Numbers 11:1-3 Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.
In the first 10 chapters of Numbers, Israel was ordered, organized, cleansed, separated, blessed, taught how to give, reminded of God’s deliverance, given God’s presence, and the tools to advance to the Promised Land. Now, having set out towards Canaan, after just a few days the people complained.
Why do people complain so much?
We might think it strange that a people so blessed could still complain. God did so much in and for Israel; yet they still murmured against Him. They were still in the wilderness and their circumstances were not easy, but nothing good came of it when the people complained
We aren’t told here exactly what Israel complained about. It is possible that it simply came from a generally dissatisfied heart. Sometimes we complain not for any one great reason, but because our hearts are dissatisfied.
The complaints where not so much as just venting their frustration but a literal translation of this sentence could be, "Now the people became truly murmurous, an offence to Yahweh’s ears."
Their complaining made God displeased. Complaining hearts often displease God, especially when they show little gratitude for what He did in the past, and little faith for what God could do at the moment.
A Consuming fire
Israel had valued the pillar of God’s fire present with them every night. Here, that the fire and the presence of God became something of a two-edged sword. God’s fire was present with Israel to comfort them, but it was also present to deal with their sin
Hebrews 12:29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Aaron’s sons, Abihu and Nadab, were destroyed by fire when they offered strange fire, which is a profane sacrifice in the tabernacle. Their sacrifice was a sign of disregard for the holiness of God and the need to honor Him in holy fear.
Here we see the people being consumed by fire as a result of complaints. This purging fire was limited to the outskirts of the camp, a mercy of the Lord. He might have cast his fire into the very midst of the camp and killed many more persons than suffered this terrible judgment.
The people cried out to Moses
Ideally, Israel would have cried out to God directly. Because they lacked a strong sense of relationship with God Himself, they brought their cry to Moses instead of bringing it to the Lord.
Moses didn't put off the fire himself but, "when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched".
Taberah became known as "Burning", a place in the wilderness of Paran, where the "fire of the Lord" consumed the murmuring Israelites (Numbers 11:3; Deuteronomy 9:22). It was also called Kibroth-hattaavah.
The complaining of the people wasn't over, we will see that it continued and a few more ended up dying. God was teaching His people in the wilderness and many signs and wonders occured in this desert place.
The most important fact here is that when the people cried to Moses, he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died out
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