Seder 110: Num 10-11---Moses' Anticipation, Israel's Lusts

 After almost a year at Mt. Sinai, the Israelites broke camp and resumed their journey to the Promised Land on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year of the Exodus.  

Moses was looking forward to the journey with eager anticipation.  We catch a glimpse of his excitement when he invites one of his in-laws, Hobab, to accompany them (Num 10:29-32).  He emphasizes the good things that lie ahead:  "Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel" (v 29).  

Hobab initially declines, but he may have finally agreed.  We do know that the Kenites, the branch of the Midianite family to which Hobab belonged, did settle in the Promised Land (Judges 1:16; 4:11).  

Incidentally, there are two main views on Hobab's identity.  If we take Reuel (Exod 2:28) to be another name for Jethro (Exod 3:1), then Hobab was Moses' brother-in-law.  On the other hand, if Reuel was Jethro's father, then Hobab is another name for Jethro.  

Sadly, not all of the Israelites had caught Moses' optimistic vision.  This quickly became apparent when people started complaining (Num 11:1-3).  

A year earlier, at the beginning of the Exodus, there had also been lots of complaining, and God had dealt with it patiently (Ex 15-17). The Israelites had just been uprooted from their homes and routines and were disoriented and afraid.  But in the time at Sinai, God had provided plenty of structure and order to help the people feel secure.  This new round of complaining had a different motivation, and God acted decisively to correct it, sending a message with fire (Num 11:1).  

Some of the complaints reflected boredom with Israel's menu, which was based on the manna that God provided daily (vv 4-6).  If the Food Network had existed in those days, there might have been one main program, with it a title like "Make It With Manna."  But there would have been many, many episodes, given how versatile manna was (vv 7-9).  Since manna was "the bread of the angels" (Ps 78:25), the program could have had special guest appearances from angels who could demonstrate advanced manna preparation.  

We do not have much sympathy with this round of complaints.  The complainers had lost sight of the big picture and were being driven by lusts.  

We do understand, though, that lust is a problem to which none of us is immune.  Paul admonished early Christ-followers at Corinth to learn the lessons contained in these accounts (1 Cor 10:11-12). "Therefore let anyone that thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall," he concluded. 

Moses apparently was blindsided by the attitudes that Israelites were displaying.  These developments were very discouraging to him.  He felt that he had failed as a leader, and he poured out his heart to God, airing his frustrations (Num 11:11-15).    

Seder 19: Ps 106---God's Faithfulness Versus Man's Fickleness

Psalm 105 and Psalm 106 are two major Exodus psalms.  Both rehearse the history of God's mighty deeds on behalf of his people, but they have distinct emphases.  Psalm 105 emphasizes God's faithfulness and sovereignty, while Psalm 106 contrasts God's faithfulness with the fickleness of his people. 

Psalm 106 is a psalm of repentance.  Sins from Israel's history are confessed, including 

• Israel's lust for meat in the wilderness (Num 11);
• the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram (Num 16)
• the golden calf incident (Exod 32);
• the Baal Peor incident (Num 25)
• Moses' sin at Meribah (Num 20)
• Israel's failure to fully conquer Canaan.

The psalm was written at some time after the exile of the house of Judah in 587/586 BC, since it recalls God's mercy to his people in exile and prays for the restoration of the nation (vv 40-47).  

Psalm 106 has several New Testament connections.  Verse 20  ("They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass") uses language taken up by Paul in Rom 1:23 in discussing the human tendency toward idolatry.  Verse 37 ("They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons") is referred to in 1 Cor 10:20, where Paul affirms that the gods of the nations are demons (see also Deut 32:17).  Also interesting is the statement that the decisive intervention of Phinehas at Baal Peor "counted to him as righteousness" (v 31), another example of faith demonstrated by works---see also James 2:14-26.  

The language of Ps 106 also appears several times in Zechariah's hymn of rejoicing at the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1:68-79.  Verse 68 uses the language of Ps 106:48, verse 71 refers to Ps 106:10 (LXX), and verse 72 refers to Ps 106:45.  The birth of John the Baptist is example of the love and faithfulness of God extolled in Ps 106.