And Moses says, "Lord, if you wipe them out then all of the Egyptians are gonna say look what kind of a God they have. God says, "Stand back and I'll wipe them out. That seems to be the obvious kind of thing. As you read the text that seems to be what is happening. And there seems to be points where God is just wanting to wipe the people out and Moses is reasoning with God and comes up with good reasons that causes God to change his mind and not wipe them out. Now as we go through these chapters, again, it is important that we keep in mind that God is sovereign and He is over all of the circumstances. I surely wouldn't have the patience and the longsuffering with them that God did have. In its true sense the agape love suffers long and is kind and it is demonstrated no better place than God's dealing with the nation Israel, the patience and the longsuffering of God with these people. And that is one of God's characteristics that's part of His nature, which is actually a characteristic of love. We are certainly taught through these passages the long suffering of God. And we find Moses coming in and interceding again, always falling on his face before the Lord pleading, "God don't destroy them" and God's abundant grace being demonstrated, His forgiveness over and over again. And on several occasions is ready to obliterate them. And thus, as the children of Israel would murmur and complain, God would become angry with them. He looks upon it as a complaint against Him. So, if I start murmuring and complaining about the things that are transpiring around my life, I'm really murmuring and complaining about those that God has brought into my life, and thus, murmuring and complaining is really against the Lord and God looks upon it as such. If I'm a child and been called, according to God's purpose, then I must believe that all things are working together for good because I love God and He promised me and He told me that "all things are working together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose" ( Romans 8:28 ). Inasmuch as God is in control of the circumstances of our lives, any complaining against the circumstances of our lives is complaint against the Lord. In reading Numbers eleven through twenty, I see a pattern emerging, a pattern of chronic complaining, as the people are now complaining against the Lord. This time let's turn to Numbers chapter eleven.
The meat came from countless birds which, being tired after a long flight where they battled heavy winds, were easily caught only a few feet above the ground (31-35). God gave the people the meat they wanted, but it brought an outbreak of disease that caused many deaths. He was not jealous if others became more honoured in the eyes of the people in fact, he wished that all the people might have God’s Spirit upon them (24-30). He apparently felt that if the people saw these men doing what previously only Moses did, they might give them the sort of respect that previously they gave solely to Moses. Joshua, one of Moses’ assistants, was concerned about this and asked Moses to silence the men. Two of their number for some reason had not attended the ceremony at the tabernacle, but the spirit came upon them where they were in the camp and they prophesied there. When the seventy leaders received this spirit from God they prophesied. In their greed for meat they would eat so much that they would become sick (16-23). God responded to Moses’ second complaint by promising a supply of meat that would give the people more than they asked for.
God commanded Moses to bring seventy of the leading elders of Israel to the tabernacle, where he gave them a share of the same spirit as he had given Moses, so that they could help Moses in the government of the people. He understood Moses’ troubles and helped him through them. God did not rebuke Moses for his outburst. In addition he knew of no way to provide such a crowd of people with the food they wanted (10-15). Moses complained to God that the responsibility of looking after this complaining multitude was a burden greater than he could bear. Soon the discontent spread throughout the camp.
(For the origin of manna see Exodus 16:1-36.) They wanted some of the food they had been used to in Egypt (4-9). These people complained that they were tired of having the same food every day, even though it was miraculously supplied by God. Among those who journeyed with the Israelites from Egypt were some foreigners who had mixed with the Israelites in Egypt ( Exodus 12:38). The people had travelled only a short time when they began to complain against God, with the result that God punished them (11:1-3).
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