The people’s frustration with their monotonous daily menu options led them to question God’s goodness. They wondered if God truly loved them or if He could bring them into the Promised Land.
You’re probably familiar with the expression, “Be careful what you wish for.” Someone should have told the Israelites, “Be careful what you complain about.”
The rabble wanted meat, and God gave them what they wished for.
Then a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quails from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, about two cubits deep on the ground.
So the people worked all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quails; the least anyone gathered was ten homers, and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp (Numbers 11:31-32).
The quail fell to a depth of about three feet above the ground, and even those who gathered the least—just 10 homers—still ended up with 60 bushels of birds.
God granted the people’s desire, and they gorged themselves on quail and got sick. Moses prayed for the people and God spared them from complete destruction. In the end, the place where this happened was named Graves of Craving.
Family Squabbles
Moses’s next challenges came from his siblings, Aaron and Miriam. Miriam, a truly remarkable figure in the Bible, played a pivotal role.
- She saved her helpless infant brother, who would later become Moses, the servant of the Lord.
- It was Miriam who arranged for their mother to nurse Moses after he was adopted into Pharaoh’s household in Egypt.
- Miriam also led the singing of the first song recorded in scripture, known as the Song of Moses. Through this song, they praised God for delivering them from the Egyptian army at the Red Sea.
Anyone involved in the Lord’s work for a significant period knows the temptation to envy the gifts and abilities of other ministers. Miriam and Aaron were no exception to this.
Miriam complained about Moses’ wife, but her real issue was the gifts God had given to Moses, which she and Aaron did not possess.
While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed married a Cushite woman),
And they said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” (Numbers 12:1-2).
I can’t recall when I first heard the term “gift envy,” but I do know it’s a significant temptation for those desiring to serve God. We often covet the gifts God has bestowed upon others but not upon us.
Gift envy is a subtle way of telling God we’re unhappy with how He made us. It’s a complaint about His work in our lives.
This envy also insults our true selves, making us feel unworthy and inadequate, as if we wish God had created us differently.
This line of thinking is misguided. The most beneficial thing we can do is accept the role God has given us and live it to the fullest.
A Conference with God
God summoned Moses, Miriam, and Aaron to meet Him at the Tent of Meeting. There, He appeared before them in a pillar of cloud and delivered a message relevant not only to their lives but also to ours today.
And he said, “Hear my words:
When there are prophets among you,
I the Lord make myself known to them in visions;
I speak to them in dreams.
Not so with my servant Moses;
He is faithful in all my house.
With him I speak face to face—clearly, not in riddles,
And he beholds the form of the Lord. (Numbers 12:6-8)
God reveals His will to His prophets through many methods. Here God mentions two: visions and dreams. It is a great blessing for God to share His plans with us in this manner.
However, there’s an even more intimate way: with Moses, God did not use visions or dreams. Instead, He spoke with Moses face-to-face, allowing Moses to sense God’s visible presence.
I enjoy basketball, from watching kids learn the game to the professionals; it is a fun source of entertainment.
Sometimes, you’ll see a child wide open, jumping and waving their arms frantically to get a pass. This reminds me of the visions and dreams given to the prophets—a clear, but somewhat immature, way to receive direction from God.
You’ve probably seen how professional basketball players often seem to know where their teammates are without even looking, making passes with incredible ease.
This is the kind of intuitive, direct guidance Moses received. Both are valid ways God communicates with us.
However, God explicitly told Aaron and Miriam that Moses received a form of communication central to his mission with the Israelites.
Reflections
This passage highlights the importance of maturity in our walk with God. Immature people often complain to God, forgetting that He provides for them daily.
The immature also envy others’ gifts and desire revelations different from what God has chosen for them.
We can’t jump from immaturity to maturity in one big leap; it’s a gradual, daily process.
In my experience, if you connect with God every day—even during those seemingly uneventful, mundane meetings—there will be moments when He reveals Himself to you.
This could be through a dream, a vision, or even a personal conversation like Moses experienced. Whatever the case, let’s aim for maturity and trust God to handle the rest.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 