The Israelites Complain

Though they had complained about the food situation before, the discontent must have risen to new heights at this point. Moses is ready to throw in the towel it is so unbearable. He even says "...just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery". Doesn't the whining of just a few small children drive us crazy? Can you just imagine an entire nation of whiners, looking to you to fix it? God had patiently endured the initial rumblings of the Israelites just after the exodus, and had provided manna. This time, there is a difference in God's tone as he declares His provision. He tells the Israelites that they will "eat it for a month until they gag so that they are sick of it". So God used a strong wind to bring in a large group of migrating quail. The wind forced them to fly low, making them easy targets for desperate Israelites. Despite being told of God's obvious displeasure with their demands for meat, the people ignored His disdain and followed their own fleshly desires. In their greed, they gathered far more than what was needed, and attempted to prolong it's edibility by drying it out into jerky. This is apparently what was meant by eating it for a whole month. Due to the lack of refrigeration and certain spoilage, as well as their digestive systems being unaccustomed to meat in general, food poisoning ensued. The text reads that "the Lord struck them with a severe plague" but remember that a common Hebrew figure of speech was to assign responsibility for causing something even if one had merely set up the circumstances that caused something to happen. So it is said that God struck them with a plague, when really all He did was give them what they asked for and let "nature take it's course". The phrase, "be careful what you wish for" comes to mind!

The next set of complainers was Aaron and Miriam. Maybe they were upset about the appointment of the 70 leaders to assist Moses or maybe it was just old-fashioned envy and jealousy over the special relationship Moses had with God. Either way, they gripe about Moses' Cushite (or Ethiopian) wife. Who was this woman? There are many opinions. She could have been Zipporah, who was earlier described as being Midianite. Since Midian was adjacent to Ethipoia, and both nations were dark-skinned, it is possible that she could be described as Cushite. Calling her the "Cushite woman" is a peek into what may have been bothering the siblings. She was not a pure-bred Jew, which was very important in that culture. And God had specifically said not to take a wife from outside the tribes of Israel. It is also possible that this was someone Moses married after Zipporah died. The Bible does not record her death, so it could have happened any time. We have no way of knowing. It is also possible that she was a wife taken in Moses' youth. It was customary for royalty to take wives from countries with whom they were attempting to make alliances. Ethiopia bordered Egypt, so this would have been a natural alliance to seek out. Jewish historians favor this view based on the writings of Josephus, but there is no Biblical proof for the position. The only other option is that this woman was a second wife, taken while Zipporah was still alive. If true, this would unfortunately place Moses in the same polygamist camp as Jacob, David, and many other Old Testament heroes.

The punishment for grumbling against Moses was meted out on Miriam (Aaron dodges another bullet). Her skin turns white as snow due to leprosy. Scholars have speculated that this punishment offers a clue as to the heart of their discontent. The Cushite woman was black, Miriam did not like her for some reason, and God turns her skin ultra white. Could it be that Miriam did not approve of the woman's skin color? God came to Moses' defense, not so much because He was upset about what had been thought about the Cushite woman, but that anyone dared to criticize His chosen prophet, and indirectly, to criticize Him as well. Furthermore, Miriam and Aaron seemed to be seeking recognition and glory for themselves..."Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't He spoke through us too?" God does not like pride, and it was undergirding every complaint they lodged against Moses.

Tomorrow's reading: Numbers 14-15