If you would go ahead and turn
with me to Numbers chapter 11. While you're turning, let me
say that this study was a bit convicting to me. Let's begin reading here in verse
one. I want to just look at the first
six verses tonight. In verse one, and when the people
complained, it displeased the Lord and the Lord heard it. And
his anger was kindled in the fire of the Lord burnt among
them and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the
camp." The first thing that we see in this chapter is the description
that the Holy Spirit through Moses gives of the people of
God in the wilderness. I remind you again that this
wasn't some heathen idol worshiping nation. This was those who God
had delivered out of Egypt. God addressed them in the beginning
to Moses as my people, go tell Pharaoh to let my people go. And they complained and it displeased
the Lord. And the Lord heard it and his
anger was kindled. and the fire of the Lord burnt
among them and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts
of the camp." Now, a better rendering of the phrase there, the people
complained, in my marginal Bible at home, the one that I study
with, says, these people were complainers. It would have been
probably a better way to translate that phrase there. The people
were complainers. I confess to you tonight that
that very well describes me. By nature, I'm a complainer.
I complain about this. I complain about that. If we
could record the events of our daily lives and watch them back
on a big screen as bystanders, all of us would have to agree
that we're complainers. We complain a great deal and
never really give it much thought. A lot of times I complain, no
one else is in the room. We complain about the weather,
hot or cold, rain or shine. It's never just right, is it?
We complain about the government. We complain about one another.
We even complain about ourselves. As people, we are complainers. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10,
verse 10, neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and
were destroyed of the destroyer. Now, all these things happen
unto them, and he's referring to Israel. He's referring to
those that we're looking at here in Numbers 11. He said, these
things happen unto them for an example, and they are written
for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come,
Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he
fall." Someone may be immediately thinking, well, I'm not a complainer.
Take heed, lest you yourself fall. You are a complainer. All of us are by nature. It comes
as easy for us as breathing does. And again, I remind you of what
you already know. The nation of Israel was a people
who were chosen by God. They were mistreated badly in
slavery for over 400 years. They were delivered by God from
cruel bondage. They were given the pedigree
of being God's children. They were given an ensign, a
flag, a banner of belonging to Christ. They were given a cloud
for protection and to lead them. What a picture that is of Christ's
work of substitution for us. They were given the pillar of
fire by night, picturing the light of God's gospel given to
his people in this dark and evil world in which we live. Christ
was that pillar of a cloud. Christ is that pillar of the
fire. The Lord himself was their leader. He was their protector
and he led them on their journey to a city whose maker and builder
is God. With the Lord watching over them,
Every step of the way, they are a chosen people, accepted and
complete and in need of absolutely nothing. Everything that they
need, God provided for them. That's still true today. Everything
that you and I need to be accepted of God, God himself provided
it. There's nothing for us to do.
The work is finished. God Himself is providing their
every need, just as He provides all of ours in Christ. Paul told
the church at Philippi, he said, but my God shall, shall supply
all your need, singular, not needs, need. We have one great
need, the need of salvation, the need of Christ, who is the
one thing needful. God supplies us with the one
thing needful, and that's his beloved son. God doesn't supply
all our greed. He supplies all of our need. And that is according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus, Philippians 419. God's elect
have been sought out. They've been purchased. They've
been bought with the blood of the Lord Jesus Himself. They're
in the hand of the one in whom no man and no one can pluck them
from. If anything goes sideways, there's
got to be a but. There's got to be an exception
to explain it. Yet there is not. There are no
ifs, ands, and buts with a sovereign, omnipotent God. Everything is
accomplished according to His purpose. And what do we do? We complain. That's why the first
word of verse one here is and. They being complainers is not
some big surprise. It doesn't begin with the word
but, it begins with the word and. In spite of all that God
had done for them, for them to complain, the sentence would
need to begin with a but, for there to be a real reason for
it. But meaning nevertheless or even
so, the word but suggests an element of surprise. But it doesn't
begin with a but, it begins with the word and. These people were
complainers in spite of all of God's goodness to them. The word
and suggests that their actions and their attitude of complaining
was normal. It was to be expected from the
moment their feet hit the sand in the desert wilderness, these
people were complainers. To Moses, this was no big surprise. Well, he'd been hearing it before
they ever left Egypt. But why would a people who had
so much to be thankful for be such unthankful complainers? Well, you know the answer, it's
called indwelling sin. If I may take some liberty to
paraphrase here, Paul in Romans chapter seven said, I do the
very things that I don't approve of. I think that's the testimony
of all of us if we're honest and constantly do things that
I hate, I abhor my sin. Why do I do that? Man, I say
that to myself, why did you say that? Why did you think that?
Why do you do that? Comes as easy as breathing. Paul
said, I do the very things that I don't want to do. The old man
within us is still present and he is not our friend. Paul said,
nothing good dwells in my flesh. I can desire to be perfect, but
I can't perform it. I want to be thankful and obedient,
but I have no power to carry it out. What a desperate struggle
that goes on within us. There are two wheels in every
believer. The new man wills to be holy
and the old man wills to sin. Paul said, there's another law
in my members. Do you see that other law in
your members? It's not a pretty thing. It's
one that is warring against the law of your mind. One that is
bringing you, Paul said, into captivity to the law of sin. This is real. That will being
one that is never satisfied, that will being one that is never
content, never happy, one that's always complaining. Everything
we do is affected by sin, everything. The text speaks to our nature.
The clarity of scripture is just amazing, isn't it? We would prefer
for that sentence to begin with but, suggesting that this wicked
behavior of ours is some kind of exception or abnormality. But it's not, is it? The action and attitude of Israel
displeased the Lord. We're told that again, verse
one, when the people complained, it displeased the Lord and the
Lord heard it. His anger was kindled. And the
fire of the Lord, the judgment of God burnt among them and consumed
them that were in the utmost parts of the camp. Verse two,
and the people cried unto Moses. And when Moses prayed unto the
Lord, the fire was quenched and he called the name of the place
Taborah, meaning a burning. That's what the word means. because
the fire of the Lord burnt among them." Now listen to me, a dissatisfied
and complaining spirit causes displeasure with the Lord. Be
ready for anything and ready for everything when you quarrel
and when you complain and you murmur against God. So first
let's consider the complaint itself. Why did it provoke the
response that it did? Well, in verses four through
six, we see the true reason for every complaint of every sinner,
how instructive God's word is to us. You know, all scripture
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness, all of it, numbers 11 included. Verse four, and the mixed multitude
that was among them fell a lusting. And the children of Israel also
wept again and said, who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember
the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and
the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but
now our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all beside
this manna before our eyes. And again, I remind you that
these are the words of those who have need of nothing. Everything's
provided for them. He's provided every single need
that they have. The same as he has for us, I
might add. And what do they say? They say,
but now our soul is dried away. They're not complaining here
of what they need. They're complaining about what
they want. That word soul. S-O-U-L here
in verse six in the Hebrew, the word is nephesh. And it has to
do with the most inner desires of men and women by nature. Matter
of fact, the Hebrew word gives reference to an animal and beastly
instinct. It gives reference to deadly,
greedy, creature lust. Not simply a need of food, but
a want, a desire for the most exotic food. The lust to eat,
to partake of the best that Egypt, this world, has to offer. An
insatiable, unquenchable, uncontrollable, unappeasable appetite that borders
even ravenous, wolfish instinct and desire that can never be
satisfied. That's what that word means.
I've personally seen this insatiable desire ruin men and women. whether
it had to do with money or the lust of the flesh, whatever.
I've seen it ruined, folks. And at one time, it wasn't far
from ruining me. But thank God, God intervened. It's within each and every one
of us. Israel gives us just a little look into how it manifests itself. It's a declaration of dissatisfaction. It's a manifestation of malcontent. It's the true meaning of murmuring,
complain, grumble, moan, gripe, And if I'm honest with myself,
if I really stop and watch and listen, I'll catch myself daily
complaining, not being satisfied with having what I need, being
ungrateful for what I want and don't have. Like Israel, I'm
no doubt a griper, a grumbler, a moaner, and a complainer. But
proof we have in the very next phrase here found in verse six,
Israel said these words, there is nothing at all beside. There's
nothing at all beside. What they had, though completely
sufficient for every need, was in reality not enough. They wanted
something else. They wanted something more. It's
something that's in all of us. What is it with these folks that
it's not enough? Well, the last phrase here is
a telling one. They said there is nothing at
all beside this manna before our eyes. You know, in another
place, they said we loathe this light bread. Does that seem insignificant? Not when manna is a type of Christ. Not when this is referring to
Christ, who is that bread of life that fell from heaven. It's
not a light thing at all. Not a meaningful thing at all.
Christ is the bread from heaven. And it's the only provision given
by God to his people. And it's all his people need.
Christ, the bread from heaven, the only provision God gives.
And they weren't saying that the manna was not ample food. They weren't saying that at all.
What they were saying was, we want more. People today will
claim Christ to be their savior. Don't have any problem with Jesus
being my savior, but then they always desire to add something. They always want to contribute
in some way. Why? Christ is all you need. And he's all that God requires.
If the debt is paid in full, why do you want to pay more?
Why do men and women want more? I think I have a pretty good
idea. Because they themselves want to share in the role of
being God. They want to, as a co-God, share
in the glory of their own deliverance. Actually, when you think about
it, that's part of the curse. We desire to be as God. That's
what makes this such a horrific sin. And this is the issue of
the gospel. It means that I want something
more than what God has provided. And it means that I want something
more than Christ. Hell and destruction are never
full. So the eyes of man are never
satisfied. That's a fact. Proverbs 27, 20. The manna from heaven, Christ
our bread, will never satisfy the flesh. The old man that resides
within us always brings to our mind so-called better things. Verse four reveals the source
of our complaints. It says the mixed multitude,
that's the source. This specifically refers to some
of the Egyptians that came out of Egypt with the children of
God. If you read in Exodus chapter 12, it says there, and the children
of Israel journeyed and a mixed multitude went up also with them
and flocks and herds, even very much cattle. The mixed multitude
is among us. It lives within us. That's what
this picture. And it falls to lusting, as the
verse says, wanting more, wanting better. The mixed desire within
us always cries, who shall give us what we want? We meet together
to hear the gospel. We meet together to worship our
God. But the mixed multitude says, well, we need some youth
programs and we need some soul winning instruction and we need
some classes on how to be Christians. The agenda of the mixed multitude
always wants something to do, and it always has something to
do with self-righteousness, self-exaltation, self-will, self-work, self-glory,
us adding our little bit to it. A little leaven leavens the whole
loaf. These mixed multitudes come with us from Egypt. We brought
them into the church from the world with us. They're within
us, they're in our hearts. We can't take evil out of the
world because we can't take evil out of the man in the world.
This picture is the false religion of man's works and man's free
will. They came with us out of Egypt.
This mixed multitude were the very ones that bound Israel and
us with chains. They're the very ones that brought
Israel and us down to the grave. And they dare not remind us of
the sorrow and the bondage that we experienced in Egypt. No,
no. They remind us of the taste and
the smells and the fulfillment of satisfied flesh. Satan coats
his lies with honey. He makes bondage taste like freedom. Suddenly compromise seems reasonable
and cooperation with the world has a pleasant taste. Oh, it's
so subtle and so destructive. They said, give us flesh or we
die. That's not subtle. God was providing
them with bread that fell from heaven. He was providing them
drink from a rock. That rock was Christ. What they're
saying is we want more. We remember the tasty dishes
of Egypt, that wonderful food that we ate freely. We miss the
cucumbers and the melons. We miss the seasoning of the
leeks and the onions and the garlic. All we have is this manna
before our eyes. They headed backwards and so
does religion today. God said, seek ye first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, which is Christ. And all these
other things shall be added unto you. But Israel sought after
the other things and they desired them over life everlasting and
over rest eternal in the land that God promised. We get it
backwards so easy. And what happened to them? All
of them over the age of 20 died in the wilderness of this sin
infested world. And again, verse one says, God
heard, God was angry, dissatisfied, and God sent fire. By their complaints,
Israel was saying, Christ is not enough. It's exactly what
they were saying. Christ is not enough. A lot of
folks saying that today without saying it. Christ is not enough.
They wanted more. They were saying that God's provision
was unfulfilling and God will not have the value and the worth
and the honor of his son diminished to any degree. And God sent fire. God still sends fire today. He'll
send the fire of judgment and wrath and condemnation. Or if
he's merciful, he'll send the fire of chastisement. You know,
under the old covenant, his fire was the fire of destruction.
They were the flames of his just and holy and consuming wrath.
But thank God under the new covenant to his elect, it's the flames
of chastisement that he sent. The very fire that consumes the
dross and refines the gold that Peter spoke about in first Peter.
It's what melts away all that useless junk within us. If you're in Christ, dear sinner,
rejoice that God deals with you as sons and daughters. For what
son or daughter are they whom the Lord chasteneth not? We ought
to thank God for His fire of chastisement. That means that
He looks at us as His sons and His daughters. Now, no chastening
for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous, but this
fire is found in the furnace of God's compassion and love
and mercy and grace, not in His wrath and in His judgment. Nevertheless,
afterward, this chastening yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are exercised thereby. Thank God for it. Beloved,
this flesh of ours cannot be reformed. I don't know what makes
folks think that it can be. This flesh cannot be improved
upon. This flesh cannot be renovated.
It has to be crucified. It has to be destroyed. It has
to die. It has to be forever buried.
It's the soul, it's the spirit within a man and a woman that
lives forever. And that's why the last thing
we receive in our redemption is a glorified body. In Romans
8, Paul said that God foreknew a people and those that he foreknew,
he predestinated, he predetermined them to be conformed to the image
of his perfect son. That's how he saves them. He
can have no dealings with the ungodly. God can by no means
clear the guilty because he's a holy God that cannot have anything
to do with sin. No sinful man or woman can look
upon God and live. Why? Because he's too holy and
we'd be consumed. Every one of his sheep, God affectionately
called. Whom he foreknew, he predestinated,
and whom he predestinated, he called. He called them affectionately.
Every one of them are gonna come. If they don't come, he never
called them. That's not hard to understand. People just don't
believe it. People disagree with it. Well, God loves everybody,
doesn't he? I often tried to imagine the
bumper sticker on the back of the ark that said, smile, God
loves you, as you're sitting there drowning. Better read the
scriptures. Every one of his sheep, God affectionately
called. He crossed their path with the
gospel. He crossed their path with the shepherd. He gave them
to the shepherd and the shepherd has kept them all. He said, all
that the father gives me, I, the great shepherd, will not
lose a one. The great shepherd justified
them. He paid their sin debt. He kept the law in their place.
He satisfied justice on their behalf. And every single one
of them, he will glorify. Every single one of them will
put off corruption and put on incorruption. And every single
mortal for whom Christ died is gonna put on immortality and
receive a glorified body that has no sin. Everything we do,
everything we think, everything we say is affected by sin. Why do I say that? Why do I think
that? Why do I do that? Sin, that's
why. but he was made to be sin. He
who knew no sin was made to be sin. Though we're nothing but
sin, he was made to be sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Can we have more than that? Absolutely
not. He that hath the son hath life,
period. No ifs, ands, and buts. You know,
I've often said this, think about it a lot. If we had a potion
from a fountain head that we could give to folks to give them
eternal life, this building wouldn't even come close to holding those
who would desire to have it. Well, look around you tonight,
far from full capacity, aren't we? Yet I declare to you, Christ
is that fountain, that fountain from which flows rivers of living
water. But most folks just aren't interested.
Now, if you told them they had to do something to receive a
drink from that fountain, there'd be many partakers. But when you
tell them that it's free, that it's without money and it's without
price, and that all the credit and the honor and the glory,
the thanks go to God who freely gave it, few there will be that
are interested and desire it. That's a testimony to just how
messed up we are by nature. If you have an interest and a
desire for the man that fell from heaven, then you better
thank God for he's the one that gave you that interest and that
desire. And if you cry to your great
mediator as Israel did to Moses and Christ, who is our one and
only mediator between us and God, like Moses will pray to
his father and the fire of God's wrath against you and judgment
will be quenched according to verse two. Christ is the only
one who can pray that our faith fail us not. And it be heard
of God and be made effectual. Peter, Satan has desired to sift
you as wheat. The Lord didn't say, I'm not
gonna let him. The Lord said, I'm gonna pray
that your faith fail you not while he's sifting you as wheat.
That'll work. It'll be good. If my faith fail
me not and I trust in Christ to the end, I shall be saved.
Those that endure to the end shall be saved. By God's grace,
I don't have near as much an appetite anymore for the delicatessence
of Egypt. The cucumbers and the melons
have just lost their savor. The leeks and the onions and
the garlic of this world no longer season my taste buds to any great
degree. I thank God for it. And the reason
I do is because now I see Christ, the manna from heaven before
my eyes. And since by grace I eat his
body that was broken for me and I drink his blood that was shed
for me, I see that I have that one thing that I need. And I
have a perfect union with him by partaking of him. And that's
all the hope that any saved sinner has. Christ in him crucified. That's all God's people desire.
Is it so with you? Is it so with me? It's a question
we need to ask ourselves often. Is Christ enough? Yes, He is. Yes, He is. That's what I try
to tell you every time we meet. Christ is sufficient. He's all
that you need. Trust in Him. Only trust Him. Only trust Him. Only trust Him
now. He will save you. He will. He'll save you now. All that
have ever called upon Him, He saved. May God help us to speak
and praise and worship with gratitude and thankfulness from this very
mouth that we so easily complain with. May God be pleased to make
it so for his glory, for our good, and for Christ's sake.
Father, thank you for your word. Thank you, Lord, that it's profitable
for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, teaching us something
of your perfect righteousness in the Lord Jesus. Lord, give
us that perfect righteousness. We know that You made Your Son
to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. Make it so, Lord, for Christ's
sake, we ask. Lord, make us worshipers, not
complainers. Teach us to continue to lean
upon the Lord Jesus. He's our only hope and He's everything
that we need. He's everything that you require.
Thank you, Lord, for providing for us freely what we could never
provide for ourselves. It's in Christ's name that we
pray these things and ask these things. Amen.