A year without meat does sound rough. But God was meeting their needs with the manna – a miraculous, abundant provision from God in the middle of the desert, on top of the miracles He had performed on their behalf leading them out of slavery. So who needs meat in light of that?!
Their desire for meat should have made them eager to enter The Promised Land and all the good abundance God had for them there. Instead, they looked back. Their behavior seems appalling to us, but do we do the same? There is much to consider here about God’s provision for our needs and about our response to His provision.
What if, instead of complaining against God when they wanted meat, they had asked Him for meat? He seemed willing to give it to them. We are instructed throughout the New Testament to ask God for our needs. Do we do any better than God’s Old Testament people did in asking Him for our needs? Complaining does terrible things in us and for us.
The people’s complaints pushed Moses over the edge. When God’s anger burned against the people in the past, Moses had interceded for them; now He complained to God about their being a hardship. Why did God not get angry at Moses for his complaints? Can you discern the difference, and learn from it? There is a hint in verse 11:34.
At some point Moses had been given God’s Spirit, the same Holy Spirit Who lives in us. That Spirit didn’t keep him from getting fed up with the people and the burdens of his responsibility for them when they complained. Can you blame him? Might our own Spirit-led leaders grow weary of us? Might the Spirit grow weary of us? If Moses can be pushed over the edge with the people’s complaints, can our leaders, as well? God, make us intercessors for and encouragers of our leaders, not complainers!
That Spirit’s indwelling did produce visible evidence of His presence in them. Do we exhibit the same? Should we?
Why did Miriam and Aaron complain about Moses’ wife? That obviously wasn’t their real gripe; it was an excuse to elevate themselves over him and perhaps not to submit to his leadership. God’s intervention was a dramatic and probably unforgettable lesson to them, and should have been to the entire nation. His defense of Moses was a defense of His own leadership, as Moses was the leader He chose for the work of leading the people out of Egypt and making them a nation under Him. Moses was His instrument, and failure to submit to his leadership was a failure to submit to God’s leadership. In fact, in verses 17:5 and 17:10 God equates their grumbling against His chosen leader with grumbling against Him.
Is it any different with the leaders God gives us today? Do we anger God when we fail to respect and follow the leaders He gives us? Even though Moses’ humility apparently made him not very leader-like in the people’s eyes, he was nevertheless God’s chosen leader. Does this speak to you about the importance of God’s given leaders in your life, and God’s desire for your “follow-ship”?
The leaders sent to check out the land saw impressive things that should have made them eager to take God up on His promise to give them the land, but they shared with the people only the obstacles they saw. This offers further commentary on leadership. These men lacked faith in God and proper vision, both necessary for leaders of God’s people in a fallen world. How important the choice of leader is! Character qualities of a leader certainly do matter. Does this help you appreciate what a gift a God-given leader is, and give you greater understanding of their need for your prayer support and encouragement?