Numbers 11:1 says, And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. God had just delivered the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt with great reiches, and they complained. God has delivered us as followers of Christ from the bonbage and penalty of sin, yet we often complain. God was angry with them, and consumed some of them with fire in the outer edges of the camp. God will hear our just complaints as Matthew Henry says, but will be angry at our unjust murmuring. Verse two adds, And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. The people then cried out to Moses. Matthew Henry says that though God knew of the murmuring of the people, Moses evidently wasn't aware of it, but after God began to punish them, they cried out to him. We often do not cry out to God until He begins to deal with our grumbling from lack of faith. Moses prayed to God for the people, and the fire was quenched. If we have done something to anger God, and acting out of a lack of faith is one thing that might do this, we need to come to Him in prayer and repentance. Verse three continues, And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. Moses gave the place where this occurred a name, Taberah, because the fire of God had burned against them there. Verse four states, 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? Even after all that God had done for them and the punishment for murmuring, some of the people began to lust for meat to eat. We too often lust for more than God has provided for us as Christians, and I believe He is still disappointed when we do. Verse five adds, 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: Forgetting that they were slaves, the people simply remembered the good food that they had in Egypt. We too often look back on the things of they world that we may have had before becoming followers of Christ and feel that we are missing something, but we are missing nothing that we will ever need. Verse six continues, But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. They complained that all they had was manna, which they didn't have to work for and God supplied in abundance. I believe we too often complain about what we don't have as Christians instead of praising God for what He does supply us with. Verse seven says, And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. Verse eight adds, And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. We are told a little more about the manna. We know that even though God provided it, the people still had to gather and cook it. I believe that we too often expect God to meet our needs and even go beyond that and fulfill our wants without any effort on our part. Verse nine continues, And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it. At night, the manna fell like dew from heaven. We also know that it could not be hoarded, but only what could be used that day was to be gathered. I believe we need to rely on God to meet our needs daily, and not attempt to hoard the things He blesses us with.
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