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| Numbers 11:31-35 |
“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” (Numbers 11:32).
This portion of scripture follows up Israel’s complaints about the manna and their desire for the foods of Egypt. They were longing for the comforts of their captivity. They remembered the ease of having masters to tell them what to do daily and require them to build for them and serve them in every way. The Israelites were happy to leave captivity, but they did not know what a struggle freedom could be at times.
Israel had been wandering in the desert for a while by this time. They had been eating manna and surviving wilderness living continually on the move toward the yet-to-be-fulfilled Promised Land. Maybe they became frustrated with the unknown unlike Abraham (Abram) who obeyed God and wandered not knowing where he was going until he arrived where God had led him – the original entry into the Promised Land.
The Israelites, as we know, complained a lot in the wilderness, which was why earlier in this same chapter Moses also complained and received supporting elders to help him carry the burden of leading the great mass of people, the latest complaint being their cravings for the food of their captivity.
God, being the kind and gracious Father He is, provided a wind which carried a multitude of quail into and around the camp and they were piled high (Numbers 11:31). The Israelites were so excited for the meat they had not seen in a very long time, they gathered all that day, through the night and through the next day (Numbers 11:32) They gathered as much as they could grab in a frenzy which left the Lord angry.
It seems strange as we read this story for God to be angry when He gave them the quail. He provided and they made sure to get as much of the blessing as they could for themselves, so why was this bad? This issue deals with two promises the Israelites were not holding onto in faith. Fist, they complained about the manna which was a miraculous gift of food from the Father on the way to the Promised Land. Instead of continuing in gratitude for the miracle and keeping their eyes on the Promised Land, they began to look back to their captivity with fondness. They began to miss the old ways.
Next, not only did they begin to despise the miraculous provision from the Lord, they desired more. When He gave it, they forgot the promise He gave about the quail, too. “You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but for a whole month” (Numbers 11:19-20). God promised them meat for a month, yet when they went out they did not gather what they needed, they took all they could get! They gave into their cravings and instead of receiving the gift went after it with all their might to take as much as they wanted and more. They disregarded the promise and let greed overcome them.
There is more than one lesson to heed in this example from the Israelites’ wandering years. First, looking back to your days of captivity with fondness is a trap waiting to be set. If your enemy can cause you to remember your forgiven sins with any fondness, he can get a foothold and lead you down a destructive path of longing which will rob you of your peace and gratitude in the kingdom.
Another good lesson to grab onto here is God’s promises are sure (2 Corinthians 1:20). They are also timely – as in His timing. Our journey, like the Israelites is not always a direct route from A to B but is a journey with twists and turns and mountains and valleys. Through these experiences we learn to walk with Jesus. We learn to hear His voice in the calm and in the storm. We, like the Israelites, learn to fight our enemy as well as how to live in community with other believers. There are so many lessons along the way. We don’t want to miss a single one.
One of the tactics of our enemy is discouragement. He will tempt us to feel like God is not giving us enough fast enough. When opportunities come we may run headlong into things we were not called to. We may take over and monopolize ministries we were not called to all in the name of fulfilling our ministry. We might just take our walk into our own hands and attempt to fulfill God’s promises to us in our own strength before we know we have even gone down the road of self-destruction. We might become full of the things we want, but we will not find satisfaction there. We also might always be learning, but never doing.
Part of living in the community of believers is lifting one another up. If we are so hungry for the things of the Lord we are not willing to notice the needs around us, there is a problem. If we are always studying and learning, but never sharing those things with others or not giving of ourselves to meet needs around us, there is a problem – it is a faith problem and I’ve heard it said it is a love problem.
When we love and trust God we will not be given to desires which turn into intense cravings. We can curb our appetites by trusting in God’s promises – faith. We can curb those appetites also by our love for God. If we truly love Him, it means we know Him – who and how He is – and we will trust His sovereignty in our lives. If we love and trust Him, we will not look back to the former days, but we will keep our eyes on the goal to win the prize (Ecclesiastes 7:10; Philippians 3:14).
Where to you need to close doors on the enemy’s foot today? Check your disappointments and discouragements remember the promises of God for your life. Make your plans but trust Him to work out your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:9). In all things and every experience walk with surrender to the Lord’s will and His plans and you will fulfill what it is He has called you to do. You will arrive at and enter your promised land if you walk there with faith in His promises, gratitude for His provisions, and love for Him who loved you first (1 John 4:19).
“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).