Daily Scripture Reading Numbers 11:16-35

Mark sat at the kitchen table long after everyone else had gone to bed. The only light came from the small lamp above him. Outside, the rain tapped steadily against the kitchen window.

It had been three months since the plant laid him off. At first he told himself it was only temporary. He sent out résumés, went to interviews, and prayed with real hope, but the calls never came. His savings disappeared. Now the bills were stacking up, and the fridge was nearly empty.

Mark rubbed his face with both hands. He was tired of pretending he still had it all under control.

He stood and walked to the sink, staring out into the dark backyard. The grass was getting too long, but the mower was broken and he didn’t have the money to fix it. He used to take pride in keeping everything neat. Now even small things felt impossible.

“God,” he whispered, his voice low and rough, “I don’t understand. I’ve tried to trust You. I’ve done what I know to do, but nothing’s working. The money’s gone. The bills keep coming. My family is carrying more than they should have to.”

Mark turned off the light and walked slowly down the hallway. He lay down and stared at the ceiling, the same thoughts circling in his mind.

He had always believed God would take care of them and provide what they needed. But lying there in the dark, with rent due in two days and almost nothing left in the bank, that belief felt thin and fragile. For the first time in years, Mark wasn’t sure he trusted that God would come through.

God promised to supply all our needs. However, since we can’t see the future, sometimes we have no idea how our needs will be met. Sometimes our circumstances are so dire we think it is impossible to get out of our predicament. The 11th chapter of Numbers reminds us why we should never doubt God.

Shortly after the Israelites broke camp and left Mount Sinai, they began complaining. A fire burned some of them at Taberah. Then some rabble began clamoring for meat, pining for the abundant fish they had in Egypt. Moses asked Yahweh why he had to bear the burden of leading the Israelites, saying the burden was too great for him. Moses even asked Yahweh to put him to death instead of making him continue to carry the people by himself.

Num. 11:16 ¶ Yahweh therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and take them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.

Notice the word “officers”. When Moses’ father-in-law joined the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt, he encouraged Moses to appoint leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (see Exodus 18:21). Their job was to act as judges and resolve disputes.

Num. 11:17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.

Yahweh agreed that Moses could not bear the burden alone, so He distributed the task among 70 elders of Israel. The 70 elders did not replace the leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Instead, they served with Moses at the top of the chain of command.

Num. 11:18 And say to the people, ‘Set yourselves apart as holy for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For it was good for us in Egypt.” Therefore Yahweh will give you meat, and you shall eat.

Num. 11:19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,

Num. 11:20 but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected Yahweh who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever go out from Egypt?”’”

Look at the phrase “until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome”. Yahweh essentially said He was going to make the Israelites regret they had ever complained about the lack of meat.

Don’t miss the words “rejected Yahweh”. Yahweh pointed out that when the Israelites were complaining about the food, they were actually rejecting Yahweh.

Num. 11:21 But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’

Num. 11:22 Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?”

Even Moses was skeptical that there could be enough meat for all the Israelites.

Num. 11:23 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Is Yahweh’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will happen for you or not.”

Think about the question, “Is Yahweh’s power limited?” The answer is no. There is no limit to Yahweh’s power. Moses should have believed Yahweh when Yahweh said He would give them abundant meat, even in the middle of the wilderness, because Yahweh can do anything.

Likewise, we should believe that Yahweh can and will fulfill all His promises. God promised to supply all our needs (see Philippians 4:19). No matter how dire our circumstances, we should never doubt God’s ability to supply all our needs because there is no limit to God’s power and ability.

Num. 11:24 ¶ So Moses went out and told the people the words of Yahweh. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent.

Num. 11:25 Then Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.

Num. 11:26 ¶ But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp.

Num. 11:27 So a young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

Num. 11:28 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “Moses, my lord, restrain them.”

Num. 11:29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of Yahweh were prophets, that Yahweh would put His Spirit upon them!”

Num. 11:30 Then Moses returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.

Num. 11:31 ¶ Now there went forth a wind from Yahweh, and it brought quail 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 and about two cubits over the surface of the ground.

God controls the wind, sea, and all the animals. Therefore, Yahweh was easily able to bring abundant food into the Israelite camp. Likewise, since God controls everything, He is easily able to meet all our needs at the last minute, no matter how much we need.

Num. 11:32 And the people spent all day and 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.

Num. 11:33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of Yahweh was kindled against the people, and Yahweh struck the people with a very severe plague.

This verse does not say why Yahweh was angry. I assume He punished them with a plague because they had rejected Him (see verse 20). It is ironic that He struck them after He provided the meat, but before they could actually eat it.

Num. 11:34 So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah because there they buried the people who had been greedy.

Num. 11:35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

God promised to supply all our needs. However, since we can’t see the future, sometimes we have no idea how our needs will be met. Sometimes our circumstances are so dire we think it is impossible to get out of our predicament.

Just as Yahweh used the wind to bring an overabundance of quail into the Israelite camp, so too Yahweh has many options for providing what we need. There is no limit to God’s power and ability; therefore, we should never doubt God’s ability to provide for us.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”