"Say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, "Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt." Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'" -Numbers 11.18-20
The people are complaining. They are sick of manna and want meat like they had in Egypt. They are willing to be slaves so that they could east meat again. I'm thinking back to Esau and the birthright event. He traded away his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup, and Israel is willing to trade freedom for meat. And God isn't happy with them. In valuing meat over freedom, they are valuing their appetite over God.
God gives them meat, so much that it makes them loath it. He also sends a plague on them. He has done so much for them, He has set them free, displayed His power to them, given them His laws, and even been present among them, and all they can think about is eating meat. They want it so much that they are willing to give all of that up. Can you imagine trading freedom and the very presence of God for a hamburger?
They complained, and God punished them, not because they were sharing the struggles they were facing and seeking His help, but because they were wishing God had never come into their lives. That is why they are punished. God gives them more meat than they can imagine. He strikes them with a plague. And hopefully they learned a very important lesson.
Men, do you complain like Israel did? Do you look at your life since God has been involved and miss things you used to indulge in? Do you regret God coming in to you life because of what you've had to give up? If so where if your mind? Are you focused on the temporal or the eternal? The temporal mind thinks about filling it's stomach, or indulging a craving. The eternal mind rejoices in the freedom God has brought, no matter what the cost may be.
If we focus on the temporal we bring the judgment of God, either now or at the end, it is coming. But when we focus on the eternal the sacrifices we make now pale in comparison to all that God has in store for us. Let us endure. Let us be focused on the eternal.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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