“And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.”
(Jeremiah 32:40-41 ESV)
Verona NY United Methodist Church
Ulinu
#Let’s rewind back to the book of Exodus, shall we? We read about how the Israelites when being chased by the Egyptian army and when they thought they were trapped started complaining that Yahweh had brought them out in the desert to die. Then there were two instances after that (one in Exodus 15 and one in Exodus 16) where they ran out of drinking water and then ran out of food. Instead of keeping their faith in God Almighty and praying that he will provide for them they do what they do best… THEY WHINE.
#Uilnu (Hebrew): to stop (usually over-night); by implication, to stay permanently; hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain).
#Uilnu (Hebrew): to stop (usually over-night); by implication, to stay permanently; hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain).
Numbers 11:1-23
Forgetting where you came from
#In the opening verses of this chapter we see Yahweh getting upset because the people were complaining. Remember that this is the people who were in slavery for 400 years and then Yahweh raised up Moses for them so that they could be rescued from their slavery. This is also the people who saw the ten plagues first hand and watched the Red Sea being parted.
#As usual the people are whining about their problems but this time it makes the Lord mad and he shows his anger by setting the people on fire. Not to all of them, but just enough to send a reminder that they should be focused on how they are being cared for and provided for in the desert and also remember just how bad they had it in slavery.
#Verse 4 introduces a group of people called “the rabble”. Interspersed and living among the Israelites were some other Semitic peoples and some Egyptians. It is here in verse 4 that we are told that the rabble had a craving for meat and this reminds the Hebrews that in Egypt they had food like fish, cucumbers, and melons so this makes them sick of eating manna again.
#By the time verse 10 comes around Moses has listened to the whining and he’s had enough of it and once again Yahweh’s anger is kindled. Moses then basically proceeds to break down and throws a temper tantrum. Yahweh can see that Moses is overwhelmed and institutes 70 men to serve as elders to the people and to help Moses.
#Next Moses is told to tell the people that not only will they get some meat they will get so much meat that it will start coming out of their nostrils. You have to be forgiving of this show of sarcasm because there is not a man on earth with the ability to show that much restraint.
#In the opening verses of this chapter we see Yahweh getting upset because the people were complaining. Remember that this is the people who were in slavery for 400 years and then Yahweh raised up Moses for them so that they could be rescued from their slavery. This is also the people who saw the ten plagues first hand and watched the Red Sea being parted.
#As usual the people are whining about their problems but this time it makes the Lord mad and he shows his anger by setting the people on fire. Not to all of them, but just enough to send a reminder that they should be focused on how they are being cared for and provided for in the desert and also remember just how bad they had it in slavery.
#Verse 4 introduces a group of people called “the rabble”. Interspersed and living among the Israelites were some other Semitic peoples and some Egyptians. It is here in verse 4 that we are told that the rabble had a craving for meat and this reminds the Hebrews that in Egypt they had food like fish, cucumbers, and melons so this makes them sick of eating manna again.
#By the time verse 10 comes around Moses has listened to the whining and he’s had enough of it and once again Yahweh’s anger is kindled. Moses then basically proceeds to break down and throws a temper tantrum. Yahweh can see that Moses is overwhelmed and institutes 70 men to serve as elders to the people and to help Moses.
#Next Moses is told to tell the people that not only will they get some meat they will get so much meat that it will start coming out of their nostrils. You have to be forgiving of this show of sarcasm because there is not a man on earth with the ability to show that much restraint.
Numbers 11:24-36
Mercy and Curse
#So the 70 elders are chosen and put in place. This is where the mercy for the title came in. When the Spirit comes down and rests on the elders they prophesy- this was to be a signal to everyone that they are in their new position as spiritual leaders. This is why it is only temporary.
#When the Spirit departs and everyone else is done prophesying there are two left who continue prophesying- Eldad and Medad. Joshua tries to rebuke them for prophesying because Moses is supposed to be the prophet but Moses says that he wishes that everyone would get so full of the spirit.
#The people’s wish of having some sort of meat is satisfied with the Lord bringing the quail into the camp. It’s a good thing that the people always seem to remember how bad their 400 years of slavery was so that they can be thankful for what Yahweh provides for them in the desert.
#So the moment the people start eating the quail Yahweh strikes them with a curse. The very thing that the people craved started to kill them. Kibroth-hattaavah literally means “the graves of the longing” and it was this losing faith in Yahweh that kindled his anger.
#So the 70 elders are chosen and put in place. This is where the mercy for the title came in. When the Spirit comes down and rests on the elders they prophesy- this was to be a signal to everyone that they are in their new position as spiritual leaders. This is why it is only temporary.
#When the Spirit departs and everyone else is done prophesying there are two left who continue prophesying- Eldad and Medad. Joshua tries to rebuke them for prophesying because Moses is supposed to be the prophet but Moses says that he wishes that everyone would get so full of the spirit.
#The people’s wish of having some sort of meat is satisfied with the Lord bringing the quail into the camp. It’s a good thing that the people always seem to remember how bad their 400 years of slavery was so that they can be thankful for what Yahweh provides for them in the desert.
#So the moment the people start eating the quail Yahweh strikes them with a curse. The very thing that the people craved started to kill them. Kibroth-hattaavah literally means “the graves of the longing” and it was this losing faith in Yahweh that kindled his anger.
Numbers 12
Opposition
#The first verse of the chapter is only a red herring. Miriam and Aaron bring up the point that Moses was married to a foreign woman because they want to oppose him.
#Verse two shows just how jealous Miriam and Aaron are of Moses when they ask if Moses was the only one that the Lord had spoken through. Possibly the designating of the 70 elders has made Miriam and Aaron feel less than important.
#Most prophets get to hear riddles in dreams or see vision but Yahweh tells us how Moses was different: “With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord.”.
#Why was Miriam the one leprous? She appears to be the principal offender in speaking out.
#Aaron realizes that he and his sister have royally screwed up so he asks for forgiveness for the two of them.
#Moses also asks for forgiveness for his sister, and prays that the Lord heals her.
#When you sin, even though you seek forgiveness, you still have to live with the consequences of your actions. Miriam has to live in shame outside of the camp for a week away from everyone else because of the uprising she tried to cause.
#Sadly this is not the last time that someone tries to go against the leadership of Moses, the man who spoke face to face with God.
#The first verse of the chapter is only a red herring. Miriam and Aaron bring up the point that Moses was married to a foreign woman because they want to oppose him.
#Verse two shows just how jealous Miriam and Aaron are of Moses when they ask if Moses was the only one that the Lord had spoken through. Possibly the designating of the 70 elders has made Miriam and Aaron feel less than important.
#Most prophets get to hear riddles in dreams or see vision but Yahweh tells us how Moses was different: “With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord.”.
#Why was Miriam the one leprous? She appears to be the principal offender in speaking out.
#Aaron realizes that he and his sister have royally screwed up so he asks for forgiveness for the two of them.
#Moses also asks for forgiveness for his sister, and prays that the Lord heals her.
#When you sin, even though you seek forgiveness, you still have to live with the consequences of your actions. Miriam has to live in shame outside of the camp for a week away from everyone else because of the uprising she tried to cause.
#Sadly this is not the last time that someone tries to go against the leadership of Moses, the man who spoke face to face with God.