Nu 11: complaints, or The Honeymoon is Over

      The Israelites are receiving daily provision and protection in the sight of the glorious cloud of the LORD’s presence. Yet somehow they have grown jaded and start lusting [hwa 'avah] for more.

1.  The 1^st Complaint (verses 1-2)

2.   The 2^nd Complaint (verses 4-6)

3.    The 3^rd Complaint (verses 10-15)

4.  The LORD’s Solutions

5.    The 4^th Complaint (verse 28)

6.   Knee High in Quail (verses 18-20, 31-32)

7.   Be Careful What You Wish For (verses 31-35)

       I found this link to the Keith Green song “So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt.” He talks for a minute or so, then performs the song. Once you get over the hairdo and clothes, there’s a pretty clever message here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foUH4No_SVU

       These people have somehow forgotten the horror of slavery and have submitted to the bondage of boredom. We do well to learn to remain thankful during times of ease. The complaining spirit grew so powerful that even Moses was suicidal and Joshua succumbed to an “Us/Them” mentality.

       By the time Joshua comes to Moses, Moses has pulled himself back together again. He offers wisdom and a heart's cry to Joshua:

         Nu 11:25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. 26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

          27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

         29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

       Those two who prophesied outside of the camp? Eldad means "God has loved" and Medad means "love." Food for thought.