They've seen God's sovereignty. 
And so the Lord underscores that for Moses. Now you shall see 
whether what I say will happen to you or not. And then this 
brief section in verses 24 to 30, we'll show a little bit of 
contrast a bit later, again, God willing, when we close tonight. 
But in this brief section, notice in verses 24 to 30, the Spirit 
descends upon the elders according to God's promise in verses 24 
and 25. We see two specific men identified, 
Eldad and Medad, and they are prophesying according to verses 
26 and 27. Joshua gets wind of this, according to verse 28, 
and Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice 
men, answered and said, Moses, my lord, forbid them. Maybe he's 
concerned about the dignity of Moses' office, which wouldn't 
be a bad concern. He's concerned about the ability 
for Moses to govern or lead. Again, not a bad concern. No 
fault on Joshua. Joshua's saying something here 
that he hasn't seen up to this point. It's a bit of a melon 
scratcher. And his first response is, you 
know, Moses, put the kibosh on this. This isn't good. This isn't 
right. And then Moses' response is amazing. Moses said to him, are you zealous 
for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people 
were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them. 
I'd love for this motley crew to know the presence and the 
power of the spirit in such a way that they don't complain and 
yearn and long and desire to go back to idolatry. Moses expresses 
the heart of a leader at this particular point. He's not specifically 
jealous over his leadership, over his kingdom, over his fiefdom. 
As far as Moses is concerned, if God is pleased to do that, 
then I would welcome that. I've already went out in prayer 
to God to express my frustration at being somewhat all alone. Now, in terms of this particular 
petition or statement to Joshua, I think Gil comments well. He says, this is not to be understood 
in the most absolute sense, as if Moses wished that every individual 
person among the people of Israel were prophets. as the word may 
signify a set and order of men, and an office in the church or 
state, as ministers of the word, extraordinary or ordinary. For 
then there would be none to prophesy to, or to teach and instruct." 
He doesn't mean it universally, because if everybody was a prophet, 
then there'd be nobody to prophesy to. I think Gil's got it. He 
says, he goes on to say, And so likewise, not rulers or helps 
and assistants in government, for then there would be none 
to be governed. But it is to be taken comparatively, and is 
designed to show how far Moses was from an envious spirit at 
the gifts of others, that he could wish, if it was the will 
of God, and consistent with the order of things, that every man, 
had as great or greater gifts than he had, qualifying them 
for public service and usefulness. Such was the modesty and meekness 
of Moses." He's not got this bitter, envious spirit, again, 
protecting his own fiefdom. Rather, he wants, as it were, 
the people of God to get their act together. If more people 
with more spirit means more decency and order and less idolatry, 
then sign me up, Joshua. Do not be envious, or rather, 
do not be zealous for my sake in this particular instance. 
And then we see in verse 30, and Moses returned to the camp, 
he and the elders of Israel. And that brings us finally to 
the judgment of God in verses 31 to 35. Now again, you cannot separate 
verses 31 to 35 from the complaint in the first section and from 
the promise of judgment in the second section. Because when 
you get to verse 33 and you see that they're eating, and in the 
midst of their eating, God kills a bunch of them. You're tempted 
to think, well, that doesn't seem right. This was a wonderful 
provision from God in terms of giving these quail so that they 
could have some meat with their manna in the morning. But it's 
connected to the complaint, which evidences idolatry in the heart, 
to the promise of judgment that God already specified to Moses 
in that center section. So notice verse 32, well, verse 
31, the provision. Now, a wind went out from the 
Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering 
near the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about 
a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp and 
about two cubits above the surface of the ground. Now, verse 32, 
I think, indicates or helps us to understand that their problem 
hasn't been cured. Notice, and the people stayed 
up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered 
the quail. He who gathered least gathered ten homers, and they 
spread them out for themselves all around the camp. Brethren, 
if there was no manna and they were starving to death, maybe, 
maybe they're not starving to death. They're not that far on 
their journey. And notice specifically verse 
18. Then you shall say to the people, 
consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat. Seems 
that they neglected that part of it. this mighty provision 
from a glorious who, and instead of consecrating themselves the 
way that they're supposed to, expressing thankfulness, expressing 
praise, expressing worship, expressing adoration, some thankfulness, 
they act like animals, is what verse 32 indicates. They stayed 
up all night, they busied themselves all day, they went out, grabbed 
as many quail as they could, piled them in piles, so that 
they could have all the meat that they would want, without 
any regard, without any mention, without any expression of worship 
to the God who just gave them that meat. So brethren, this 
is not vindictive, this is not pettiness, this is the righteous 
judgment of God upon a people that in their hearts had idolatry. They wanted to go back to Egypt, 
they wanted to go back to Pharaoh, they wanted to go back to the 
taskmasters, and probably all the gods of Egypt, because their 
god wasn't working out. They weren't satisfied with manna. They wanted what they had in 
Egypt. I think that if you get that, 
you'll understand why that verse 33 is absolutely consistent, 
not only with the sinfulness of these people, but with the 
holiness and the righteousness of God. But while the meat was 
still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the 
Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the 
people with a very great plague. If this bothers you, the rest 
of the first half of the book is going to bother you. Because 
the people express their sin, they express their idolatry, 
they express their lack of faithfulness. We just sang of it in Psalm 95. Why did that first generation 
not enter into the promised land? They could not because of unbelief. God had promised. God was present. God was guiding. God was shepherding. God sent Moses and Aaron to be 
those instruments. He appoints the 70. Everything 
is taken care of, all the way down to what they're going to 
eat. Many ways you could prepare manna. Again, perhaps it's not 
your favorite thing, but this is temporary. We're only sojourning 
through the wilderness, going to a land that's flowing with 
milk and honey. Brethren, be future-oriented. Don't demand 
all of your comforts and joys right now. I think there's at 
least a spiritual observation there. We may not get everything 
we want in this present world, but man, we are heaven-bound. 
We are going to glory. We are going to Emmanuel's land. 
And when it comes to the naming of the place, again, just like 
Tabra was named in a way that was significant to the judgment 
that occurred, verse 34 is the same. So he called the name of 
that place Kibrath-Hadovah, because there they buried the people 
who had yielded to craving. Basically, graves of craving. 
Robert Alter says, in both this episode and the preceding one 
of Tabra, as in many incidents to follow, don't forget that, 
many incidents to follow, the Israelites move across the trackless 
wastes of the Sinai Peninsula, ironically leaving a trail of 
new place names that is the history of their own repeated derelictions. When you look at these place 
names, it's the judgment of God. upon a people that were deserving 
of that judgment. And then verse 35 indicates movement 
from Kibroth-Hadovah. They moved to Hazaroth and camped 
at Hazaroth. And again, chapter 12, it's going 
to bring more problems. You've got the idealized, but 
you've got the realistic. The people wander. The people 
complain. The people whine. The people 
challenge authority. Well, just a couple of observations 
before we close. First, the place of complaint 
in the Christian life. The place of complaint in the 
Christian life. I know it was a long time ago, 
but Sunday night we looked at Philippians 1, verses 3 to 8. Remember the apostles' expression 
of thankfulness to God for the Philippians. Thankfulness and 
gratitude. And I mentioned at the end that 
gratitude displays a recognition of the goodness of God in general. 
Complaining doesn't. Gratitude promotes prayer to 
God. Complaining doesn't. Gratitude 
acknowledges God's goodness to us and to others in particular. 
Complaining doesn't. And gratitude humbles and weans 
from self-dependence. Complaining doesn't. So everything 
that we see positively about gratitude in the scripture, you 
can ascribe it negatively to ingratitude, or to thanklessness, 
or to grumbling and whining and complaining. So the gravity of 
their complaint in the wilderness, it was a rejection of God's goodness 
in the exodus. Specifically, deliverance from 
bondage, deliverance from slavery. You shouldn't, as a free man, 
complain about your liberator. You should delight in him and 
praise him for what he has done. The gravity of their complaint 
is seen in their longing for slavery in Egypt. We want to 
go back. We quite like the leeks and the onions and the garlic. We quite like the stuff that 
we ate for free, that we ate for nothing. You didn't eat it 
for nothing. Every brick you moved, every 
lash of the whip you felt, you were not eating for nothing. 
The manna is what you're eating for nothing. The manna is grace. The manna is kindness. The manna 
is goodness. What you had with your idols 
back in Egypt was not grace. That was bad. The ingratitude 
at the presence of God. God is in their midst. God hears them. God deals with 
them. Of course, judgment, but hey, 
he's dealing with them. God is amongst his people. The ingratitude as well at the 
provision of God. We don't want this manna anymore. 
We're tired of manna. Brethren, do you let your children 
talk that way? I'm tired of having oatmeal for 
breakfast. Okay, son, I'll go out and buy 
a hog, butcher it, and cook you up some nice bacon and a flat 
of eggs, because you're tired of oatmeal. How come we see it 
with us, but when God sees it with his children, it's somehow 
petty? These children of God are reflecting 
idolatry in their hearts. Now, the New Testament, believe 
it or not, in the book of Philippians, cautions the children of God 
about complaining and about whining. Notice in Philippians chapter 
2 at verse 14, do all things without complaining and disputing. If there was a top 10 list of 
Bible verses that are very hard to comply with, I would suggest 
that Philippians 2.14 would probably make that list. Do all things 
without complaining and disputing. That's a showstopper, right? 
Maybe not for you. I follow that. Good. Pray for 
the rest of us because we don't always follow it as we ought. 
Then notice that you may become blameless and harmless children 
of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. 
I think that Paul has the wilderness generation in his mind. I think 
that Paul has at least, he definitely has the knowledge, whether he's 
specifically thinking about that. The wilderness generation was 
to shine as a light to mediate the blessings of Yahweh to the 
nations around them. But the wilderness generation 
had become the crooked and perverse generation. So Paul flips that 
in this new covenant setting and tells the Christian church 
that you should be children of God without fault in the midst 
of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights 
in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice 
in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in 
vain. And then the antidote I would 
suggest against such sin, the recognition of God's sovereignty. 
You've got what you've got because God is who he is. You get oatmeal because God's 
your father. You get manna because God's your 
father. Again, that may seem elementary, 
but it's a tough one, I think, in light of Philippians 2. Appreciation 
for God's grace and goodness, faith in his government and rule 
over us, and then as well, delight in his presence among us. I think 
I'd rather have the presence of God manifested in the midst 
in a very powerful way than meat, or I'd like to think so. I guess 
I would be right there saying, yeah, I'm tired of manna, I want 
meat. But the idea being is that God is in the midst of them. 
I would suggest that the text as well teaches us concerning 
the problem of idolatry, the longing of the Israelites for 
life in Egypt, the question of the Israelites for a benefactor 
after their own heart. We always want God to do what 
we want to do. Who will give us meat to eat? Now, this is the perennial problem 
of mankind. Romans 1, I've already mentioned 
it, but 1 John 5, 21. The children of God are not immune 
from this. John ends his first epistle on this negative, nelly 
note. My little children, keep yourselves 
from idols. And this passage suggested to 
me a quote that I read by Machen a while back. I'm sure I've quoted 
it before. He says, we value God solely 
for the things he can do. We make of him a mere means to 
an ulterior end. And God refuses to be treated 
so. Such a religion always fails in the hour of need. If we have 
regarded religion merely as a means of getting things, even lofty 
and unselfish things, then when the things that have been gotten 
are destroyed, our faith will fail. When loved ones are taken 
away, when disappointment comes and failure, when noble ambitions 
are set at naught, then we turn away from God. We have tried 
religion, we say, we have tried prayer, and it has failed. Of 
course it has failed. God is not content to be an instrument 
in our hand or a servant at our beck and call. He is not content 
to minister to the worldly needs of those who care not a bit for 
Him. Has it ever dawned on us that God is valuable for His 
own sake? That just as personal communion 
is the highest thing that we know on earth, so personal communion 
with God is the sublimest height of all? If we value God for His 
own sake, then the loss of other things will draw us closer to 
Him. We shall then have recourse to Him in time of trouble, as 
to the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. I think that's 
gold. Do we value God only for what 
he gives? That's what their problem was. 
Who's going to give us meat? If this Yahweh is going to lead 
us through the wilderness and only give us manna, we're prepared 
to go back. I can take a little slavery. 
I can take a little lash on the back. I can take, you know, oppression 
from the government. I can take, you know, all that, 
as long as I get what I want. And then the last thing, I mentioned 
the contrast, the burden bearing of Christ in contrast to the 
non-burden bearing of Moses. But then verse 29 presents an 
interesting contrast as well. Then Moses said to him, are you 
zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people 
were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them. 
You've got to think Joel 2 and Acts 2. Joel 2 and Acts 2. Joel 2, there's a promise that 
God is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. and that men, women, boys, girls 
will prophesy. Again, I don't think it means 
universally every single human being on the face of the earth 
is only ever going to prophesy. It bespeaks a great outpouring 
of the Spirit. Remember when the Spirit comes 
in power on the day of Pentecost, and they're accused of being 
drunk, and Peter says, these men aren't drunk. It's only the 
third hour of the day. This is that which was spoken 
by the prophet Joel. So the age of the Spirit awaits 
fruition to the coming of Messiah. The Incarnation and Pentecost 
are the significant events in redemptive history that the Old 
Testament points forward to. Moses says, I wish I could see 
such an outpouring. In the book of Acts, on that 
day of Pentecost, Moses' wish is realized. When the Spirit 
comes like a mighty rushing wind. When the people of God are equipped 
and then the people of God are sent out to the then known world 
to proclaim the glory of Jesus Christ. So the contrasts are 
there. Moses can't bear burdens alone. 
Jesus Christ can. The Old Covenant, the Spirit 
was present, but not like He is in the New Covenant. There 
is much more in terms of an outpouring. Incarnation and Pentecost not 
only teach us glorious truth about who God is, but also demonstrates 
the grace of God and the salvation of His people and that to the 
uttermost. Well, let's pray, and then if 
there's any comments, we can deal with those. Father in heaven, 
thank you for your word. Thank you for these lessons that 
we have, for our encouragement and admonition. I pray that you 
would help us to receive these things, help us to think through 
them in light of new covenant scripture as well, and cause 
us to constantly reflect upon the burden-bearing Christ, the 
one who took our sin, in himself, the one who took our sin upon 
himself, rather, and suffered under the wrath and fury and 
judgment of God Almighty for us men and for our salvation. 
We thank you for that. We thank you for the presence 
and the power of the Holy Spirit. And we thank you for all of the 
blessings that we have in this new covenant setting. Give us 
grace and strength to resist the temptation, to whine, to 
complain, to grumble and to murmur, help us to replace those things 
with gratitude, with thankfulness, with praise and worship to our 
great God and for what you have provided to us in that bread 
of life who's come down from heaven and that we have by grace 
eaten and tasted and seen that he is good. We thank you for 
this and we pray in Jesus' name, amen. I say comments are fine, 
questions tough because we're not, the details of some of these 
things a little bit outside of my comprehension. Any comments? Any questions? Lots of people to deal with, 
obviously. All right. Let's go out and not 
complain.