What is the meaning of Numbers 11:20? Context - Numbers 11 finds Israel in the Wilderness of Paran after God has faithfully provided manna every day (Numbers 11:4–9; Exodus 16:13-18). - The “rabble” stir up a craving for meat, igniting a nationwide complaint that Moses can hardly bear (Numbers 11:4-15; Psalm 78:18-20). - God answers by promising enough meat to last “not one day, or two days, … but for a whole month” (Numbers 11:18-19). But for a whole month - This time frame underlines how completely God will meet—even over-meet—the demand. • He is able to supply in quantity and duration (Philippians 4:19). • The promise is literal: thirty straight days of quail (Numbers 11:31-32). - Cross reference: Psalm 78:29-30 notes, “So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved.” Until it comes out of your nostrils and makes you nauseous - Excess becomes judgment; what they begged for turns repulsive. • God sometimes disciplines by giving what people insist on (Psalm 106:14-15; Romans 1:24-25). • Physical imagery (“nostrils”) stresses just how sickening their unchecked appetite will become. - When the quail arrive, “while the meat was still between their teeth, … the LORD’s anger burned” and many die (Numbers 11:33-34). Because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you - The root issue is not food but unbelief. • Rejecting manna was rejecting the LORD’s presence and provision (John 6:31-33). • Similar wording appears when Israel asks for a king: “they have rejected Me” (1 Samuel 8:7). - God’s nearness (“who is among you”) should have satisfied them (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). And have cried out before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ - Longing for Egypt equals longing for slavery (Exodus 14:11-12; Acts 7:39). • Discontent distorts memory, making bondage look better than freedom. • Their complaint questions God’s wisdom and goodness—precisely what the serpent suggested in Genesis 3:1-5. - Cross reference: Numbers 14:3-4 shows this attitude deepening into outright rebellion. summary Numbers 11:20 warns that craving anything more than God Himself invites both disappointment and discipline. The LORD literally delivers meat for thirty days, but turns the very blessing into bitterness because Israel’s heart preferred past slavery over present fellowship. Rejecting His provision was rejecting Him. The verse calls every believer to trust the God who is among us, receive what He provides with gratitude, and refuse the lie that life was better before He redeemed us. |
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