Sunday, October 3, 2021: “Complaints About Manna

Sunday, October 3, 2021: “Complaints About Manna” Commentary(The UGP Curriculum)

Sunday, October 3, 2021

Lesson: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-23; Time of Action: About1445 B.C.; Place of Action: The desert of Paran

Golden Text: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Isthe Lord’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see nowwhether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not”(Numbers 11:23).

I. INTRODUCTION. Do you consider yourself to be acomplainer? Most of us would not to like to think ofourselves as complainers, but instead as people who just seethings realistically. But if we were to ask those close to us,we might get a different opinion. The truth is that most of usdo our share of complaining and we generally think it’s quitejustifiable. But if we looked honestly at our complaints, wemight be surprised to discover that they are prompted byprevious negative biases and not by legitimate concerns atall. People who work in the customer service department ofa business usually have to take customer complaints. Ingeneral, these employees had nothing to do with creating theproblems they hear about. Such an unenviable position issimilar to Moses’ situation in this week’s lesson. He oftenbore the brunt of the complaints of the people of Israel. However, when the people complained about Moses, theywere really complaining about God, for He had appointedMoses as their leader.


II. THE LESSON BACKGROUND. At the time of ourlesson, the Israelites were on their way to Canaan, thePromised Land. God had delivered them from a pursuingEgyptian army (see Exodus 14:1-30), and after theycomplained about hunger, God provided quail and manna forthem to eat (see Exodus 16:1- 18). When the Israelitesreached Rephidim, they complained that there was no water(see Exodus 17:1-3) so after Moses cried unto the LORD whoresponded by commanding Moses to strike a rock in Horeband water came forth for the people (see Exodus 17:1-7). After a prosperous visit from Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law(see Exodus chapter 18), the Israelites continued theirjourney to Canaan, the Promised Land (see Exodus3:17;16:35). After travelling for three months, they arrivedin the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp near Mt. Sinai(see Exodus 19:1-2) where God made His covenant with them(see Exodus 19:1-8) and also gave them the TenCommandments (see Exodus 20:1-17) and other laws togovern them once they reached Canaan (see chapters 21-23)including directions for constructing the tabernacle (seeExodus chapters 25-27) and laws concerning the priesthood(see Exodus chapters 28-30). While Moses was on Mt. Sinaigetting this information from the LORD, the peopleconvinced Aaron to make them a golden calf to representGod since no one knew what had happened to Moses (seeExodus 32:1-6). Of course this angered the LORD who toldMoses what was going on with the people and that He wasgoing to consume them and make a great nation out of Moses(see Exodus 32:7-9). Moses once again spoke to God on


behalf of the people and He withheld His judgment (seeExodus 32:11-14). But still there was a price to be paid forthe people’s apostasy. When Moses came down from Mt.Sinai, in his anger, he broke the tablets containing the TenCommandments and commanded that Levites go through thecamp killing people and they killed about 300 men (seeExodus 32:15-29). After Moses asked God to let him see Hisglory and God agreed. But since no man can see God andlive, He put Moses in a cleft of the Mount and passed by himonly allowing Moses to see His back and not His face (seeExodus 33:18-23). Following this, God gave Moses a secondtablet containing the Ten Commandments written with Hisown hand (see Exodus 34:1). In the remaining chapters, Godreinstituted the feasts He had earlier commanded His peopleto observe, the construction of the tabernacle began and thefurniture that was to be in the tabernacle (see Exoduschapters 36-40). Now a year after the Israelites left Egyptwhile they were still in the desert of Sinai, God told Moses tocount the children of Israel by families along with theirnames who were twenty-one years old or older and able to goto war (see Numbers 1:1-3). In Numbers chapters 2-9, Godgave instructions for the service that each group was toperform as well as instructions for the Passover. Since thetabernacle was completed, the LORD covered it with Hiscloud and whenever He took His cloud up from thetabernacle, that meant that the people were to continue theirjourney (see Numbers 9:15-23). Sometime later, on thetwentieth day of the second month in the second year afterleaving Egypt, God took up His cloud from off the tabernaclewhich indicated that it was time to continue their journey andthey moved on to the wilderness of Paran (see Numbers10:11-12). We are not told why, but for some reason, the


people again complained displeasing the LORD who sent fireamong them that consumed those who were on the outermostpart of their campsite (see Numbers 11:1). And once again,the people cried out to Moses who prayed to the LORD. TheLORD heard Moses and He stopped the fire and Mosesnamed that place Taberah, because the fire of the LORDburnt among His people (see Numbers 11:2-3). This is whereour lesson begins.

III. THE MULTITUDE’S COMPLAINT (Numbers 11:4-6)

A. A distortion of the truth (Numbers 11:4-5).

1. (vs. 4). Our first verse says “And the mixtmultitude that was among them fell a lusting: and thechildren of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shallgive us flesh to eat?” It appears that sometime after Godsent fire that consumed many Israelites on the outskirts oftheir campsite, we are told that “the mixt multitude thatwas among them fell a lusting.” This “mixt multitudethat was among” the Israelites was a group of otherenslaved peoples in Egypt who were not full-bloodedIsraelites (see Leviticus 24:10) but took advantage of theopportunity to escape with the Hebrews from Egypt (seeExodus 12:38). It was this “mixt multitude” who startedthe murmuring that soon spread throughout the camp somuch so that “the children of Israel also wept again, andsaid, Who shall give us flesh to eat?” The Israelites


joined in with the complaining of the “mixt multitude” andcomplained among themselves asking “Who shall give usflesh to eat?” This indicates that the “lusting” by the“mixt multitude” refers to a strong craving for the foodthey were used to eating in Egypt as we shall see in the nextverse. Although God had given them “flesh” or quail withtheir manna before (see Exodus 16:13), they still had theunmitigated gall to ask “Who shall give us flesh to eat?” And who knows if God, in His mercy would do it again, ifinstead of murmuring they had prayed. Note: As believers,we need to be careful of the company we keep. Weshould remember that a few discontented, ill-naturedpeople can cause a great deal of mischief even amongthe best societies, churches and families. Even “thechildren of Israel,” the holy seed were infected by theseoutsiders who followed the Jews and left Egypt withthem to seek their fortunes elsewhere. This is anexample of what the apostle Paul warned about whenhe said “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (seeI Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). God’s people joinedthis “mixt multitude” in complaining about who wasgoing to provide meat for them to eat.

2. (vs. 5). This verse says “We remember thefish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers,and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and thegarlick.” The people continued to complain by bringing upthe different foods they supposedly had eaten in Egypt. Theysaid among themselves, “We remember the fish, which wedid eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons,and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.” They


spoke highly of what little food they had in “Egypt” as if Godhad done them a great wrong by taking them out of “Egypt.” While they were in “Egypt” they often cried out “by reasonof their taskmasters” (see Exodus 3:7), for their lives weremade bitter with hard bondage; and yet now they talk about“Egypt” as if they had lived like princes there. Yes,they complained that “we remember the cucumbers, andthe melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and thegarlick” all of which was good for food, but they didn’tremember having to make bricks without straw (see Exodus5:7-18), or the beatings from the task-masters (see Exodus5:14). No, these ungrateful people had forgotten all of that. It’s interesting that the people remembered “the fish” andthe vegetables that they claimed to have eaten “in Egyptfreely.” This indicates that they had all the food theywanted. But did they? Let’s be real, as hard as theEgyptians were on their slaves, do we really think that theyate whatever they wanted whenever they wanted it? Iseriously doubt it. The Israelites had forgotten the realtruth. There was nothing wonderful about the life of aHebrew in Egypt. As slaves, they were forced to live underterrible conditions and often beaten by ruthless taskmasters. The Israelites forgot all about that as if it never happened. The truth is that complaining about the present often makesthe past look better than it really was, and keeps us fromseeing the blessings God is giving right now.

B. The people exaggerate their current hardships(Numbers 11:6). This verse says “But now our soul isdried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna,before our eyes.” Soon after the Israelites left Egypt and


just before they reached Mount Sinai, God had begunproviding “manna” for them each morning for theirnourishment (see Exodus 16:4-12). At first, the peoplewelcomed this bread from heaven but they soon got tired ofeating the same thing everyday causing them to furthercomplain saying “But now our soul is dried away: there isnothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” These Hebrews greatly exaggerated their physical condition. The phrase “our soul is dried away” can be translated as“we are wasting away” or “we have lost our appetite.” Ofcourse, this was an exaggeration. Although they didacknowledge the “manna” they did it as a complaint saying“there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before oureyes.” In other words, they were sick of the good provisionGod had made for them, complaining that there was nothingat all in the way of food to be seen except “this manna.” Again, they were exaggerating because they had left Egyptwith their own flocks and herds (see Exodus 12:32), so if theywanted “flesh” (see verse 4) or meat to eat they could alwayskill one of their animals for food. Another truth is thatcomplaining will prevent a person from thinking rationally. Note: To show how unreasonable their complaint was,the manna and how it could be used was described inverse 7-9 which are not part of our printed text. But inthose verses, the “manna” was said to be like corianderseed, and it looked like bdellium (a type of treesap). When the people gathered it, they used rocks tocrush it and cooked it in a pot, or they ground it intoflour and made thin cakes that tasted like sweet cakescooked with olive oil. When the dew fell on the camp atnight, the manna fell with it (see Numbers 11:7-9). The


“manna” didn’t cost them any money nor did they haveto care for it. It fell during the night while they slept,and the work involved in gathering it was not evenworth mentioning. Yet they could only talk about thefish they ate in Egypt freely (see verse 5). But what wasmuch more valuable than the manna? It came fromGod and was like God’s compassions, “they are newevery morning” (see Lamentations 3:22-23), alwaysfresh. And it appears that while they lived on “manna,”they seemed to be exempted from the curse which sinhad brought on man, that “in the sweat of thy faceshalt thou eat bread.” In other words, the people didn’thave to work at all for the “manna.” And yet theydespised it and spoke about it with such disdain like itwas not even good enough to be given to pigs.

IV. MOSES’ COMPLAINT (Numbers 11:10-15)

A. God’s anger and Moses’ displeasure (Numbers11:10-11).

1. (vs. 10). This verse says “Then Moses heardthe people weep throughout their families, every manin the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD waskindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.” Dissatisfaction and complaining has a way of spreading veryquickly, whether in the home, on the job, or in the church. This is the way it was among the Israelites. Their longing forthe former days in Egypt caused them to “weep throughout


their families, every man in the door of his tent.” Thiswas done so outwardly that “Moses heard the peopleweep” and he “was displeased.” But more important than“Moses” being unhappy and “displeased” by the behaviorof God’s people, “the anger of the LORD was kindledgreatly” against them. Rejecting God’s heavenly food wasextremely evil to the LORD. He had earlier said that how thepeople received the manna would be a significant test of theirobedience (see Exodus 16:4). It looks like they failed the testbecause by despising the manna, they were also despisingthe God who sent it. Their actions were greatly troubling to“Moses” as well as it should have been. Note: Constantcomplaining shows a lack of faith, and faith is requiredby God if we are to please Him (see Hebrews 11:6). Complaining against God will never please Him, and weare wasting our time if we think that we can change ourcircumstances by fighting against Him, especiallyknowing that He controls the situation we are in and isour only real help out of it.

2. (vs. 11). This verse says “And Moses saidunto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thyservant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thysight, that thou layest the burden of all this peopleupon me?” Taking everything that he heard from God’speople very personally, “Moses” had become very frustratedwith the people and with God. Undoubtedly, he felt that thepeople were beyond listening to him so “Moses” took hiscomplaint directly to the LORD. He cried out to God firstasking Him “Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?” In other words, why did God lay the responsibility of leading


this rebellious people on His “servant?” Then “Moses”asked the LORD “and wherefore have I not found favourin thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all thispeople upon me?” It seems like “Moses” felt that God hadnot done him any favor when He chose him to lead Hispeople, which he called a “burden” that God had laid onhim. “Moses” may have even thought that putting “theburden of all this people upon” him, was some kind ofpunishment from the Almighty. Note: When confrontedwith problems, it’s natural for us to want to know whythese things have happened. To be sure, someproblems are of our own making and we know we haveno one to blame but ourselves. But at other times, wecannot see any justice in our suffering or what we aregoing through. Like the psalmist, we see “theprosperity of the wicked” (see Psalms 73:3) and wonderwhy they don’t seem to suffer for their wrongdoing (seePsalms 73:4-5). While all of us sometimes complainabout one another, most of us are less likely tocomplain directly to God about our place in life. Whensome people think that God has treated them unfairlythey do other things like staying away from church orwithholding their offerings. In this way, the spirituallyimmature think that they are somehow punishing Godfor His failure to provide for them in ways they thinkthey deserve.

B. Moses’ discouragement (Numbers 11:12-13).

1. (vs. 12). This verse says, “Have I conceivedall this people? have I begotten them, that thou


shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as anursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the landwhich thou swarest unto their fathers?” Mosescontinued complaining to the LORD by asking “Have Iconceived all this people?” With this rhetorical question,Moses was saying that he didn’t give birth to these Hebrews. He was actually removing himself from the entire picture andplacing all the blame on God. Then Moses compared himselfto a nursemaid who had to daily take care of small children. He asked, “have I begotten them, that thou shouldestsay unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursingfather beareth the sucking child, unto the land whichthou swarest unto their fathers?” Again with a rhetoricalquestion, Moses was asking, “Did I bring them forth, that Youshould say to me, ‘Carry them in your arms as a nurse carriesthe nursing infant, to the land which You swore to theirfathers?” Moses was pointing out that it was not his idea tocreate Israel, nor did he welcome the responsibility ofcradling and comforting the nation like a mother or “father”does their newborn baby. Nor was it his idea to take them toCanaan (see Exodus 13:5), the Promised Land, “the landwhich thou (God) swarest unto their fathers.” Ofcourse, Moses knew that it was God who did all of thesethings, but he felt the need to express His frustrations to theonly one who could remove them. Note: Certainly, Mosesisn’t the only person in the Bible who questioned Godor expressed complaints directly to Him (see Job7:1-21). While taking this kind of approach in prayer isnot always proper or wise, we must realize that God isbig enough to handle our complaints. When we are notwilling to unburden ourselves before His throne of


grace may indicate that we have a view of God that doesnot line up with the way He is presented in Scripture. The apostle Peter encourages believers to cast all ourcare upon Him, for He cares about us (see I Peter 5:7).

2. (vs. 13). This verse says, “Whence should Ihave flesh to give unto all this people? for they weepunto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.” Astheir concerned leader, Moses was showing his distress forthe people when he said “Whence should I have flesh togive unto all this people? for they weep unto me,saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.” The people werecrying out to Moses for “flesh” or meat to eat and he wasnot able to give it to them. Concerned parents want to givegood things to their children if they can (see Luke 11:11-13),so likewise Moses wanted good things for the people whowere under his care. The people were crying out to Mosesfor meat and he had no idea what to do. So he asked God“Whence should I have flesh to give unto all thispeople?” In other words, where was he going to get meat tofeed all of these people. Note: A common weakness ofpeople is that we are rarely satisfied with what wehave. A sign of certain spiritual maturity is a heart thatcan honestly say as Paul did, “for I have learned, inwhatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (seePhilippians 4:11). It’s obvious that the Israelites hadnot reached this point in their spiritual growth. As therest of the book of Numbers reveals, there were stillmore times when the Israelites complained about theirsituation. God had proven His love for Israel byrescuing them from bitter bondage in Egypt and by


faithfully providing for them in the barren wilderness.How easily they forgot!

C. Moses is disconsolate (Numbers 11:14-15).

1. (vs. 14). This verse says “I am not able tobear all this people alone, because it is too heavy forme.” When we are frustrated with how things are going, it’seasy to feel like our burden is “too heavy” and that we arealone in our situation. This is how Moses felt when hecontinued his complaint to God saying “I am not able tobear all this people alone, because it is too heavy forme.” Although Moses was still complaining to God, he wastelling the truth. In his own strength, he really couldn’t“bear” or carry all the Israelites to Canaan by himself. Indeed, in his own strength the job was “too heavy” or toomuch for him. The truth of the matter is that even if thework of leading these people had been much less, Moses stillcould not have done it in his own strength. But if the workhad been much greater, through God strengthening him,Moses might have done it. While it may have seemed likeMoses was alone and solely responsible for the welfare of thepeople, that was not the case at all. People in leadershippositions in the church often feel discouraged like Mosesdid. What all the people of God, including leaders need torealize is that we must depend on the LORD daily for thestrength we need to carry on (see II Samuel 22:32-33; Psalms18:2, 32; 22:19; 27:1; 28:7; Isaiah 12:2; II Corinthians 12:9). And this applies to more than just Christian service. Whatever tasks we are called to do, whether at home, school,or work, we must seek the LORD’S strength that only He can


provide, if we want to do the job right.

2. (vs. 15). This verse says “And if thou dealthus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I havefound favour in thy sight; and let me not see mywretchedness.” When some people become extremelyfrustrated while trying to do what seems to be impossible,like Moses, they may consider giving up on the taskaltogether. God’s servant was so frustrated with both God’speople and with God that he said to the LORD, “And if thoudeal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if Ihave found favour in thy sight; and let me not see mywretchedness.” In other words, Moses was saying, “LORD,if you plan to continue treating me this way by giving metheir troubles, if I have found favor in you eyes, I beg you tokill me now. Then I won’t have to see my own ruin and I willbe finished with this impossible situation!” God’s servanthad had enough! He wanted his life to be over. While hewas not suicidal, Moses preferred immediate death at thehand of God over the ongoing frustration of trying to lead thislarge group of ungrateful people. As far as Moses wasconcerned, a swift departure from this world would actuallybe a sign of God’s “favor” upon him. Note: Moses’experience should remind us that no matter how saintlywe may think we are, no one is exempt from giving upon their calling when the going really gets tough. Whilemost Christian leaders serve God because they feelcalled to do so, nothing can cause them to questionthat calling as quickly as having to deal with criticaland complaining people. Before we take it uponourselves to demean a servant of God, we should pray


for him or her and help them in any way we can (see ITimothy 5:19; Hebrews 13:7, 17).

V. GOD’S RESPONSE TO MOSES (Numbers 11:16-23)

A. Gathering of seventy elders (Numbers11:16-17).

1. (vs. 16). This verse says “And the LORD saidunto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the eldersof Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of thepeople, and officers over them; and bring them untothe tabernacle of the congregation, that they may standthere with thee.” God knew that his servant “Moses”could do the job of leading His people to the Promised Landor He would not have chosen him to do it. Moses’ problemwas that he didn’t think he could handle these rebelliouspeople by himself. So, instead of granting “Moses” hisrequest to immediately kill him, God had another plan. Since“Moses” said that his problem was that the weight ofgoverning the Israelites was too heavy for him, God would fixthat; not by removing “Moses” from his leadership position,but by appointing assistants to help him. For sure, thepeople were too hot headed and rebellious to be trusted toselect these assistants, so “the LORD said unto Moses,Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel,whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, andofficers over them.” Moses was commanded to select“seventy men of the elders of Israel” and bring them to


the LORD. These were to be “men” whom “Moses” knew tobe leaders and “officers (or officials) over” the people. Hewas to choose those whom he knew to be “elders,” that is,wise and experienced men. Men like the ones Moses’ father-in-law had earlier suggested he choose to help him in judgingthe people (see Exodus 18:14-25). It seems that it wasimportant for “Moses” to be the one to choose these mensince he would have to work directly with them. In addition,since they would be his choices, he would not have anyreason to complain about them later. After “Moses”selected these “elders,” God said to him “and bring themunto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they maystand there with thee.” These “seventy men” were to“stand” or take their place alongside of “Moses” at “thetabernacle of the congregation” or “the tabernacle”courtyard where people gathered to worship. Many peopleassume that the twelve apostles were the only ones Jesusempowered and sent out to preach “the kingdom of heaven isat hand” (see Matthew 10:1-14). But our LORD in Hiswisdom knew that more would be needed so He also sent outseventy other disciples (see Luke 10:1-11).

2. (vs. 17). This verse says “And I will comedown and talk with thee there: and I will take of thespirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them;and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee,that thou bear it not thyself alone.” God continued toreveal His plan to Moses. After Moses selected the seventyelders and brought them before the LORD, first God said“And I will come down and talk with thee there.” Inother words, God would meet with Moses in the tabernacle of


the congregation (see verse 16) and give him furtherinstructions. Even though Moses had spoken and complainedto God quite boldly, because of His grace and mercy, God stillcontinued to commune and talk with Moses. Because God islove, He holds no grudges and continues to put up with useven in our foolishness; and we must do the same with eachother. Then God said “and I will take of the spirit whichis upon thee, and will put it upon them.” Of course thisrefers to the Holy Spirit who, up to this point, had onlyempowered Moses for his calling, giving him “the spirit” ofwisdom, and piety, and courage. God said that He wouldtake some of that same “spirit” that He had put on Mosesand “put it” on these seventy elders. It sounds as if God wasgoing to take some of His “spirit” from Moses and give it tothe seventy elders. But that’s not the case. This does notmean that Moses would have less of the Spirit after Godshared it with the seventy elders; nor does it mean that theywould now be equal to him. Moses still had no equal (seeDeuteronomy 34:10). Instead, receiving God’s Spirit meantthat these elders would possess the same “spirit” that wouldallow them to help Moses govern Israel without any desire totake over. In the last part of this verse, God said “and theyshall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thoubear it not thyself alone.” The primary duty of the seventyelders that Moses selected was to assist or help him “bearthe burden of the people” so that he wouldn’t have to do it“alone.” In other words, they were given the gift of “helps”and “governing” (see I Corinthians 12:28) to assist Moses intaking care of the people. They were not to devalue Moses’honor; they were to make his work easier for him. Since thiswas God’s plan, it was sure to be an agreeable plan and a


workable plan for all involved.

B. God’s message for the multitude (Numbers11:18-20).

1. (vs. 18). This verse says “And say thou untothe people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, andye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears ofthe LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for itwas well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will giveyou flesh, and ye shall eat.” Here God continued to revealHis plan by giving Moses further instructions. He told Mosesto “say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselvesagainst to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh. God’s peoplewere to make themselves ready for the next day bysanctifying or separating themselves as holy people, for Godsaid that they “shall eat flesh” or meat. The people wereordered to “sanctify yourselves,” that is, they were to makethemselves ready to receive proof of God’s power whichwould be a sign of both His mercy and judgment as we shallsee in the remaining verses. Moses was also to tell thepeople that “ye have wept in the ears of the LORD,saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was wellwith us in Egypt.” God had not only heard their criesasking who would give them meat to eat, but He also heardthem lie about how good they had had it “in Egypt.” Certainly, that was a slap in the face of “the LORD.” As aresult of their request for meat to eat, Moses said that sinceGod had seen them weeping and asking for meat to eat, Hewas going to “give you flesh, and ye shall eat.” Inessence, the LORD was saying, “prepare to meet thy God, O


Israel” (see Amos 4:12) and not in a good way. This may be agood time to say it: “Be careful for what you ask for. You justmay get it!”

2. (vs. 19). This verse says “Ye shall not eat oneday, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nortwenty days…” Regarding the flesh or meat that God saidthe people would eat, He also said “Ye shall not eat oneday, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nortwenty days.” Yes, they would have meat to eat, but theywould be eating it for more than “twenty days.”

3. (vs. 20). This verse says “But even a wholemonth, until it come out at your nostrils, and it beloathsome unto you: because that ye have despisedthe LORD which is among you, and have wept beforehim, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?” Here theLORD continues to tell the people how long they would beeating meat that they begged for. He said they would beeating meat not for just a few days to quench their appetite,“But even a whole month, until it come out at yournostrils, and it be loathsome unto you.” In other words,they would eat meat for a “whole month” until it came outof their noses and was so disgusting to them that they wouldbe sick of it. Think about it; meat that God’s people greedilycoveted and lusted for would in a little while make themnauseated at the sight of it. Regardless of what we maythink, it was a righteous thing for God to make something“loathsome” even to His own people which they havesinfully lusted after. Now God was going to make themdespise flesh or meat as much as they had despised the


manna. Then God gave His reason for doing this. He said itwas “because that ye have despised the LORD which isamong you.” They “despised the LORD” who had beenwith them since they left Egypt in a cloud by day and fire bynight (see Exodus 13:21-32). Just in case anyone wonderedhow they had “despised the LORD,” He made it clear whenHe said it was when they “wept before him, saying, Whycame we forth out of Egypt?” It was complete and utterdisrespect to God for Israel to even think about asking “whydid we ever leave Egypt?” Of course, everyone knew whythey left Egypt and were thrilled when they did. But this iswhat can happen when God’s people associate with, andfollow the ways of unbelievers (see II Corinthians 6:14). Before we know it, we will be doing the same things they aredoing; for as the Apostle Paul wrote “A little leaven leaveneththe whole lump” (see I Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). Chances are pretty good that they will convert you to theirways before you convert them to yours.

C. Moses expresses his confusion (Numbers11:21-22).

1. (vs. 21). This verse says “And Moses said,The people, among whom I am, are six hundredthousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give themflesh, that they may eat a whole month.” When “Moses”replies to the plan God was putting forth, he seems toquestion how God was going to feed such a large number ofpeople. He said to the LORD “The people, among whom Iam, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hastsaid, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole


month.” This incident brings to mind when the disciplesquestioned how Jesus was going to feed the multitude whenthey asked Him, “Whence can a man satisfy these men withbread here in the wilderness?” (see Mark 8:1-4). Thereaction of both “Moses” and Jesus’ disciples should remindus that no one is above doubting the LORD especially whenwe are looking through the eyes of humanity instead of theeyes of faith. Contrary to popular opinion, seeing isn’talways believing (see Hebrews 11:1). Moses’ response herereveals that he had a problem believing that God, who hadprovided bread for all of them, could with His same unlimitedpower also give meat to more than “six hundred thousandfootmen,” not counting women and children. Even“Moses” had his moments of unbelief! But that’s no excusefor us. The number “six hundred thousand footmen,”refers to only men who were twenty years old and older whowere able to go to war (see Exodus 12:37; Numbers1:45-46). At this time, the total number of Israelites wasprobably more than two million.

2. (vs. 22). This verse says “Shall the flocks andthe herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall allthe fish of the sea be gathered together for them, tosuffice them? Still not convinced of how God was going tofeed all of Israel with meat, Moses considers that God willuse the animals that the Israelites had. So he asked God“Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, tosuffice them?” Moses’ use of the word “suffice” indicatesthat he didn’t think there were enough of the “flocks andthe herds” that could be killed for all the people to eat,especially for a whole month (see verse 20). With that


thought in mind, Moses then questioned whether God wouldgive them “fish” when he asked “or shall all the fish ofthe sea be gathered together for them, to sufficethem?” Moses didn’t even think that enough “fish” could“be gathered” from “the sea” to feed all the people. Mosesis a prime example of how even true and great believers maysometimes find it hard to trust God when they arediscouraged by issues and people within the church.

D. God responds to Moses’ confusion (Numbers11:23). Our final verse says “And the LORD said untoMoses, Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? thou shalt seenow whether my word shall come to pass unto thee ornot.” Now it appears that God has had enough of Moses’unbelief, so He answers Moses’ questions with a shortrhetorical one of His own. God “said unto Moses, Isthe LORD’S hand waxed short?” In other words, “has theLORD’S power all of a sudden become limited orinadequate?” The fact is that unlike thepsalmist, “Moses” didn’t “remember the years of the righthand of the most High” (see Psalms 77:10). If he had hewouldn’t be in the situation he was in—questioning the veryGod of Israel. As a result, God’s question “Is the LORD’Shand waxed short?” was designed to remind “Moses” ofthose times when He had shown His power to both “Moses”and Israel. And what’s interesting is that “Moses” had notonly seen God’s power, but he had often been the one thatGod used to demonstrate His power. It appears that he hadforgotten the wonders that God’s divine power hadperformed for His people, when He brought the plagues uponEgypt, divided the Red Sea so they could pass through on dry


land, and when He rained bread from heaven, the bread thatthe people now despised. God’s question “Is the LORD’Shand waxed short?” was meant to let “Moses” know thatGod’s power had not diminished and He was just as powerfulas He ever was. As believers, there are some truths aboutGod that we can count on: God’s “hand” or power has notbecome “short” or lacking in any way. His power can onlybe restrained by His own will “for with God nothing shall beimpossible” (see Luke 1:37). This is enough to remove anyunbelief that we may have in our All-powerful God. In thelast part of this verse God said to “Moses,” His servant (seeverse 11), “thou shalt see now whether my word shallcome to pass unto thee or not.” Although it wasn’tnecessary, God was determined to give proof that whateverHe says to anyone “shall come to pass.” Unlike man, ifGod said it, we can count on it (see Numbers 23:19). Note:Regarding the people’s request for meat, God did as Hesaid. In Numbers 11:31-32, He sent quail flying a yardoff the ground so that the Israelites could kill and eatall they wanted. Then verse 32 described the plaguethat accompanied all the quail. Sometimes God givesus what we want, but beware; there can also be terribleconsequences.

VI. Conclusion. It’s all too easy to complain aboutsomething we lack or what we have to endure in our lives.We may believe we don’t have enough money or time. Wemay think our children are too difficult. We may have anelderly parent to whom we are now giving daily care.


Whatever our lives consist of, this week’s lesson teaches usthat we need to trust God in our daily cares and worries. Wemust tell Him about our frustrations, but we should not leaveit at that. We must also give God our grateful thanks forwhat we do have.

***The Sunday School Lesson, Union Gospel PressCurriculum; The Bible Expositor and Illuminator***

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Sunday, October 3, 2021: “Complaints About Manna