There are far too many points of interest in this chapter to cover them all. Please feel free to read the whole chapter for more context.
“Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground. And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague. Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.” (v31-34)
The people of Israel begin complaining and weeping that they want meat, not just manna (bread from heaven). They lamented leaving Egypt, where they had a variety of food given to them, not just the literal bread and water God is providing. God is greatly displeased with the ungrateful spirit of the people, and He’s probably also annoyed with Moses, who displays a bitter spirit toward his role (see Moses’ rant in v10-15).
So God, his anger kindled against the people, sends hundreds of thousands of quail to the people, so many that “You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you…” (v19-20a) God actually sends the quail as a punishment, because of their complaining, and those who eat the quail are struck down and killed with a plague.
Now, one might think that’s a pretty brutal punishment – literally killing people with the thing they crave – but God is making a critical point, one that we often miss to this day: God wants to meet the needs He has given us, in the way that He chooses to provide, and we are to be content with His provision responding through worship, thanksgiving and obedience. Israel failed to be content with how God chose to meet their needs, and giving it to the cravings of their flesh ended up killing them.
This paradigm applies to nearly every provision from God for nearly every need that we have. Examples include the amount of income we receive (or don’t receive), the fellowship of those around us, the family into which we are born, our physical appearance, our health, etc. Paul writes extensively about contentment, and here is one of my favorites examples: “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness’ …Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
I am not suggesting that we lay down and passively let life run us over – receiving God’s provision almost always requires action on our part (eg. going to work to earn an income). I am suggesting a spirit of complaining, and/or pursuing and craving things which are outside of God’s provision (eg. when He tells us “No.” when we ask for something) is displeasing to God and will result in consequences.
God did not punish the people because He wasn’t willing/able to meet their needs – He punished them because their ungratefulness and discontentment was sin against Him. Imagine us telling God “what You’re doing for us isn’t good enough, Your gracious provision is substandard, so I’ll meet my own needs thanks” – that’s a rebellious/ungrateful/sinful attitude that God will not tolerate for long.
If we remember one thing today, let it be this (it bears repeating): “God wants to meet the needs He has given us, in the way that He chooses to provide, and we are to be content with His provision, responding through worship, thanksgiving and obedience.” Let’s exhibit the attitude Paul modeled for us in prison, rather than that of the Israelites in the desert.
Father God, our Lord and gracious provider, we praise You and thank You for abundant gifts. We humble our hearts before You, acknowledging our sinful past, asking Your forgiveness for our ungratefulness and rebellion. Father please teach us to have spirits of gratefulness and contentment, to be pleased with any and every blessing from You, no matter what form that blessing takes. May we be grateful for our relationships, income, health, physical appearance, and anything else that has the potential to sour our attitude toward You and Your provision. Father God thank you for Your ultimate provision of Jesus on the cross, the solution for our sin. May we learn to never take Your blessings for granted, or be ungrateful in any way. All honor praise and glory be to You, O Lord God almighty, our Abundant Provider. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training