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NUMBERS
CHAPTER 11

1 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

God hears and knows even the thoughts of our mind! And He knows our
ingratitude and lack of faith!
Stop and remember for just a moment how many marvelous miracles God
has performed for these people in just the last year. Why should
their faith be so small?
INDEED!! Why shoud OURS?

2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. 3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.

God is quick to remedy judgment when people are repentant. God is
merciful. See Ezra 3:11, 2Chronicles 5:13, Psalm 106:1, Jeremiah 33:11.
Let US then be quickly repentant for ingratitude and lack of faith.

4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. 7 And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. 8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. 9 And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

It seems that no sooner had God quenched the fire of judgment, they began to
complain again! They were tired of the "same old thing." Do you ever get that way?
Is routine mundane?
When we become dissatisfied, usually the next step is to do as they did -
they "fell a lusting."
These folk lusted after the foods of Egypt, but they forgot that the cost
was SLAVERY!! It's not the "rat race" that gets us; it's the price of
the CHEESE!
Oh! How we need to just REJOICE in God and His salvation, and not fall to
LUSTING after the things of the world!

10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. 11 And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? 13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. 14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

Do you as a Christian sometimes fell pressure because you can't help someone
who's having difficulty? This kind of pressure often weighs heavy upon Christian
leaders (teachers, deacons, ministers). See how Moses described his feelings in
verses 12-14.
Moses was feeling pressure! He knew God was angry with their lack of faith,
and he himself was "displeased." But he also saw the people's point, and he wanted
to help. However, there was nothing Moses could do at this time. He could only
PRAY! And that's what he did.

16 And 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, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit 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 heard Moses' cry of despair and promised to help. God said He would cause His
"spirit of concern" to also come upon the elders. Is that FAIR? They didn't
ASK to be leaders; God had APPOINTED them. Yes. It's fair! God calls us to be
SAVED; and God calls us to SERVE! And whatever position to which He calls us to
serve, He will endow us with the ability to do it properly.
The elders could not properly serve unless they had the "spirit of concern."
In most churces today, elders or deacons share the ministry of the pastor. That's
because God has given them the "spirit of concern." Teacher and other individuals can
relieve some of the pressure of leaders by making telephone calls, sending cards,
visiting, and other work.
((A reporter asked a woman on her 60th wedding anniversary which burdens she
had felt most in her marriage. She said, "Oh. Only TWO! Pa, and the fire.
When I paid too much attention to ONE the OTHER went OUT!))

18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

God also tells Moses to call the people and promise them "flesh" (meat) to eat for
a whole month. There are two things that we can immediately see from the manner in
which God's Word is written here:
1) God is obviously displeased with the people's complaining,
2) He says they have treated Him spitefully by complaining.
Do WE complain too much?

21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. 22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

Moses is shocked to hear God's promise of flesh for a whole month for MILLIONS
of people! Now, we'd think that as many miracles as God had worked through and
around Moses, he wouldn't DOUBT God's ability. Well, I'm not so sure it was
DOUBT! I think it seems more like amazement! It's more like Moses
is saying, "How God? How are you going to do this?"
Now the reason I make that statement is because of God's response in the next verse.

23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

God says, in effect, "Moses, don't be shocked or amazed, just act on faith.
Go do what I told you."

24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.

So Moses DID! He still didn't know how God would do what He said,
but he knew God would!
WHAT A LESSON FOR US TODAY!!
When you feel that God is telling you to share your testimony with a lost person,
do you feel amazed that God could use that testimony to bring someone
to know Jesus? Well, don't be shocked! Just go do what God said!

25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. 26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. 27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

First, the elders were called and God placed upon them HIS SPIRIT. Now THAT'S
the "spirit of concern!"
And the elders began to "prophesy." This "prophesying" was probably the giving of an
accurate and clear understanding of God's WORDS. They essentially expounded
upon the laws God had given Moses and Moses had reiterated to them. Their prophesy
was shown to be of DIVINE inspiration. to today, it is DIVIND inspiration!
Two of the elders had remained in the camp and not come to the special service. But
God is TRUE TO HIS PROMISES to a "T." These two men also prophesied and someone came
to tell Joshua. Since they had not attended the services as commanded, Joshua told
Moses he should "forbid" them to speak.
Moses shows why God chose him to be the leader of this great nation. He displays
genuine and admirable humility. He says it would be wonderful if ALL
God's people could speak as these two had done!
YOU, as a Christian, have a special privilege today. You have God's PROMISE to attend
you by His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). You have God's PROMISE to TEACH you His
Word and to help you RECALL His Word (John 14:26).
Now, if we have God's Holy Spirit to guide us in study of His Word, and guide us
in recalling that Word, then we have the privilege of giving a clear understanding of
His Word to others!
WHAT AN AWESOME PRIVILEGE!!
Are you EXERCISING that privilege?
Only those who are well acquainted with God's Word are fit to be leaders.

30 And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel. 31 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. 32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. 34 And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hatta'avah: because there they buried the people that lusted. 35 And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hatta'avah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.

God provided a huge flesh banquet, just like He'd promised.
By using wind, God brought quail enought to stand 2 cubits (36 inches)
in depth all around the camp of the whole nation!! ((Remember, the camp was
large enough to hold 2 1/2 million to 3 1/2 million people!)
Considering a "homer" to be about 6 bushels, the person that gathered least
gathered about 60 bushels! Even if the "quail" were locusts (as some people
would say), they couldn't have eaten that much! No wonder many of them DIED!
All too often, when people receive what they lust for, it becomes their undoing.
Notice the name Moses gave to this place: Kibrothhataavah. This name literally means
"graves of those who lust."

"Oh, Lord. Neither let me complain, lust, nor rust in Thy
service; but let me willingly serve as You would direct."

Please continue to follow along in Bible study with us.