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Selections From Israel's Story Week 9

Meat to Eat: Numbers 11

EnlargeOver and Over and Over Again

There is a cycle of events that happens throughout the book of Numbers, introduced in

1. The people complain.
2. God gets angry and punishes them.
3. The people cry out to Moses.
4. Moses intercedes.
5. The punishment stops.

That this cycle happens over and over again is crucial for understanding why God gets so angry.

is not the first time the people have complained 鈥� in fact, their complaints began immediately after the exodus from slavery! Over and over, the people chosen by God, delivered from slavery in Egypt by God, grumble and complain against God.

The problem is not just that they complain: the book of Psalms contains more psalms of lament than any other type of psalm, and those are filled with specific, detailed complaints. In this chapter, we even have Moses complaining in , as he says he would prefer death to a continuation of the current situation.

Not only does Moses complain, but he also seems to doubt God, according to . No, God鈥檚 anger and punishment are not because God wants people to keep a stiff upper lip. It is that through their complaints, the Israelites demonstrate 鈥� again and again 鈥� that they do not trust the God who chose them, who delivered them, who is God with and for them. expresses it clearly: 鈥測ou have rejected the LORD who is among you.鈥�

This chapter is bookended with two geographical locations and names: Taberah (), which means 鈥渂urning,鈥� because the fire of the LORD burned against the people there, and Kibroth-hattaavah (), which means 鈥済raves of craving,鈥� because it is where the bodies of the people who had craved meat get buried. Both of these are reminders of the seriousness of God鈥檚 punishment.

鈥淚f Only We Had Meat to Eat鈥�

After the cycle has been introduced in , presents the main issue in this chapter: they want to eat meat. This is not bad in itself; this chapter is not a vegetarian manifesto.

The problem is the way it gets expressed. With weeping, the Israelites say, 鈥淚f only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at鈥� ().

One of the perpetual problems with the Israelites is their spiritual amnesia, though here we see that they have a very selective memory about Egypt. That which they used to eat 鈥渇or nothing,鈥� or 鈥渇ree,鈥� was what they ate when they were slaves.

Additionally, the recollection of the food in Egypt is contrasted with 鈥渢his manna.鈥� As if to remind the Israelites 鈥� or us 鈥� about manna, the following verses give a brief explanation of its appearance and taste, as well as the miraculous way it would fall, like dew, each night. Ironically, unlike the food they remember, the manna does come at no cost to them. God started providing it when the Israelites entered into the wilderness (), and has continued to provide it until this time [see Author鈥檚 Note 1]. By complaining about the manna here, Israel is essentially saying that what God has given them does not suffice.

Another clue about the problem of the chapter may come in the description of the instigators in , 鈥渢he rabble鈥� [see Author鈥檚 Note 2]. Because they are distinguished from the Israelites, many believe that these are the foreigners who came out of Egypt with the Israelites (compare ). occurs only here, though, and even if they are a bad influence on the Israelites, we must balance that with the commands discussed in the previous Lectio that an Israelite is to 鈥渓ove the alien as yourself鈥� ().

At the sound of the people鈥檚 weeping, God becomes angry, and tells us that 鈥淢oses was displeased.鈥� That is actually a fairly tame translation of , which literally says, 鈥渁nd it was evil in Moses鈥� eyes.鈥� As mentioned above, Moses responds with his own complaint. It sounds fairly whiny and/or demanding; 鈥減ut me to death at once鈥� (). But we can see an important distinction between Moses鈥� complaint and that of the Israelites. The Israelites weep. Moses directs his complaint in a straight line to God.

And God responds not with anger, not with punishment, but with a direct answer, 鈥淚 will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on [the elders], and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself鈥� () [see Author鈥檚 Note 3]. God also responds directly to the complaint of the people 鈥� though, again, we must note that they did not ask God for meat. God鈥檚 answer almost has a 鈥測ou asked for it鈥� sense to it: 鈥淭herefore the LORD will give you meat and you shall eat 鈥� until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you鈥� ().

Apparently Moses is not done with questioning God, asking what may be a practical question about the number of people and the amount of meat they would need. Still, this sounds a lot like doubting God, which is how God seems to hear it, answering Moses鈥� question with one of his own, 鈥淚s the LORD鈥檚 power limited?鈥� (). The Hebrew is literally, 鈥淚s the LORD鈥檚 too ?鈥� 鈥� an image that reappears in and . As God says, Moses 鈥� and we 鈥� will see whether God鈥檚 word comes true or not ().

First, God鈥檚 word about the spirit comes true in . Even those who did not come to the tent, but remained in the camp 鈥� Eldad and Medad 鈥� receive the spirit and o in the camp. This causes Joshua some consternation, perhaps because he perceives it as a threat to Moses鈥� authority. Moses, though, is neither threatened nor jealous, but says that, ideally, all of Israel would qualify to be prophets ().

This verse is, in some ways, a key to understanding the entire chapter. A prophet is one who has a close, direct connection with God, who speaks with and on behalf of God [see Author鈥檚 Note 4]. Again, one of the problems is that the Israelites complain to one another, to themselves, but seem to lack the ability to talk with or hear from God. Moses鈥� answer to Joshua expresses the deep longing that all of them would have a close, direct connection with God.听 Even though describes the sharing of the spirit with the 70 elders, it is careful to point out in that they did not prophesy again. Even though Moses is willing for God to share the gift of prophecy with all others, their endowment is temporary, unlike the prophetic gifts given to Moses (compare ).

Second, God鈥檚 word about the meat comes true in . This is emphasized briefly, but pointedly, in : 鈥淭hey asked, and [God] brought quails鈥� [see Author鈥檚 Note 5]. says that the quails are brought by a wind that went out from the LORD, though is the same as the word for spirit, as in . And how many quails there are! Two cubits is roughly equivalent to a yard.

Imagine the Israelites walking a day鈥檚 journey around the camp in quails three feet high. They work through the day and night, and the next day to gather the quails and 鈥渟pread them out鈥� (). It could be that the spreading out was in the sun, to dry and preserve the meat for the future. It could also be that they spread them out to immediately eat raw: that their craving for the meat was so great that they gorged themselves on the raw birds.

Would that the story ended there, with the demonstration that God鈥檚 hand is not too short or that God can provide not only every need, but every desire of God鈥檚 people. Instead, this chapter ends with the disturbing image that, 鈥渨hile the meat was still between their teeth鈥� (), God gets angry, and strikes the people with a great, deadly plague.

Perhaps the plague was reserved for the 鈥渞abble鈥� or 鈥渞iffraff鈥� introduced in , as they were the ones who had the craving. Some suppose that implies that most of the Israelites escaped punishment. Not according to , though, which describes the occasion even more vividly: 鈥淏ut before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them and he killed the strongest of them, and laid low the flower of Israel.鈥�

I have no quick or easy answer for why God would answer the people鈥檚 request, and then get angry and punish them. This text, like many in Israel鈥檚 story, testifies that God is a God to be feared. But I also cannot help but also hear the overarching message from this chapter that God is to be trusted, not rejected. Even as describes God鈥檚 anger in the wilderness, it also describes God鈥檚 grief when the Israelites rebel (). Yes, God is powerful. Yes, God deserves and demands respect. Yes, God gets angry. And yes, God answers requests, feels grief, and provides.

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