Seder 111: Numbers 11---A Divinely-Hosted, Punitive Banquet

 Shortly after the Israelites began their journey from Mount Sinai to Canaan, some Israelites began demanding meat to relieve the monotony of their diet (Num 11:4-6).  The complaints were driven by lust rather than need, but those complaints quickly escalated.  

Seeing disaster on the horizon, Moses' interceded on behalf of the people and asked for help (vv 11-15).  In answer to this plea for assistance, God instructed Moses to tell the people, "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat..." (v 18).  

These instructions remind us of Exodus 19:10-11, where God commanded that the people be consecrated in preparation for his appearance at Sinai on the third day.  In this case, God would be hosting a sort of banquet for the Israelites, providing the meat for which many had been clamoring.  

God went on to say that this banquet had a special purpose.  He would give them meat for a month so that they would eventually get sick of it and realize the error in their lustful ways (vv 19-20).  

Marveling at the extent of the complaining in the camp, Moses wondered whether all the meat in the world would satisfy the people's cravings.  God assured him, though, that he had matters under control (vv 21-23).  

The meat came in the form of quail that fell around the camp.  In a kind of frenzy the people hurried to gather as much as they could (vv 31-32).  Verse 33 reports, "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."

Commentator Michael Morales explains that here God was not tricking the Israelites, inviting them to eat and then zapping them when they tried to do so.  Psalm 78:29-31 pictures the plague coming before they had finished eating but after they had already had plenty to eat.  In addition, it is likely that the people had not really "consecrated themselves" for the occasion.  Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says that they did not give thanks for the food.  

The location of the banquet became known as Kibroth-Hataavah  ("graves of craving") because of those who died from the plague.

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 36: Psalm 77---From Distress to Confidence Via Meditation on God's Wondrous Works

In Psalm 77, an individual lament, the psalmist (probably Asaph) prays about a severe trial.  In distress, he cannot sleep.  

His struggles lead to questions:  

"Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?  Has his steadfast love forever ceased?  Are his promises at an end for all time?  Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has he in anger shut up compassion?"  (vv 7-9)

Pondering these questions, he thinks back on all that he knows about God, and is assured that all the questions have negative answers.  Based on God's track record as Creator and faithful Deliverer, he knows that he is safe in God's hands (vv 11-20).  

In the next psalm, number 78, Asaph emphasizes the importance of rehearsing God's mighty works from the past for future generations, "so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments" (verse 7).  Psalm 77 gives an example of Psalm 78:7.  The psalmist sets his hope in God by remembering God's great works. 

Note added Oct 13, 2022:  For further reflections on Psalm 77 from biblical scholar Richard Middleton, see this blog post and its links.

Seder 31: Psalm 78---Asaph Gives an Inspired History Lesson

 Psalm 78 is one of the psalms of Asaph.  During King David's reign, Asaph led a group of Levites who prayed and praised God before the ark of the covenant (1 Chron 16:4-5).  Asaph was also a prophet, as his psalms demonstrate, and was remembered that way (2 Chron 29:30).  

In Psalm 78, the second longest of the psalms, Asaph rehearses episodes from the history of Israel, highlighting God's mighty works of salvation, the failure of  Israel to give a faithful response to those works, and God's continuing mercy and faithfulness to his covenant with Abraham.  He emphasizes the importance of God's people teaching this history to future generations and learning from it. 

Asaph criticizes the tribe of Ephraim's lack of faith in losing the ark to the Philistines (1 Sam 4), and points to God's work with David and the tribe of Judah as a sign of hope for Israel's future (vv 60-72).  We know that Asaph's hope pointed in the right direction, toward the coming of the Messiah.  

We can also think of Asaph himself as a forerunner of the Messiah.  Asaph begins by proclaiming, "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old" (v 2).  This verse is applied to Jesus in connection with his practice of teaching with parables (Matt 13:34-35).  As Asaph brought out the meaning of Israel's history, so Jesus brought out the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures, showing what they taught about him and the kingdom of God. 

One example is in John 6, where Jesus reveals himself as the Bread of Life.  Psalm 78:24, a verse about the manna in the wilderness, is quoted in John 6:31.