1.

In verses 1-3 the Lord showed His disapproval of the people’s complaining about their hardships by sending fire as a punishment.  The Lord had sent “hardships” for their own good.  What good are hardships?  What does this episode teach about the right attitude we should maintain toward hardships in our life in the Lord?

** 1) They offer us the opportunity to experience the Lord’s life-saving work.

Exodus 18:8, “Moses told his father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them.”

2) They provide us with the opportunity to build a godly character, for hardship endured (or persevered) is the mother of godly character. 

Romans 5:3-5, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” 

David is a good example; it was through enduring hardships that David became a man after God’s hart. For this reason, Psalm 132:1 says, “O LORD, remember David and all the hardships he endured.” 

** We need to be thankful to God for them, knowing that hardships are God’s blessings in disguise. For this reason Paul says that we must be thankful in all circumstances.

2.

Consider the Lord’s strong anger at the people for complaining about the manna in verses 4-10.  Deuteronomy 8:3 says that by giving them only manna for such a long time, the Lord God wanted to train the Israelites.  The Israelites complained and the Lord disapproved.  What does this incident show us about: 1) the Israelites; and 2) the Lord?  What lessons can we learn for our spiritual growth in the Lord? 

** They were still worldly. A lot of Egypt was inside of them. They were not compatible with the life in the Promised Land (which is symbolic of God’s kingdom.)

** The Lord loves his children so much that he put them through a training program, taking the pain of having to see his children “suffering” to overcome their sinful nature. 

** We need to eat God’s word daily, so that His word would purify our earthbound desires, and help us to overcome our fleshly desires, attaining to God’s spirituality. 

3.

In verses 11-17, Moses spoke to the Lord about the burden of being a shepherd for all the people, and the Lord relieved him of the burden.  What wisdom does Moses’ cry teach us in shepherding over the flock of God?  How did the Lord resolve the problem Moses presented?

** Moses’ complaints are different from the complaints of the people, in that he poured out his trouble before the Lord asking for the Lord’s help in prayer, indicating that each time we run into one trouble or another because of the call to shepherd over the flock of God, we need to come to God for his help in prayer.

** Established staff members who would share the burden. Notice that those who are qualified to become the members of the staff are limited to those who are endowed with the “same” spirit as the one that was on Moses! So do not establish those who are of “different” spirit, for certainly they will cause divisions, and mislead the flock of God away from the Lord.

4.

Verses 18-20 describe the word of the Lord that Moses was to deliver to the complainers.  Why did the Lord ask them to consecrate themselves when the Lord was about to give the meat as a sort of “punishment” for rejecting Him? 

** It was to help them to learn a lesson from their failure. The idea is that if you are going to fail, fail in the Lord’s presence, so that after hitting the brick wall you would come back to your senses and grow up.

5.

Read verses 21-23.  Think about Moses’ question and the Lord’s answer.  What message is the Lord trying to convey by asking Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?” 

** The Lord is not like a human being, so he does not have any arms. Yet he used the word “arm”, for it is symbolic of the Lord’s abilities to reach out for what we need and get it for us. The expression “too short” indicates that the Lord’s arm is “long” enough to grab what we need for life.

6.

Think about the conversation between Joshua and Moses in verses 24-30.  What can we learn from Moses’ reply in verse 29?

** He loved the flock of God. Love seeks the highest good of others. Love also shares all that is good, including power.

7.

Look at verses 31-35.  Kibroth Hattaavah means “graves of craving.”  What spiritual lesson does this teach us as we journey to God’s kingdom?

** Craving (for what is of worldly, for Egyptian food is symbolic of sinful pleasures of this world) leads man to graves, not to the Kingdom of God.