Numbers 11:1 - Meaning and Application

Here is the people’s sin. They complained (Numbers 11:1). The margin reads, “as it were, complainers,” which suggests a settled habit of grumbling. Some private dissatisfaction was already among them, though it had not yet burst into open rebellion. But how quickly a small spark can start a great fire.

God had given them excellent laws and ordinances, yet as soon as they left the mountain of the Lord, they began to quarrel with God himself. This shows, first, how sinful sin is. It becomes even more provoking when it rises against a command from God. It also shows the weakness of the law through our human weakness (Romans 8:3). The law could expose sin, but it could not destroy it. It could restrain sin, but it could not conquer it.

They complained, but we are not told exactly what they complained about. That is part of the shame of it. They had so much reason for thankfulness, it is hard to see where they found room for complaint. Likely, they were not all complaining about the same thing. Some may have wished they had stayed longer at Mount Sinai, while others may have wanted to leave sooner. Some may have grumbled about the weather, others about the road. Some may have thought the three-day journey was too long, while others thought it too short because it did not take them into Canaan yet.

Think of how God guided, guarded, and cared for them. They had good food, good company, and careful protection on the march. Their feet did not swell, and their clothes did not wear out (Deuteronomy 8:4). What more could have been done for a people to make them content? And yet they complained. Those with a fretful and discontented spirit will always find something to criticize, even when their outward circumstances are very good.

Second, we see God’s just displeasure at this insult. The Lord heard it, though Moses did not appear to hear it. God knows the secret grumbling of the heart, even when it is carefully hidden from people. What he noticed, he was deeply displeased with, and his anger burned. God graciously allows us to bring our complaints to him when there is real cause (Psalm 142:2). But he is rightly offended when we complain about him without cause. We would feel the same way if our own inferiors treated us that way.

Third, God punished them for this sin. The fire of the Lord burned among them, like the fire flashes that had consumed Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons. Their inward fire of anger and distrust against God burned in their hearts (Psalm 39:3), and justly the fire of God’s wrath fell on their bodies. We read of their earlier murmurings several times when they first came out of Egypt, in Exodus 15, 16, and 17. Yet we do not read of plagues then for their complaints, as we do here. Now they had seen much more of God’s care, so their distrust was even more inexcusable. A fire burned against Jacob (Psalm 78:21), but to show how unwilling God was to deal harshly with them, it fell only on those at the farthest edge of the camp. God’s judgments came gradually, so they would take warning.

Fourth, they cried out to Moses, their proven intercessor. When the fire struck them, they sought him and asked him to stand up for them. When people complain without reason, it is just for God to give them something real to complain about. Also, those who ignore God’s friends when life is easy often want those same friends on their side when trouble comes.

Fifth, Moses prayed for them, and his intercession prevailed. Moses was always ready to stand in the gap and turn away God’s wrath. God had regard for him and for his offering, and the fire was quenched. This shows that God does not delight in punishing. Once he begins to judge, he is often soon moved to relent. Moses was one of those honored people who, by faith, quenched the force of fire (compare Hebrews 11:34).

Lastly, the place received a new name to preserve the shame of the complaining people and the honor of the righteous God. It was called Taberah, which means “burning” (Numbers 11:3). That name would remind others to hear, fear, and take warning not to sin as they did, so they would not suffer as they did (1 Corinthians 10:10).