Hardships, the way of life (Num 11-12 part 1)*

Numbers 11-12

Key Verse - “But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"” (Numbers 11:29).

Introduction:

In order to understand the setting of today’s passage, I would like to go back in history so that we can capture the very moment in which today’s story took place.

God had solidified His covenant relationship with Israel at Mount Sinai, and the Israelite camp had been set up, according to that covenant. The tabernacle, containing God’s presence, stood in the middle of the camp, signifying His desire to dwell among His people, Israel. At the completion of the camp’s setup, God’s vast army was ready to embark on a journey to the land of His promise. Whatever happened from this point on, everything must be understood from within the frame of the covenant between God and Israel; that relationship was well revealed in how the camp was set up and how the Israelite people were commanded to march.

Today’s passage is about three things that happened during the first leg of Israel’s journey toward the land of God’s blessing. Even though God had instructed them in detail concerning what it meant to have Him among them and to have His presence visible in their midst, from the very start of this journey, they constantly faced a series of problems. They were unable to handle the hardships of the journey and instead complained to God. They wailed over tasteless food, i.e. manna, and wished for meat. The top Israelite leaders also showed discontent with Moses’ leadership. They roused God’s anger and were met with His punishment, which caused some of them to die. I would like for us to look into the depths of each of these problems and uncover God’s purpose for His people. We will do this by understanding our nature and taking into consideration the solution God offered to Israel.

1.       Israel’s hard journey (Numbers 11:1-3).

What was Israel’s mindset or hope at this time? At the completion of all things, God’s cloud came down and rested on the Tabernacle. As a long trumpet blast sounded throughout the camp, about two million people set out from Mount Horeb to the land of God’s promise. Their expectations were high; we can find a glimpse of these expectations in Moses’ words:

“Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to Israel."” (Numbers 10:29).

In Moses’ word to his father-in-law, we can see that there was a high expectation that the mighty God would give them what He had promised. Because of His promises, it was certain that Israel would receive good things. Also, it was assured to be good things from the Lord, for they were headed towards the land of His blessing. It would certainly be better than life in the desert, or even the life they’d lived in the land of Egypt. During this first leg of the journey to the Promised Land, Moses shouted this to the people of Israel:

“Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you." Whenever it came to rest, he said, "Return, LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel."” (Numbers 10:35).

Moses and the entire Israelite community were filled with exuberance, hope, and confidence. In such high spirits, they set out on the twentieth day of the second month in the second year they had spent at Mount Sinai.

The journey was very difficult. They traveled for three days before resting (Numbers 10:33). Despite their high hopes, the first three days of their journey was not easy. They quickly met with the harsh realities of living life in the desert. They walked about fifteen miles a day over desert terrain. There were many babies, children, and elderly people. Also, the temperature was near one hundred degrees under the sweltering heat of the sun. Simply, many had a very difficult time physically; their legs and feet ached, their mouths were parched and dry, and their backs were hurting from carrying babies and heavy loads of food and other possessions. Simply, there was nothing easy about this journey at all. However, their hope was great and God’s blessing would be great, but some thought that the journey itself was too much to bear; so they began to complain:

“Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused.) Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.” (Numbers 11:1).

Hardships were real and, in many aspects, they looked too difficult to bear. The Israelites withheld their unhappy feelings and complaints for a while, but at one point, the pressure built up inside them and complaints came out of their mouths, even before they had thought over what to say.

Have you ever had such moments before? Can God, the loving and powerful God, really give them an easy life? One complains when he or she thinks that someone else does not meet his or her expectations. Who did not meet Israel’s expectation? Obviously, God was in charge and He was leading the way. God should do His job, rather than letting His people to go through such a hostile environment. Could He make their journey easier? Surely, He would, if He could, but He did not do so. To Israel, this seemed like a lack of concern, care, or love for them, since God did not appear to be considering their physical limitations and instead was exposing them to such unbearable conditions! Their complaints seemed to be justifiable and reasonable. How could anyone hold back complaints under such intense suffering? It sounds impossible. Also, their complaints were directed toward the God who lived among them. When He heard their complaints, His anger was aroused, and He sent fiery judgment, which burned and consumed some of the people.  

There are a few things that we should think about regarding what God did to deal with His people’s complaints: this was the first and worst judgment on Israel thus far. Previously, they had complained to God a few times (Exodus 15:24; 16:2; 17:2), but God had not taken any judgmental action against them. At that time, God had not dwelt with them in their midst, and the covenant had not been completely sealed, but now, the full ratification of the covenant between God and Israel was complete and He was in their midst. This was God’s implementation of His covenant with Israel in full force. Any violation of that covenant would meet His ultimate, burning judgment. God came down on Mount Horeb as a consuming fire (Exodus 24:17); for the first time, He made Himself known as a consuming fire, by punishing those who complained against Him. A glimpse of such judgment was seen as Aaron’s two sons, were burned to death, as punishment for offering unauthorized fire in the tabernacle (Numbers 3:4).

Second, God made it clear what it meant to be His people. If He willed, He could give them an easy life with fewer burdens; however, He did not do so. Instead, He led them through many hardships. In this, He had a purpose for their good. As long as they had life, they were to be thankful, no matter how hard their life might be. In this way, God demanded utter dependence from his people, including during such hardships. Despite these hardships, the Israelites were to honor and be thankful to their Lord. In the New Testament, the believers’ hardships were considered to be the due course of life, as they looked forward to coming of God’s kingdom (Acts 14:22). Therefore, God’s primary purpose for His people was not to give them easy life, but rather to help them successfully endure all kinds of hardships. Can life’s hardships be normal for godly life? Yes they are. If anyone thinks otherwise, then it is time for them to change their attitude toward the hardships they will face in life.

Third, the frailty of the human body is the weakest link and often drives us beyond the threshold of our human endurance or forbearance. We can easily testify that many of life’s hardships are so difficult that we cannot overcome them by mere human strength or will. This is all especially true when one has hope for an easy life on the earth. We ought to know and accept the frailty of our human bodies and wills, as well as our limits. Therefore, we can depend not on our physical strength, but only on God, who has the ultimate power and will to sustain our lives. So when we are ready to give our lives into His hand, we can overcome anything. Jesus taught this:

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35 NIV).

Ungodliness, distrust, or unbelief, even to the point of death, will surely incur God’s judgment by fire. At the outset of Israel’s journey to the land of God’s blessing, God made a very powerful and clear statement, that belief, even to the point of death, is demanded and any unbelief shall meet judgment by fire. We must be humble and sincere. When hardship comes, before complaining, we must look to the Lord and give thanks to Him for the life that we have now, which He sustains! We must be ready to give our lives when faced with any hardships, no matter how bad they might be. This readiness is to entrust our lives to God’s hands, even to the point of death. In this readiness of mind, there shall be no complaints! Jesus said this to his disciples:

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38).

When I was in my late teens, I worked at a construction company, carrying timbers and doing all kinds of odd jobs in the summer heat. I went through various forms of hard labor, and more often than not, I worked so hard that I came to hate such labor. However, when I heard F’s story, my hardships seemed easy compared to his. He was born to a single mother, from whom he was separated when he was just a boy. His hardships are beyond my description. Does this mean we should curse our life and die?

Fourthly, we must change our attitude towards life’s hardships. We must develop a positive attitude toward all hardships. If we do not, hardships will deprive us of life’s meaning, purpose, and joy. How can one have a positive attitude toward hardships? It is odd to discuss taking a positive view on life’s hardships. As long as one holds the view that their life must be as good and enjoyable as possible, they will avoid any road leading to hardships. Going back to Israel’s situation, how could they have developed a positive view on the hardships they faced? They were with the Lord, the source of all blessing, they were traveling towards the land of His blessing, and their hardships were temporary and should pass in time. So one’s attitude towards hardship in life hangs on their hope. Genuine hope purifies as one goes through many hardships. A man’s true measure depends on how well he endures life’s hardships. Paul submitted himself to many hardships for the Lord’s sake, and commended himself to the believers regarding how he had gone through various hardships in his life (2 Corinthians 6:4).

Lastly, we must not overlook that some died. This was an unmistakable statement from God, that while He was with His people in full power and authority, any covenant violation would surely meet His judgement in full force, and that judgment was death by fire. This was a prelude of what is to come; the book of Revelation ends in this way:

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-- they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:8).

We too have a covenant with the Lord in Christ. It is by grace, and, in His grace, He is with us in spirit and in power. Hardships are not an exception, but a rule of life; they are a perpetual reminder for us to take a positive view of all hardships and enjoy our lives in the Lord.