Feastly Food

O. T. #321  " Feastly Food"
July 15, 2014
Numbers 11-Part 3
...Who shall give us flesh to eat?  Numbers 11:4c

LET IT GLOW

As I have traveled to other countries, I have seen people thankful for such meager meals of rice and bananas day after day. We Americans are so spoiled to having such a variety of food on the table to eat. Do we complain when we have leftovers? Do we lust after a table full of a feastly variety of food to choose from? (My own word)

The people traveled away from Mt. Sinai, where they had camped almost a year. Then they were on the move. They began to complain, it displeased the Lord, and He brought fire on some of them. Moses prayed and God put out the fire. Moses named the place Taberah because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.

What else happened? We learn that there was a mixt multitude among the Israelites.

The word in the original resembles our "riff-raff" and denotes a mob of people scraped together.
(Barnes Commentary)

Much of Israel's problems would from this point be attributed to this mostly unsaved, partly Egyptian group that leaped on the bandwagon after the mighty Passover miracle in Egypt.  (Liberty Bible Commentary)

So it was this group that began lusting for the food back in Egypt, that was complaining about what they did not have to eat at the present time. The Israelites joined in with them.

What were they questioning? Who shall give us flesh to eat? They wanted meat to eat.
They lusted after food back in Egypt, which was at no cost to them:

• fish,
• cucumbers,
• melons,
• leeks,
• onions,
• garlic.

They complained that their soul was dried away, that they lost their appetite, and they never saw anything but manna.

Why had this been enough, sufficient for them until now? Back in Exodus 16, they same thing happened. they complained against their provider, God. He gave them wafers, heavenly manna to eat. All they had to do was gather it.
How ungrateful! but they kept thinking about what they had back in Egypt, not remembering their slavery and hard life as well. The guys were focused on the food they didn't have instead of what they did have. Did they want to go back to their life of slavery instead of living freely with their God? Their flesh was rebelling.

Aren't we like them? If only... Why can't we... Look at so and so, they have...

God provides, yet we want something bigger, better, newer, more modern. Guilty.
We should be thanking God that we have a variety of food to eat, instead of rice everyday.
Why are we not thankful for the used car that runs well and without a car payment, instead of wanting a new shiny one that we have to pay tax for in order to get the tag, plus the monthly bill?
Do we lust after all those modern technical gadgets, which drains our pocket?
Do we really have to have the latest shoes and clothes to wear this summer, which runs up our credit card?

Really, are we no different from the Israelites?
God's love showers us with good things, provides us with what we need, but are we satisfied?

LET IT GROW

NIV says in verse 10: Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent.  The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.

Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament states:

One of the sad results of carnality among God's people is discouragement on the part of the leaders (verse 10). Now Moses himself complained to God! Notice how often he said "I" and "my" and "me" in his prayer, for his concern was himself and not God's glory. Moses should have known that the same God who delivered the, led them, and provided for the, would give them flesh in the wilderness; but, as often happens, self-centered praying killed his faith.

The Lord gave Moses 70 men to help him, in response to Moses' despair. Quail flew about three feet above ground so the people could knock them down and easily kill them to eat. Sometimes God gives us what we ask, even if it is not what His desire for us is. We find out the answer is not a blessing at all, don't we? Do we learn a lesson from our experience?
Do we need a change of heart, a change of focus?

LET IT GO

Learn to be content, thankful, and have a grateful heart.

Focus on the Lord Jesus as my source of joy, not things.

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