Smoke the Whole Pack: Numbers 11
. Moses and God have this amazing relationship, and it just makes me happy. It's not so much the content, which is not at all funny, it's the sarcasm, honesty, and genuine trust and affection that makes me long for this type of relationship with God.
My favorite lines from Numbers 11;
Moses: God just let me die; I can't babysit all these people by myself (paraphrased)
God: What do you mean how am I going to give all these people meat? Are God's arms to short? watch this!
This passage, in which God gets outright angry with the complaining Israelites (one of many) cannot help but remind you of a kid who sneaks a cigarette and get caught by their dad. Dad gets a pack of cigarettes and says, if you want to smoke then smoke, but we are going to sit here until you smoke the whole pack. The hope of course being that they will hate it so much they will never smoke again. God is trying to cure the Israelites of complaining. God gives the Israelites what they think they have to have right now. They don't ask for meat, they whine for meat, and long for the good food they had in Egypt. God is angry and his fire starts burning people up at the edges of the camp. Moses goes to God and gets him to put out the fire. God, however says, OK if my manna is not good enough for them, I will give them so much meat they will be puking quail out of their noses for a month. God blows the quail in from the sea and gives them so much meat they can't gather it all. Then as they are still chewing the meat many of them are struck down with a plague.
The moral of the story: follow, be grateful, don't complain, trust God's.
TIDBITS FROM NUMERS 11:
The people are complaining out loudThe complaining seems to be originated from the mixed multitude on the outskirts of the camp. This is most likely the Egyptians and others that joined Israel, and may now be wondering if they should have stayed home.
The 70 leaders that are anointed with God's Spirit will become the future Sanhedrin that are judges for the Israelites.
The men that prophesied did so only that one time, however Moses is looking forward to a day when as stated in: Ezekiel 36:22-27
22 “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.
24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Comments
Post a Comment