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Numbers 11-13    Listen Podcast

 

Help! Take the fire away! (Numbers 11:1-3)

1 Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.
2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched.
3 So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them.

After ten chapters of wilderness preparation, Israel finally packed up and moved out toward Canaan in Numbers 10 (see notes). The people are excited (after 13 months or so) to finally be on the march toward their new home, but then something goes dreadfully wrong. We're only given three verses here to describe the incident. Here's all we know: The people of Israel complained, and God sent a destructive fire to the outermost part of their encampment. When the people cried out to Moses, Moses prayed and the fire stopped. Moses subsequently named the place "Taberah," a name derived from the Hebrew word for "fire." And why did it happen? Complaining! Now, we might not give very much attention at all to this incident were it not for the fact that nearly 39 years later it is mentioned again as one of three significant occasions when Israel provoked God to wrath in Deuteronomy 9:22 (see notes), "Also at Taberah and Massah and Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath." As a matter of fact, the quail incident in the following verses (see below) happened at Kibroth Hattaavah. "Massah" is a reference to the water-from-the-rock incident in Exodus 17:6-7 (see notes). That means that, as the Israelites were preparing to enter into Canaan in Deuteronomy 9 (see notes), their three most notable rebellious uprisings were in the first two years of their departure from Egypt.

The people complain...again! (Numbers 11:4-15)

4 ¶ Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?
5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
6 but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”
7 ¶ Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.
8 The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.
9 And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
10 ¶ Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased.
11 So Moses said to the LORD, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me?
12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers?
13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, “Give us meat, that we may eat.’
14 I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.
15 If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!”

Just doing what they do best - complain. But this time the instigators are the "mixed multitude" traveling along with them. That Hebrew word (as-pes-oof´) means "rabble," a word which accurately describes trouble makers. We actually find a reference to "mixed multitude" two other places in the Old Testament, Exodus 12:38 (see notes) and Nehemiah 13:3 (see notes). But in those verses a different Hebrew word is used, "arab" - a word used to identify the people of that continent who were not Hebrews, but who lived among the Hebrews. But here we're talking about the attendants, etc. that traveled with the Hebrews out of Egypt who likewise were not Hebrews themselves - obviously reluctant companions. These non Hebrews cause the Hebrews to become dissatisfied, and they begin complaining as they reflect back on the good ol' days back in Egypt - lots of good food. They ask, "Who shall give us meat to eat?" in verse 4. But notice their description of these fine meals of Egypt in verse 5, "We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic." That's fine dining? And...pardon me for asking, but WHERE'S THE BEEF? The only meat product they mention is fish. Yet, this caused the Hebrews themselves to become disgruntled as well. They were just sick, sick, sick of their all-manna diet.

So, what was the result of this complaining? Notice verse 10, "...the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased." Now there are two whom you don't want to get upset with you! Too late! Moses gives his why-me speech before God in verses 11-15 when he appeals to God for some relief. Moses had a pretty bold conversational relationship with God as seen in verses 14-15 where he says, in essence, "God...either help me out here with the people or just go on and kill me."

Incidentally this complaining episode takes place at Kibroth Hattaavah and is referred to 38 years later in Deuteronomy 9:22 (see notes), "Also at Taberah and Massah and Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath." This incident and the fire in verses 1-3 (see above) are listed as two of the three most significant occasions when Israel "provoked the LORD to wrath."

Quail out of your nostrils (Numbers 11:16-35)

16 ¶ So the LORD said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.
17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.
18 Then you shall say to the people, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.
19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,
20 but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”
21 ¶ And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’
22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
23 ¶ And the LORD said to Moses, “Has the LORD’S arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.”
24 ¶ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle.
25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.
26 ¶ But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp.
27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 ¶ So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!”
29 ¶ Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’S people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”
30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
31 ¶ Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground.
32 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.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
34 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.
35 ¶ From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.

Some Bible accounts just ooze with fascination; this is one of those. Keep in mind: the people have herds of cattle, but they only eat those on special occasions. Those circumstances are explained in Leviticus 17 (see notes). Besides, if they eat them while journeying, they won't have any left (notice that allusion in verse 22). And you'll notice from verse 5 (see above) that they did not expect to eat from the herds. They reflected back on fish. Well, how about some quail. Correction: not "some" quail, but rather massive quantities of quail...for a whole month. How much quail? Verse 20 says, "...until it come out at your nostrils." How many ways can you think of to cook quail and manna - fried quail with manna biscuits, baked quail with manna rolls, steamed quail on manna croissants. I'm outta ideas already.

Moses does get some administrative help here. God actually speaks to the elders in addition to Moses. These elders had been appointed at the suggestion of Moses' father-in-law in Exodus 18 (see notes). We're not given a lot of detail regarding their role here. They were positioned around the tabernacle (verse 24), and after God spoke to Moses, they began to prophesy (verse 25). This apparently established their credibility among the people of Israel so that they might share in the burden of leadership with Moses. When two men took their prophesying with them from around the tabernacle in among the people, Joshua seemed to panic. Moses doesn't seem to see that as a problem (verse 29). Now he has help from God in bearing the burden of leadership as God vindicated the leadership of these elders.

How much quail did God send for those 30 days? It was so much that the ground was covered with them for a full day's journey in either direction. However, notice verse 33, "But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague." For many of them, this was their last meal. Here's another one; how about quail pot pie. Incidentally, as mentioned above, the incident took place at Kibroth Hattaavah (referenced in Deuteronomy 9:22, see notes).

One more thing, this is the second time God sent them quail to eat. It had previously happened in Exodus 16 (see notes). That chapter also records the first appearance of manna.

Moses can marry whomever he wants...Miriam! (Numbers 12)

1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
2 So they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it.
3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)
4 ¶ Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out.
5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward.
6 Then He said,
“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream.
7 Not so with My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all My house.
8 I speak with him face to face,
Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”
9 ¶ So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed.
10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.
11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned.
12 Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!”
13 ¶ So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!”
14 ¶ Then the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.”
15 So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.
16 And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Are those wedding bells I hear? Moses has just taken another bride. She's an Ethiopian or, as transliterated from the Hebrew, a "Cushi." That's a descendant of Noah's son Ham rather than a descendant of Noah's son Japheth from whom their Hebrew ancestors were descended. Aaron and Miriam (Moses' sister) aren't happy. What follows can be misunderstood if not read carefully. Look at Numbers 12:2, "So they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?' And the LORD heard it." They are questioning the judgment of Moses and suggesting that they are discerners of God's will as much so as Moses himself. Incidentally, notice the description of Moses' demeanor in verse 3, "Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth." I'm guessing that "humble" is not the impression you may have had of Moses up to this point. Anyway, God takes exception to that we-are-prophets-too assumption and speaks to the three of them regarding that fallacy at the site of the tabernacle from the pillar of smoke (i.e. Shekinah Glory, see notes). When the smoke clears (pun intended), Miriam has leprosy...and she would keep that leprosy for a period of seven days as a lesson to Aaron and herself. Let's face it, Moses was the undisputed single leader of the Hebrews and not even his sister would be permitted to challenge that leadership.

And, by the way, we see a significant God-given distinction regarding Moses in verses 6-8: Moses, unlike anyone else, can speak to God directly, in live dialogue rather than in dreams or visions. It is true, however, that Miriam was considered a prophetess, according to Exodus 15:20 (see notes). However, the distinction made here between her prophetic abilities and those of Moses should serve to settle any future prophetic rivalries. The Hebrews had witnessed Moses communicating with God in such a fashion back in Exodus 33:7-23 (see notes).

Incidentally, while Abraham desired to see his son, Isaac, marry someone who was ethnically compatible (Genesis 24, see notes), so did Isaac and Rebekah regarding their son, Jacob, in Genesis 27:41-46 (see notes). Later, however, we know that two of Jacob's sons, Judah (Genesis 38:2, see notes) and Simeon (Genesis 46:10, see notes) had taken wives from among the Canaanites. Of course we know that Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, were descendants of Joseph's Egyptian wife, and Moses' first wife was a Midianite. Furthermore, in all the occurrences of lists of marriages forbidden to the Hebrews under Moses, only Canaanite tribes are mentioned as taboo. Canaanites were descendants of Ham's son, Canaan (Genesis 9:18-29, see notes). Now, here in Numbers 12, Moses takes another non-Hebrew wife. These facts, coupled with the reference to the "mixed multitude" we see in Numbers 11, one might very well deduct that a significant number of Hebrew men had taken non-Hebrew women as their wives over the period of their Egyptian captivity. Furthermore, the fact that the men of Israel (the 12 sons of Jacob) grew from 12 to 603,550 over the period of Egyptian captivity, makes it certainly seem likely that a significant number of these post-captivity Hebrews had a mixture of non-Hebrew blood flowing through their veins. However, remember, you were a naturally-born Hebrew if your Daddy was a Hebrew.

Some have suggested that Miriam is referring to Moses' Midianite wife, Zipporah. She very well may have looked like a Cushite (Ethiopian), thus lending to the speculation of some that Miriam was simply making a non-factual disparaging comment about Zipporah's Midianite heritage. However, the statement of fact at the end of verse 1 should dispel that notion when it says, "for he had married an Ethiopian woman." We have no additional details about this marriage, nor do we know whether or not Zipporah had passed away before this marriage.

Now, why do you suppose only Miriam received God's judgment here...and not Aaron also. In actuality, the Hebrew of verse 1 begins with a feminine verb which would be translated as follows: "And Miriam spoke, and Aaron..." That would indicate that Miriam was the leader of the two in this rebuke-Moses venture. They waited for the seven days while Miriam endured her leprosy before they pulled up stakes from their encampment in Hazeroth and moved to the wilderness of Paran. Hmmm...isn't it interesting that Hebrew wedding feasts typically lasted for seven days. That's seven days of marital bliss without one's sister around to criticize. Significant? You make the call!

We're just grasshopper people! (Numbers 13)

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”
3 ¶ So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.
4 Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;
5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;
6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;
7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;
8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun;
9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu;
10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;
11 from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi;
12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;
13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael;
14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
16 ¶ These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
17 ¶ Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains,
18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many;
19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds;
20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 ¶ So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath.
22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.
24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there.
25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
26 ¶ Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
30 ¶ Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 ¶ But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Here's the big break for which Israel has been waiting. This is the mother of all real estate offers, and 12 influential ("rulers") men (one from each tribe) were selected to go on a spy mission. These are listed by name in verses 4-15. Moses commissions a name change in verse 16 ("Hoshea" the son of Nun becomes "Jehoshua" aka "Joshua"). In the Old Testament, a theophoric name was one which had Jehovah's special name integrated into it, often with the "y-e-h" letters set as a prefix. That appears to be the intent here with regard to Joshua, which in Hebrew is actually pronounced, "yeh-ho-shoo´-ah." After all, Joshua had been at Moses' side during some of the most significant events of Israel's existence. As a matter of fact, Joshua was Moses' servant and even accompanied him when he received the Law upon Mount Sinai beginning in Exodus 24:12-18 (see notes).

The team of spies get their commission in verses 17-20: You 12 guys go up into Canaan, the land God has promised, and bring back a report on your findings. Gone for forty days touring Canaan, the 12 spies return in verse 26. So, guys, what's the word? We have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news: great land - very nice place to live. Bad news: big, bad people already live there...I mean huge people. You gotta love verse 33, "...we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Now that's huge! They are referring to the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites and the Canaanites. These "giants" were descendants of Anak. As it turns out, God sends them across the Jordan River in Deuteronomy 9 (see notes) to take on these "giant" people...and the Hebrews win. However, those victors are the children of these cowards.

So, 10 out of 12 of the spies say in Numbers 13:31 "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." Oooooo! Wrong answer! However, no harm so far - it's going to depend on how the people of Israel respond to this report. Caleb was bold in Numbers 13:30, "Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." So...whose recommendation will the people follow? We'll see it in Numbers 14 (see notes).

There's a little more to this story than we find here in Numbers 13. We find it in Deuteronomy 1 (see notes) as Moses recounts the events of this day. Let's look particularly at three verses from that chapter:

Deuteronomy 1:21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 1:22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
Deuteronomy 1:23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

So we get a little extra background information from Moses as he recaps these events to the next generation nearly 39 years later. We see that Moses had instructed the people to go on into the land and possess it, but the men of Israel negotiated with Moses a deal to send spies in instead. This turns out to be the "straw that broke the camel's back" (so to speak). The rebellion of the people against God and Moses at the return of these spies causes Israel to spend an additional 38+ years of wandering before they would go in to possess Canaan.

This is the most significant wilderness experience for the Hebrews. The fallout continues into Numbers 14 (see notes).