Finding Contentment in our Faith–Torah Reading–Numbers 11:1-35

Verse 1–-The peoples’ complaining or murmuring (complaining about their hardships openly in Taberah or The Place of Burning) displeased Yah which led to His wrath coming down upon the people in the form of fire that consumed those in the extreme parts of the camp. The LXX suggests that the complaining was sinful in nature. Why would complaining be considered sinful in the sight of YHVH? Well, quite simply this: the bitter complaining that can take place within and among smaller disgruntled groups of individuals has the potential of creating and then spreading subversion, uprising, chaos and confusion throughout the whole organization. And if there’s anything our Father hates as much as He hates sin, it’s chaos and confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). And generally speaking, those that initiate such harmful complaints do so with clear ill-intent. In other words, these are often looking to stir up trouble within the organization in the hope of getting their way. Furthermore, when we drill down to the basis of the malcontents’ complaints or murmurs, we find that their problem was not with Moshe as many would conclude from a simple cursory reading of our focus passage, but their issue was actually with YHVH. 

 

We find in Exodus 16: 8 confirmation of this which reads:

 

“Moshe added, ‘What I have said will happen when YHVH gives you meat to eat this evening and your fill of bread tomorrow morning. YHVH has listened to your complaints and grumblings against Him–what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against YHVH'” (CJB).

 

 

Now, in all fairness, it would appear that some of the malcontents brought their complaints of not having meat to eat directly to Moshe and possibly the Levites (which is the right thing to do), while the remaining members grumbled and created contention throughout the fringe areas of the camp. 

 

Verses 2-3–-In response to the fiery wrath that was wrought upon the people residing in the fringe areas of the camp, the people cried out to Moshe for help. Moshe responded to the people’s cry for help by praying unto YHVH for His intervention in this dire situation. And in response to Moshe’s prayer, the fire that broke out upon those residing in the fringe areas of the camp abated. (cf. Num. 21:7) 

 

Father’s Harsh Response to Murmuring

 

Why did Father respond so harshly to the murmurings of the people, especially to the murmurings of those residing in the fringe areas of the camp. Well, Abba does not take well to those that express ungratefulness.  And certainly we have our share of such individuals within and without our community even today. Furthermore I would add, the hearts of those who were behind the murmuring, I would guess in particular those in the fringe areas of the camp, were evil. And the evil that resides in people’s hearts often lead to evil speech. Master addressed this very issue when Prushim (aka Pharisees) out of Yerushalayim accused Him of casting demons out of people by the power of ba’al zevuv, the prince of demons:

 

“You brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the treasure of a good heart brings forth good things; and an evil man out of an evil treasure brings forth evil things. Therefore I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgment. By your own words you shall be justified, and by your own words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:24; Rood). 

 

And certainly, those who murmured in the outer areas of the camp were condemned to a fiery end were they not?

 

Difference of Opinion

 

Now, at least one commentator that I highly respect somewhat sympathizes with the complainers and their lot, suggesting that we ourselves would likely have complained if faced with the same situation and prospects as the ancients were; and that we must put ourselves in their shoes before casting critical stones at them and their sad story. But I take a little issue with that stance/position. I strongly believe what we have here in this passage is something much greater than just simple whining or complaining over having to eat manna for breakfast, lunch and dinner for an indeterminable amount of time. Rather, I believe Yah was more concerned and upset with the intensity and form of complaints put forth by members of the mixed multitude. Abba clearly recognized that the level and type of complaining that was taking place, especially in the outskirts of the camp, were potentially dangerous and possibly bordering on being subversive (Prov. 6:19). 

 

Could Father Have Been Testing the Mixed Multitude?

 

This is just me: Father has this propensity to test His people. Look for example at the life-walk of Avraham and how YHVH tested him a number of times to see whether Avraham believed Yah or not. And Avraham passed all of Yah’s tests, the most powerful test he passed being Avraham offering up his son Yitchaq to Yah. In that testing Yah said unto Avraham:

 

“…Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest Yah, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Genesis 22:12; KJV).

 

And so it was because of Avraham’s steadfast belief in Yah and passing Yah’s tests that Abba credited his belief–Avraham’s trust in Yah as “righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). 

 

As it relates to our Torah Reading here this evening, I highly suspect this was another iteration of testing that Father was putting the nation through. And certainly forcing folks to eat manna for all three of their daily meals for an indeterminable period of time is a very trying challenging thing for anyone to endure. But it would ultimately come down to how each of those who were being tested responded to the test: Would they endure the test and overcome the challenge, or would they push back at the test and rebel? And I believe that those residing in the outskirts of the camp responded to the testing in a rebellious manner and Father stemmed the rebellion by consuming those who complained the worse with His consuming fire. 

 

Now, I have no proof that this was some form of a test. Nevertheless, how Yah’s people respond to situations that Father places them in is very telling of the state of the people’s heart. For our Elohim (aka our God) does not shy away from testing his peoples’ hearts:

 

Jeremiah 17:10–“I, Yehovah, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (ASV). 

 

Nevertheless, I believe if the members of the mixed multitude were in a proper spiritual place, such that their hearts were right towards YHVH; such that they would have taken to heart the many wonders they’d witnessed in the course of their wilderness journey, knowing that their Elohim (their God) would ultimately be true to His words and promises and provide for all of their needs and concerns. What was it that Shaul wrote to the Messianic Assembly in Philippi concerning this very thing:

 

“Moreover, my God will fill every need of yours according to His glorious wealth, in union with the Messiah Yeshua” (4:19). 

 

I will say, however, that the bigger lesson to draw from this dynamic story is the fact that Yah’s people are not to live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of YHVH (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). This is not saying that Yah’s elect are to ignore their nutritional needs. Humans require food in order to live. But what Father was trying to get across to His people, and by extension us today, is that Yah has sovereignty over the entire universe, especially over His Children. For when one gives their life over to the full control of Yah, Yah takes care of their overall well-being and sustenance. Real life emerges not from the food we desire and crave, but from every Word that proceeds from Yah’s mouth. Thus focusing our efforts and attentions in this life solely upon Yah’s eternal Will and Word leads to life. The life of the elect is effectively sustained by Yah’s Word. Do we still need to eat in order to stay alive in this body? Yes, of course we do. However, when we give ourselves over completely to Yah, He in turn provides for all our needs as Yeshua our Master promised: 

 

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of Yah and His righteousness,” and all these things (every need and care of life) will be given to you” (Matthew 6:33). 

 

And let me just put this out there as it relates to this issue of living by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of YHVH. Yah has the ability to defy all reason and sustain His people physically if He so chooses. Think about Moshe who would go up into the Mount of Yah without any food or water that we know of for 40-days and nights to meet with the Almighty. How was Moshe sustained during those times? Only by the Word of Yah. So I ask you, why couldn’t the Almighty sustain His people today in the same manner as He did Moshe if Yah so willed. He most certainly could and likely would of course. We have no idea what Yah has in store for His people in the days and years ahead do we? Yah’s elect in the End Times for instance, may find themselves being entirely sustained by the Word of YHVH in accordance with His eternal Will.

 

It’s a matter of belief and trust in the Almighty that He will do what He promised He’d do. And obviously, the naysayers in our Torah Reading here today failed to recognize this critical truth.

 

The other important thing I must add to this discussion is that what Moshe did here in his expressing frustrations directly to Yah was not a sin. Murmuring in and of itself is NOT of Yah. Murmuring for all intents and purposes has NO place in the lives of Yah’s people. 

 

Rav Shaul directed the Messianic Assemblies in Corinth and Philippi respectively concerning murmuring:

 

“Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:10; KJV).

 

“Do all things without murmurings and disputing…” (Philipiians 2:14).

 

Murmuring is complaining of one’s situation to someone(s) else for the express purposes of getting what one wants. Murmuring is a direct affront to the Almighty. It’s not the way to get Yah to heed and positively respond to your concerns and needs. The proper way to get Yah to positively respond to one’s needs is to go to yah with the right attitude and heart. The writer of Psalms wrote concerning this the following:

 

“Yehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as are of a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18; cf. 51:17; Isaiah 57:15; KJV). 

 

 

What Moshe did in response to the situation recorded in our Torah Reading here today was to go directly to Yah with the problem. Moshe did not pour out his frustrations and concerns to Aharon for instance. He went to Yah and pour out his heart to Him. And despite Moshe’s words being somewhat hard hitting; maybe bordering on the disrespectful even. And we see from this outpouring from Moshe that our God is a big Elohim and He can more than take it when His elect express the frustrations they have with Him. Clearly Moshe was being transparent with the Almighty here and Yah saw the purity in Moshe’s heart towards Yah. It’s when Yah’s people hide their concerns from Yah and instead murmur and vent the frustrations they have with Yah to others is when things get a bit dicey. As I’ve mentioned numerous times throughout this post, Yah doesn’t like acts of murmuring and ungratefulness. And this is the contrast that we see between the way the mixed multitude handled their situation and the way Moshe handled the same situation. Abba took to heart the things Moshe was saying and He set out to address Moshe’s problem immediately. That’s the way our Elohim works. 

 

Verses 4-6–The mixed multitude was behind much of the complaining, although the children of Israel are recorded to have also  “wept” about their food situation. This mixed multitude consisted of what I like to refer to as “hangers on” that latched-on to the Hebrews as they departed out of Mitzraim, aka Egypt (Exo. 12:38). These once again started looking back at what they now portrayed as a life of leisure during their time of bitter servitude in Mitzraim. In comparison they described their present situation as them being famished without any hope for the future (cf. Numbers 21:5). But the truth of the matter was that they had grown tired of the manna which Yah provided as food for them. They were not hungry. Yah was true to His Word and He provided them more than enough food (albeit in the form of manna) to live.

 

Verses 7-9-These verses describe the appearance of the manna which Yah used to feed the people. Its appearance was similar to that of the “coriander seed.” Coriander seed is an eastern herb used today in traditional recipes. Furthermore, coriander has natural medicinal benefits. (Assuming the manna that Father provided the ancient was anything thing like coriander, let’s just say, we can safely conclude that their nutritional needs were well taken care of.) 

 

Now, as to how the manna would be consumed, the people upon gathering the manna would routinely grind it and bake it into cakes. It was said to have the sweet taste of oil. It was also described as being round in shape. It fell with the early morning dew each day. It would be gathered each morning before the sun melted it away. Yah’s manna was quite tasty and it must have contained sufficient nutrients to sustain a person throughout their day-to-day activities.

 

What you’ll find as you research manna in scripture is that scholars have gone out of their way to undermine the astoundingly miraculous nature of manna as recorded in Torah. They’ve attempted to tell the world that Yah’s manna was actually derived from the tarfa tree, which is a type of tamarisk, and that manna exudes from the trunks of this tree and forms small, round white grains” (Fausset’s Bible Dictionary). They’ve even gone so far as to suggest time frames in which manna would appear; the amounts of manna that one could expect from a crop of manna; and locations where such manna would be found, all the while ignoring the miraculous nature of this food as recorded in the books of Numbers and in Exodus. 

 

But Genesius (19th century Christian Hebraist, Lutheran theologian, biblical scholar and critic) gave great credence to the miraculous regarding manna:

• It was not found under any tamarisk but on the surface of the desert.
• The quantity of manna needed to sustain the multitude cannot be overlooked. (We’re talking upwards of 2 or so million souls by some estimates.)
• The manna ceased each Shabbat for 40-straight years, ending permanently when Israel conquered Canaan.
• Yah’s manna could be ground and baked into cakes. The tamarisk droppings were condiment in nature and could not be ground and baked as Yah’s manna could.
• It sustained Israel throughout their wanderings in whatever place their feet touched.

 

Verses 10-15-Moshe hears the weeping of the families, apparently of those who were killed as a result of Yah’s fiery wrath. This weeping angers both the Almighty and Moshe. And In his ire, Moshe turns to Yah and calls Yah to task for the immense burden the Almighty placed upon Moshe in leading this people. This is not the only time Moshe finds himself at wits’ end regarding the people, as we see a similar complaint from him towards Yah in Exodus 5:22 and Deuteronomy 1:12. 

 

In desperation, Moshe takes Yah to task, questioning and castigating Yah’s unreasonableness in placing oversight of the people on him as if he, Moshe, was their parent or something. And obviously Moshe’s frustration is a reflection of his fearful concerns over what was to happen to him and the people he was leading. He questions where he is going to find meat to feed the hundreds of thousands of people in that desolate desert, all the while overlooking (whether intentionally or not) that Yah had previously provided, miraculously so, for the nation, from their time in Mitzraim till that present time. Moshe felt tremendous pressure from the people and that pressure trumped the belief/faith he should have had that YHVH would provide for the needs, and even the demands of the people. 

 

Yes, it’s quite easy for me to sit here and criticize Moshe’s deportment before Yah when I’ve personally never been in such a dire situation as this. However, looking back in my past as a manager and administrator, I have gone through periods of time of terrible pressure and frustration and fear that I would not be able to deliver the things my employees needed or demanded for various reasons. Unlike Moshe however, during those tense days, I rarely thought to turn those pressing situations over to Yah and let Him take care of it. I’ve since come to terms with my lack of trust in Yah during those years of oversight and have repented for my lack of trust in Yah to take care of my situation. Moshe did what he was supposed to do. Yes, Moshe was not elegant or polished or perfect in terms of how he communicated his concerns to Yah, but He knew which side his spiritual bread (no pun intended) was buttered. He knew that he personally had no ability nor resource to provide the meat that the nation was demanding. The only thing one can say against Moshe in this case is that he did not recognize from the start that it wasn’t his place to provide for the needs of the people: it was entirely YHVH’s responsibility. And I’m not sure that Moshe realized this truth fully. 

 

But in Moshe’s unloading on Yah here, he reveals to Yah a central truth that says it all: 

 

“I can’t carry this entire people by myself alone–it’s too much for me!” (verse 14; CJB). 

 

Boy, no truer words have ever been spoken heh? Moshe realized, although I’m not fully convinced that he fully recognized, that Father never ever put the burden of providing for the mixed multitude’s material and food needs upon Moshe’s shoulders. That was Abba’s concern. Not to mention that Moshe was a mere man and he possessed no ability to provide for the people at a level that they desired. And that’s what each of us must come to terms with whenever faced with difficult and seemingly impossible situations in our lives: Take it to YHVH and let Him take care of our problems. 

 

 

Folks, we don’t possess the wherewithal to change most circumstances that occur in our lives. Oh, many of us believe that we have the smarts and some of us believe that we even have the material resources to affect the changes we believe are necessary to fix many of our life’s problems. But after we fall flat on our faces enough times and see that we really can’t fix many of the problems that crop up in our lives on our own, we are forced to turn to Yah and place the burden upon Him. Sadly many of us, even when faced with this sobering reality, still refuse to take our burdens to Yah and leave them before His Throne of Grace. Why? For many of us, it’s a matter of belief: We most certainly believe in Yah, but we don’t believe Yah. We don’t believe Yah will deliver on our situation. And truth be told, we simply can’t stand the thought that maybe Yah will fix our situation in a way that doesn’t quite match the way we want the problem fixed. We’re afraid to allow Yah to take complete control of our situation just as many of us are afraid to allow Yah to completely take over and rule our lives. 

 

It was during a meal that our Master shared with some friends of His that He commented on this very issue of trusting Yah to take care of our life’s needs:

 

“I say to you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat; neither for the body, what you shall put on. The life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; neither do they have storehouse nor barn; and YHVH feeds them. How much more are you better than the birds? Which of you with anxious thought can add to his stature one cubit? If you are not able to do that thing which is least, why be anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they do not toil, they do not spin fabric; and yet I say to you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Then if YHVH clothes the grass, which is in the field today, and is cast into the oven tomorrow; how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? Seek not what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither be of a doubtful mind. All these things the worldly gentiles pursue: but your Father knows that you need these things. But rather pursue the kingdom of YHVH and all these things  shall be added to you” (Luke 12:22-31; Rood). 

 

Continuing: Moshe pours it on pretty heavy in verse 15 and Stern’s CJB gives what I believe is a very heartfelt interpretation of what Moshe was going through as he aired his grievances to YHVH. Moshe tells Father: 

 

“If you are going to treat me this way, then just kill me outright! Please, if you have any mercy toward me! And don’t let me go on being this miserable.”

 

This verse provides an excellent synopsis of the level of frustration Moshe had over the demands of the people: would you agree? We see this level of internal struggle and agony in other patriarchs of the Faith:

 

Job 7:15—“So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.”

 

Jonah 4:3—“Therefore now, O’ YHVH, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.” 

 

Indeed, true service to Yah is not easy. Sometimes I feel as though most of us who are of Faith who reside in the United States, are uber spoiled. Most of us go throughout our day-to-day walk with Mashiyach and the worse thing we have to sort out is what we’re going to tweet or facebook out that day; what are we going to eat for breakfast or dinner; what teaching we’re going to watch on YouTube; and so forth. We aren’t in the trenches enough to find ourselves in difficult positions such as we see here in the story of Moshe, Jonah and even Job. Yes, there are believers throughout the world that are enduring unimaginable challenges and situations that are directly connected to their respective Faith professions and walks, many facing death in the process. But at some point, if Master tarries, most of us will have our Moshe moment, in some form or fashion. And the question that we must ask ourselves in preparation for such a time is: How will we handle it? Are there things in the here and now that I can do to prepare for those difficult times ahead? For folks, difficult times are just around the corner for most of us. The hosts of evil are amassing and preparing to persecute Yah’s people for various and sundry reasons. And we’re going to have to be ready for such times. Thus, Abba in His unfathomable grace has given us these Torah examples to help prepare us for the challenges that are certain to emerge in our lives (Phi. 3:17; 2 Peter 2:6).

 

Verses 16-17–So Abba instructs Moshe to assemble the nation’s 70-elders and officers in front of the Tabernacle. These elders are no doubt the same ones that met with Moshe on the Mount just after the confirmation and ratification of the covenant back in Exodus 24. And Father tells Moshe that the Ruach HaKodesh (aka the Holy Spirit) that rested upon him, He, Abba, would place it upon those assembled leaders. Those assembled leaders would afterwards be tasked with taking some of the oversight burden off the tired shoulders of Moshe. And what we see in these 2-verses is Yah in action, responding decisively to Moshe’s concerns. 

 

Verses 18-20-Furthermore, Abba addressed the concerns of the people that they’d been denied meat and had only been given manna to eat. Thus Father tells Moshe to announce to the nation that Abba heard their murmurings and that He would give them the meat they so desired. The people in anticipation of receiving this meat were instructed to consecrate or sanctify themselves to receive the promised gift of YHVH. 

 

When we are set to receive Abba’s promises, do we set ourselves apart; sanctify ourselves; dedicate ourselves to Father in anticipation of receiving His promises and gifts? Doing so shows forth our gratefulness and appreciation, in advance, for his provisions. It’s a principle and practice that we are wise to imitate in our lives as YHVH’s elect.

 

Father heard their whining and He affirmed that He will give them what they desired. In fact, Father was giving them the meat they craved for a month’s time and to such an extent that they would ultimately loathe it because it was going to be so much of it (verse 20). 

 

 

Verses 21-22–So Moshe still does not understand just how much Abba had his back. Moshe questions how such an immense multitude would be fed meat for an entire month in the middle of a desert. And this is a sobering reality to be grasped here. Despite all that Yah had miraculously done for the nation, Moshe still doubted Yah or he simply hadn’t made the connection that Yah was the nation’s ultimate provider and sustainer. 

 

Moshe goes on to question Yah about how he was supposed to provide meat for the multitude for a month: were they supposed to slaughter the domesticated animals they brought with them out of Mitzraim? You do know that the people were not permitted to eat their domesticated animals? These were to be used solely for sacrifices. Which meant that Yah would have to provide all of the nutritional needs of the nation. But somehow, Moshe did not recognize that providing the food for the nation was not Moshe’s job or problem: but YHVH’s. And this is the lesson that we must learn from this reading: there are some things that we are responsible for such as seeking first the kingdom of Yah and His righteousness, and then there are things that Yah has declared and promised that He would take care of according to His riches in glory (Matthew 6:33-34). We saw a similar thing, on a much smaller scale mind you, in the story and miracle of the fish and barley loaves, recorded in Matthew 15:33. 

 

Verse-23-YHVH responds to Moshe’s expressed frustrations by throwing a concise but profound question back at Moshe: 

 

“Is YHVH’s power limited?” 

 

And then, in the next sentence, Abba extends forth his loving kindness and grace towards Moshe, despite Moshe’s obvious lack of understanding, belief and faith: 

 

“You will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you” (HCSB). 

 

Yes, Yah does not punish Moshe for his lack of faith and belief. Instead, Father steps back and says to Moshe, I know you don’t trust Me to do that which I have promised I’d do. So, I’m going to earn your trust by doing exactly that which I’ve promised I would do.

 

Israel had a sordid history of not believing Yah, as can be said for many of us even today (Isa. 50:2; 59:1). We simply do not believe Yah. Yes, we believe IN Yah, but we don’t believe Yah. Yes, we know Yah exists and so did Moshe and no doubt the multitude. But none of them believed that Yah could or would provide for them. Despite seeing all the great wonders Father wrought on Israel’s behalf up this point in the nation’s history, they saw only that which they saw: manna for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but NO meat. We had everything our hearts desired back in Mitzraim, but now, we have just manna. This YHVH talked a big talk about taking them to a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3; Jeremiah 11:5; 32:22), and certainly He did some amazing stuff that brought them safely to this point in their journey. But what had He done for them lately apart from giving them manna to eat each day? So they belly-ached before Yah, including Moshe.

 

Yah has asserted in His Word that He is not a liar and that He is more than capable to provide and sustain and deliver His people:

 

“YHVH is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good” (Num. 23:19).

 

“I YHVH have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith YHVH Elohim” (Eze. 24:14).

 

Verses 24-25-So Moshe does what he was instructed to do and gathered the leaders of Israel before the Tabernacle as well as prepared the people to receive their meat. And true to Yah’s declaration, His presence descended and Yah spoke to Moshe and then placed His Ruach upon the leaders. And as a result of Yah’s Ruach coming to rest upon the leaders of the nation standing before the Tabernacle, these began to prophesy. I don’t believe these men were foretelling (i.e., the type of prophesying that we see done by certain evangelicals related to End Times events these days), but forth-telling (i.e., extolling the greatness of the Almighty in Words that came from their inner beings) (John 7:38; Acts 2). I certainly could be mistaken and maybe they were forth-telling. But we have no record of the content of these elders’ prophesies. All we know is that their prophesying was spontaneous and organic. But their prophesying occurred only for that moment and then it ceased (verse 25). 

 

Verses 26-29-It turns out that two of the elders, Eldad and Medad, did not join their fellow brethren at the Tabernacle but instead remained within the camp. Despite Eldad and Medad not being among their fellow elders at the Tabernacle, the Ruach HaKodesh also rested upon them and they too prophesied. Interestingly, an unidentified gentleman witnessed Eldad and Medad prophesying within the camp and he took it upon himself to run and tell Moshe about this “travesty” that was taking place in the camp. Yahoshua (aka Joshua), Moshe’s young assistant, upon receiving this news, counseled Moshe to shut Eldad and Medad down. And in response, Moshe calls out Yahoshua’s jealousy and corrects his thinking, suggesting that all of Yah’s people should have Yah’s Spirit resting and operating upon them and they too should prophesy as Yah’s Ruach gives them utterance (verse 29). 

 

But isn’t this petty jealousy still evident in our Faith Community even today? Someone in the Faith sees someone doing something great in the Faith and they, acting out their jealousy, steps up to criticize them in the insane hope of somehow shutting them down. I personally have been challenged by people who question my authority to do what I do with this podcast. And you have to wonder at the time why what you do should matter to the naysayers in the Faith. What business is it of theirs? 

 

But we know what the issue really is: there’s obvious jealousy at work here. And I’ll be honest with you: from time-to-time I have to keep my heart in check of such jealousy as well. I have come across individuals who are doing phenomenal things in our Faith Community and they’re leading great ministries that make this ministry pale in comparison. And there have been times, although just a few, when I find certain things that these leaders are doing that annoys me to the point that I have to question who gave them the authority to do what they are doing. And thank Yah for His convicting Spirit (aka Ruach) that reveals to me that jealousy is behind my criticisms. 

 

Jealousy has no place in the work of the Gospel and of the Kingdom. Yet jealousy runs rampant in our Faith. Just look at some of the conversations and comments that take place on your social media feeds. Instead of going out and doing that which Master Yeshua gave them to do, many brothers and sister make a habit of sitting back and critically attacking those who are doing what they are supposed to be doing in the Faith. 

 

Verses 31-35-And true to Yah’s Word, quail, brought in by a wind, descended around the people and the camp. Unfortunately, the people lost their minds over the quail. They gave in to their greed and lack of faith that Father would keep His Word and provide them the meat they desired for an entire month. Instead, these gathered large sums of quail and stored them throughout the camp. And the peoples’ dark hearts and actions led to another bout of YHVH’s wrath to fall upon the people: this time in the form of a great plague (Verse 33). Verse 34 in the CJB reads that the name of the place where this all occurred was Kivrot-HaTa’avah, otherwise known as the “Graves of Greed.” And it was called this for obvious reasons: “Therefore that place was named Kivrot-HaTa’avah, because there they buried the people who were so greedy.” 

 

Contentment of Faith

The issue at hand here in this spiritually rich Torah Reading is that of contentment and the question surrounding this issue is: Can Yah’s people learn to be content with that which Yah gives them in the midst of them trusting Him to provide for all their needs? For each of us, the issue of contentment affects many areas of our lives: 

• Material possessions

• Careers

• Station in life (i.e., being rich versus being poor; being well-to-do versus just scraping by; etc)

• Notoriety and fame

• Family and other social relationships

• Food

• Personal health

Here in our Torah Reading, the central thing that the mixed multitude longed for that they strongly felt would bring them contentment at that period of time in their journey, was food: let’s just say something other than manna. As Father fulfilled their craving by granting them an over abundance of quail, the people’s greed could not be contained and they sought to stock up on the quail that was delivered by Yah to the nation by hoarding it in and around the camp. What they thought would make them content turned out to not be the thing that would bring them contentment. In fact, their search to fulfill their cravings and make them content in the form of meat led to a display of greed, which is a sin. And the lesson that this story must convey to any with eyes to see and ears to hear is that true contentment comes only when one gives over their hearts and lives to Yah and His Way of Life. Then and only then can one find true contentment. For desires and cravings cannot truly be fulfilled without Yah being the central focus of one’s life. 

Outside of Yah, in time, one will grow tired of that thing that they thought would bring them contentment. And eventually one who has grown tired of the thing that thought would make them content will seek out something more or even greater to satisfy their cravings or desires. And in the process of searching to fulfill those cravings and desires, they end up violating Yah’s principles and ways–such as we see displayed here in our Reading. 

When one turns their full attention to Yah and His Ways, he or she will find ultimate contentment. And when one finds their contentment in Yah, he or she will in turn glorify and image YHVH in all the earth. 

When we talk about contentment of Faith or contentment in YHVH and His Way of life, we find it to be a heart thing. For when one’s whole heart is given over to YHVH, such that they place their trust in Him, trusting that He will do all that He says he’ll do; and he or she falls in loves YHVH with every fiber of their being, they find true contentment. How you may ask? Because all of their cravings and desires will be overtaken by the things and provisions of Yah. And those once carnal cravings and desires become nothing more than fading memories and passing thoughts in the mind of the elect. 

A well known Jewish prayer captures this idea of contentment in the Ways and Person of Yah quite well:

“Blessed are You, YHVH our Elohim, Who has given me everything I need” (Hegg). 

Shaul echoed this same sentiment when he wrote to the Philippian Assembly of Messianics:

“My El will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Mashiyach Yeshua” (4:19).

You see, this is the entire point behind Master’s instruction to His disciples that they seek first the Kingdom of Yah and His righteousness; and then while in the midst of doing that very thing, Yah will fulfill all His elects’ needs (Matt. 6:33). Prior to this direct instruction by our Master to his loyal disciples (most believe that Yeshua gave this message to a throng of 1,000’s from a mount or hill, but in reality, Master gave this message only to those disciples of His that were willing to climb to the top of the mount and hear the eternal words of the Son of the Most High), He instructed them to:

“Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on…take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? for your heavenly Father knows that you  have need of all these things” (verses 25-32). 

And the billion dollar question facing each of us is, can we bring ourselves in this day and age and within our respective life-situations to do this very thing: Trust in Yah to do what He says He will do and be content in Yah?

Had the ancients done that very thing–turning their eyes, hearts, minds and souls to Yah, being fully committed to Yah’s plan for them, Yah’s daily supply of manna would have more than satisfied them as they sojourned in the wilderness. How? Because they would find contentment in Yah and His Ways: their focus in life would shift entirely from that of their stomachs to that of Yah and his Ways. This same principle certainly can and should apply to each of us today: as we give our all to Yah and Walk in Yah’s Ways, all of the stuff we craved in our former lives will have (or should have) no power over us. We will come to the  inevitable conclusion that Abba has attended to all our needs, and thus, we find ourselves in a state of true contentment and peace in Yah’s eternal provision. That contentment and peace must come with thanksgiving and praise from the contented soul. 

The writer of Psalm 37:4 provides us clarity on this issue:

“Delight thyself also in YHVH; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto YHVH; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass” (KJV).

This contentment in Yah is the thing that orders our steps in everyday life. It directs how we deal with challenges in our lives. Thus, we are able to handle the bad things that come along in our lives in such a way that we are not anxious for our own well-being, but our concern is to please and bring glory and honor to YHVH. Father takes over and makes things work the way they’re supposed to work, in accordance with His perfect will. 

 

Closing and Call to Action

 

In closing my friends, I simply want to encourage you to be content in your life through your living by every Word that proceeds from the Mouth of YHVH, our Elohim.

 

This is not an option I’m afraid. As the End Times descend upon us and we begin to face challenges and persecutions because of our Faith, we will not be able to endure to the end unless we are content in the lives that YHVH gives us as a result of our commitment to Him and His Ways. I’m not talking about being content with the terrible or difficult things that life often brings such as caustic relationships and addictions. For these and all the other terrible things that come into our lives and beset us in our walk with Mashiyach must be dealt with. And in all cases, those things must be turned over to YHVH.

 

That means giving up everything to Yah and trusting Him to take care of every aspect and area of our lives as we Walk in Mashiyach. Then and only then will we find contentment in life: that contentment comes as a byproduct of our Faith. 

 

Thus, we’re going to need contentment when our lives are turned upside down. But Yah will provide and deliver as He has so promised in His Word.

 

Until next time, May you be most blessed, fellow saints in Training.

 

Blessings!