THE COMPLAINTS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
(COMPLAINT TWO, THREE and FOUR)
After the Israelites safely passed through the Red Sea, and because they saw the mighty work of the Lord, they believed God and Moses.
After they rejoiced and sang “I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his riders hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song and He has become my salvation: He is my God…” (Exodus 15:1-2)
THEN… after 3 days of travel in the wilderness, they found no water fit to drink.
COMPLAINT NUMBER TWO:
Exodus 15:24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying What shall we drink?
Notice the word ‘murmured’ … that means the complained behind Moses’ back. They grumbled amongst themselves. But Moses knew…
Exodus 15:25 And he (Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them,
“Ordinance” means an authoritative decree or direction “Statute” means a written rule or regulation … So what we read next is God giving the children of Israel not only blatant direction, but the result of them following it!
Exodus 15:26 And (God) said, If thou wilt diligently harken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I wilt put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.
God is basically saying to them if you do what I say, you won’t suffer any of the diseases that the Egyptians endured, because I am the Lord that heals you. BASIC INSTRUCTIONS!
A couple of weeks later…
COMPLAINT NUMBER THREE:
Exodus 16:2-3 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
God heard their murmuring, and said to Moses:
Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no.
The Lord gave instructions to them regarding the collection of the manna (the bread from heaven). God told them only to collect that which was needed for them and their family just for that day. They were also told that on the sixth day only, they could collect enough for two days.
Yet, they didn’t listen. Some of them were greedy, and when they tried to save the leftovers, it bred worms. And on the seventh day, there were still those who were out looking for the manna, and there was none, all because they refused to listen to God’s instructions.
COMPLAINT NUMBER FOUR:
Numbers 11:4-6 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? 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: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
Here they go again, just like last week, they are ‘leaning to their own understanding’ and choosing to look at what they idolize and glorify instead of the focus of them being SLAVES in Egypt! How quickly they, again, forgot the miracles God performed for them!
Numbers 11:10 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.
That is putting it mildly!
(Read Numbers 11:11-15 to read more about Moses’ frustration and heartfelt prayer to God. How can we relate to this prayer today?) The Lord had mercy on Moses, and 70 elders and officers over them were blessed with God’s Spirit, and helped Moses.
God told Moses to tell the people:
Numbers 11:18-20 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, therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it comes 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?
Moses showed his humanness at this point by questioning the Lord how, exactly, He was going to do this… he reminded God that there were 600,000 people! And God reminded Moses …
Numbers 11:23 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.
Numbers 11:31-34 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.
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.
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. And He called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.
Was this mean?
Why did God do this?
What was God’s statute and ordinance to them?
Did they obey?
In closing, let’s look at in the Book of Psalms to see what God’s Word says …
Psalm 78:27-28 He (God) rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: And He let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and well filled: FOR HE GAVE THEM THEIR OWN DESIRE.
What do YOU desire?
When we give our lives to Jesus, He changes our hearts. Let’s look at a few scriptures:
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 40:8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
JESUS SAID:
Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me,
for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For My yoke is easy,
and My burden is light.
– Matthew 11:29-30