A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 16 (Part 3)

Numbers 16:36-40—36 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 37 "Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. 38 The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel." 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, 40 to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the LORD had said to him through Moses. The golden censers, although carried by ungodly men to rebel against God, had nonetheless been consecrated to God, and were to be reserved for the service to God. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy. Since they had been profaned by not only these men, but by their ashes that were left after God burned them, they could not be used for the ministry of reconciliation, but they could not simply be discarded. So Aaron’s son Eleazar forged them into a covering for the altar, to remind the people that it was God who determined who would be priests and prophets, and that only men from the tribe of Levi were called to be priests. And when they see this plate, they would also be reminded of the judgment that God delivers to those who mock Him. So that every time the people came to bring a Burnt Offering, and every time the priests burned these offerings, they would remember that it is God who makes the rules, and not man. 

And after this incident, the people never complained, and went happily forward toward the Promised Land. Right? Numbers 16:41—On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the people of the LORD." What more can I say about this? These people never stopped complaining! He led them to the Red Sea, where they complained and God delivered them. They complained because there was bitter water at Marah, and He made it pure. They complained because there was no food in the Wilderness of Sin, and He gave them manna. They complained because the manna spoiled overnight, even though they were told not to keep it until morning. They complained because no manna came down on the Sabbath, even though they were told that would be the case. They complained because there was no water at Rephidim, so He made water come from the rock. They complained against Him and convinced Aaron to make the Golden Calf. They complained against Him at Taberah, until He had to burn up the outskirts of the camp. They complained because “all we have to eat is this manna!”, so He sent them quail. They complained because, even though the report came back that it was a good land God was leading them to, “we looked like grasshoppers compared to the people there!”

And even now, when God displays His holiness and wrath and destroys those who would seek to usurp the callings of Moses and Aaron, what do the people do? They complain. And even now, are we any different? We go through one trial, and God delivers us. Then we have another trial come up, and what do we do? We complain. We often forget the goodness of God, that He will bring us through trials and deliver us, maybe not in the way we want, but in the way we need. James 1:2-3—2 Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. And recall, patience is a fruit of the Spirit. If you have God’s Holy Spirit living in you, God will use the trials you go through to produce the fruit of patience. And if we have patience, the world will know we truly belong to Christ. 

Numbers 16:42-50—42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting. 44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 "Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." And they fell on their faces. 46 So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun." 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. 50 So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped. Had Moses killed Korah and Dathan and Abiram? No. How had these 250 men perished? Moses did not part the earth and cause the men to fall into it. Moses did not send fire down from above and consume them. These men did dot perish by the hand of Moses, but by the wrath and power of God. 

So really, the people were not complaining against Moses, but against God. And it is the common theme of atheists today. “See that? God is a vindictive, bloodthirsty monster who is full of nothing but petty anger, and wants to hog all the glory! And He doesn’t exist so I hate Him!” Makes as much sense as these people and their constant complaining. But here we see the difference between offerings made by the ungodly versus offerings made by those whom God has chosen. What happened to those who offered incense with Korah and Dathan and Abiram? The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up… And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense. Those men were destroyed by the hand of God. Why? Because they offered up incense wrongly, and like Nadab and Abihu, God had to show that His ways are the only ways. But what happened when Aaron offered up incense? Did the earth open up; did fire come down from Heaven to consume him? No. The plague was stopped. Simple. A man of God offered up prayers to God for the people and God stayed His wrath because of that. And just as Jesus asked forgiveness for the very ones who drove the nails (Luke 23:34), so here Aaron seeks God’s face to grant forgiveness to the very ones who were just complaining against him. We read about the humility and patience of Moses, but let us also remember the patience and humility of Aaron. 

And even the atheist, whose heart is set against God and His people, is not far from the love of God. “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Does Paul catechize them? Does he go into a long soliloquy about all the things he must do to be delivered from the kingdom of Satan to God’s? Does He go point-by-point through a long list of good deeds he must do to earn the favor of the Almighty? No. His answer is quite simple. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31). We humans make things so complicated. Do you want to be saved from the wrath to come? Believe. Do you want to be delivered from your sins? Believe. Are you sick and tired of being held down by the weight of the burden you carry? Believe. As Alistair Begg said of the man on the cross to the right of Jesus, how do we get to Heaven? “The Man on the Middle Cross said I could come”. Just as the people in our text had a High Priest who would seek atonement for the people, so we too have a High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us (Romans 8:24; Hebrews 7:25). But how do we make known to Him the things we need? Friend, remember, He is God. He is our Father. He knows what you need before you even ask (Matthew 6:8, 32; Luke 12:30). “But I never know what to say”. Doesn’t matter, He knows! And if you do not know what to say, the Holy Spirit does. Romans 8:26—Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Think on this: we have a great and faithful Father, who knows how to give good things to His children (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13). We need the good things He gives. And not only do we ask Him, but we have the Holy Spirit asking and our Great High Priest Jesus Christ asking as well. Friend! What more could a person need? What better way to finish up this chapter than to quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, from his sermon “The High Priest Standing Between the Dead and the Living” (Numbers 16:47-48):

 

Well, you note again that Aaron, in thus coming forward as the deliverer and lover of His people, must have remembered that he was abhorred by this very people. They were seeking his blood. They were desiring to put him and Moses to death, and yet in spite of all thoughts of danger, he snatches up his censer and runs into their midst with a Divine enthusiasm in his heart…Into the midst of the crowd he boldly springs. Most blessed Jesus, You might not only think thus, but, indeed, You did feel it to be true. You did come unto Your own and Your own received You not. ..Jesus, You were willing to die a martyr, that You might be made a sacrifice for those by whom Your blood was spilt. Jesus transcends Aaron—Aaron might have feared death at the hands of the people—Jesus Christ did actually meet it. And yet there he stood even in the hour of death, waving his censer, staying the plague and dividing the living from the dead. 

Father, let us never seek for ourselves an office or a mantle that You Yourself do not give. Let us never seek greater for ourselves than what You will. May we always fear You, that that fear may keep us from sin and pride, that we may not be puffed up, that we may always be humble in Your sight. May we always flee from those who would lead us into sin and rebellion and death. May we never complain against You, even when things are at their worst, so that we may always see You as YHVH-Yireh, the One who provides. And may we always see Your justice as perfect, consuming all your foes, those who run to do iniquity and cause You name to be blasphemed. 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 11 (Part 3)

 And now, the climax of our story. The pièce de resistance of the whole chapter. The “be careful what you wish for” portion of our passage. Numbers 11:31-35—31 Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about a day's journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. 34 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving. 35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.  A little background. The people were on the Sinai Peninsula, between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez. At the time of year this was (spring), quail usually fly from the southwestern direction, in a northeasterly direction, from Africa. In this case, however, the wind blew them from the southeast, to a place about 30-40 miles inland to the Sinai Peninsula. And by the time they got there, their little wings were tired. So this was a work produced by God. He caused these quail to fly in a direction and for a distance they were not used to.

Now, how much quail did God provide? Enough to cover the ground for a whole day’s journey on either side of the camp and, in some places, they fell two cubits deep. Keeping in mind that a cubit is about a foot and a half, that equals three feet deep. Three feet deep! In other words, about waist-high. And how far was a day’s journey? At the short end, about twenty miles. Twenty miles! So many quail, they covered the ground for, at the very least, a diameter of, say, 50 miles, and a depth at some places of three feet! Enough, I dare say, to feed a half million people for thirty days as He promised. The person who gathered least grabbed up ten homers. A homer is—get this—SIX BUSHELS!! So each person gathered AT LEAST sixty bushels! And I can just hear the skeptics now “Uh, that’s impossible!” And actually, it’s not. From The Expositor’s Bible:

 

Fowls of this kind migrate at certain seasons in such enormous multitudes that in the small island of Capri, near Naples, one hundred and sixty thousand have been netted in one season. When exhausted, they would easily be taken as they flew at a height of about two cubits above the ground. The whole camp was engaged in capturing quails from one morning to the evening of the following day. 

And this number (160,000) was not gathered by a half million people. And not brought about by a miracle of God. In our passage, there had to have been millions of quail, sitting on the ground, and the people could just pick up as many as they wanted. And that was a problem for the people. They wanted meat so bad, they picked it up and picked it up and picked it up until they could pick up no more. For better than a day and a half (And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail). And then they laid them out on the ground possibly to show off how many they gathered. And yes, this was a problem. Because they were showing off the work they had performed. But what is missing here? Well, why did God send so many quail? What were the people doing that God looked down and sent so many birds? They were complaining. Just like in Exodus 16 when He first sent the manna because they were complaining about the food after coming out of their bondage in Egypt, they were complaining (again!) about the food after coming out of their bondage in Egypt. So God gave them manna in Exodus 16, and He gives them quail here in Numbers 11 (both times after they complained about how much better they had it in Egypt), and what do they fail to do? They fail to give thanks. They just dig in. Why? Because they were a stiff-necked people. Eight times in Exodus and Deuteronomy He calls them that (Exodus 32:9, Exodus 33:3, Exodus 33:5; Exodus 34:9; Deuteronomy 9:6; Deuteronomy 9:13; Deuteronomy 10:16; Deuteronomy 31:27). Yet He continues with them! They are a rebellious, stiff-necked, grumbling, complaining, murmuring, ungrateful, unthankful people, yet He continually calls them His. And we are no different. 

What’s that? You read about how rebellious they were, and think you are any better? Ha! We are just as rebellious, stiff-necked, grumbling, complaining, murmuring, ungrateful, and unthankful as they were. Yet God continues to call us His. Probably not a lot of people saying “Amen” here. Sometimes we need to be pricked in our hearts. Sometimes we need to be reminded of just who we are. Like the Jews in Acts 2 needed that reminder. Acts 2:36—[Peter said] "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." He did not pull any punches. He let them know that it was not their leaders or the Romans or Pilate that put Jesus on the tree. It was them. Acts 2:37—Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" It’s not always easy to tell someone that what they have done is wrong. It’s often a bitter pill to swallow. How would you like to be told that you killed the Son of God? But they had to be told, in order to remind them of their heinous deed and that they were lowly sinners, just like the ones they looked down upon. But after the bad tasting medicine comes the cure. Acts 2:38—Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” You have to understand that you are sick in order to realize you need the cure. The people in Numbers didn’t realize how sick they were. They murmured and complained because they thought they deserved more than what God provided. So He gave it to them. And instead of thanking Him and saying “Thank you, Lord! I’m sorry for complaining!” they indulged their flesh, they tore the quail with their teeth, and while they were still chewing it (while the meat was still between their teeth), God struck them and they died. 

This episode is memorialized in Psalm 78:27-31—27 He also rained meat on them like the dust, feathered fowl like the sand of the seas; 28 and He let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. 29 So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. 30 They were not deprived of their craving; but while their food was still in their mouths, 31 the wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choice men of Israel. And the people learned not to complain or grumble against God, and they went happily along their way, never sinning again, right? Not quite. The Psalm continues, Psalm 78:32—In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, God sent them quail, many died while they were still eating it, and they still didn’t get the message?” No, they didn’t. If you know your Bible, you know that the people would grumble again later, there were many times they would not bow their knee to God. I mean, think about it. What happens at the beginning of this chapter? They were grumbling and complaining, so what did God do? He burned up the outside of the camp. And what did they do a few verses later? They grumbled again. These people did not learn! Proof: when the burning of the outskirts of the camp happened, they named the place “Burning” (תַּבְעֵרָה, Taberah) as a way to remember what happened. But they didn’t. They went back to being the same stiff-necked people they were. And this time, even more of them died with quail between their teeth. So they named the placeקִבְרוֹתאֲוָ  הַתַּה (Kibroth Hattaavah), meaning “Graves of Lust”. They named it “These people wanted something so bad they complained to God to make things better, and when they complained He gave them what they wanted, and they died because of it”, basically. 

We too should be wary of our desires. Do we desire more, just to spend it on our lusts? James 4:3—You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Do we want to be more like the world, buying things and having things just to have them? To show them off when friends come around? Or are we happy having what God has given us, though it be but a morsel of bread? Let us not go down to our own Kibroth Hattaavah, lusting for things instead of enjoying the things that God has given us. For do not be surprised when those things we lust for cause our doom. From the hymn “We Bring No Glittering Treasures” by Harriet Phillips:

We bring no glittering treasures/No gems from earth's deep mine;
We come, with simple measures/To chant Thy love divine.
Children, thy favours sharing/Their voice of thanks would raise;
Father, accept our offering/Our song of grateful praise.

That priceless gift of heaven/Love's written word of truth,
To us is early given/To guide our steps in youth;
We hear the wondrous story/The tale of Calvary;
We read of homes in glory/From sin and sorrow free.

Redeemer, grant Thy blessing!/O teach us how to pray,
That each, Thy fear possessing/May tread life's onward way!
Then, where the pure are dwelling/We hope to meet again,
And, sweeter numbers swelling/Forever praise Thy name.

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.