Numbers 11

30 Sep 2026 - Theology

The People Complain Again

Numbers 11:4-6 - “And the mixt 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 garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.”

Moses has an interesting response to the complaints of the people:

Numbers 11:10-15 - “Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.”

Why does Moses react this way, going so far as to ask the Lord to kill him? The people have complained before (see Exodus 15, Exodus 16, and Exodus 17), but Moses was never so displeased that he wanted to die!

There are two types of problems: a technical problem, and an adaptive problem. With a technical problem, the people would need something (like food and water), they would ask Moses, and he would look to the Lord to provide and meet their need. An adaptive problem would require the hearts of the people to change in order for the problem to be fixed.

At this point in Numbers 11, the people already saw the Lord provide for them, giving them manna, quail, and water. Their greatest needs in the desert of hunger and thirst were already met. It is at this point, where the people complain for even more food (cucumbers, melon, leeks, onions, and garlic), that Moses realizes that the hearts of the people still have not changed, even after witnessing every miracle that the Lord has done to provide for them!

It is easy for us to forget how God has helped us in the past, especially when we want something new or need something else.

Leadership Democratized

Notice also verse 12, part of Moses’ response to the complaints of the people:

Numbers 11:12 - “Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?”

There is no record of God ever having asked this of Moses, or ever using those words. So why does Moses say this? Moses certainly never conceived all the people or gave birth to them.

It seems that the way Moses conceives the role of a leader was itself part of the problem. Moses, especially here, seems to have felt that the leader must do it all. He must be the people’s leader, father, mother, the doer, and the problem-solver. If something needs to be done, he must be the one who, as leader, will do it. For example:

Numbers 11:13 (NASB) - “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat!’”

This was either God’s problem or the people’s problem. It was not Moses’ problem.

The trouble is that if the human leader is a parent, then the followers remain dependent on him. They do not develop skills of their own. They do not acquire a sense of responsibility or the self-confidence that comes from exercising it.

If you remember Exodus 32, it was this dependency on Moses that led to the sin of the golden calf. Moses had been absent up the mountain for a long time and the people did not know what had happened to him. They panicked and made a golden calf (or bull). This is one of the reasons why God tells Moses in Numbers 11 to gather a team of seventy elders to share the burden of leadership with him:

Numbers 11:16-17 - “And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.”

God was saying to Moses: Do not even try to do it all yourself. He was telling Moses that his task was not to solve the crisis of the people’s demand for meat. His task was to inspire others with the spirit of God that was upon him - delegating, empowering, guiding, and encouraging. God was telling Moses that great leaders do not create followers; they create leaders. They share their inspiration. They give of the spirit of God to empower others. They do not see the people they lead as children who need a “do-it-all” parent-leader, but as adults who need to be educated to take individual and collective responsibility for their own future.

Numbers 11:25 (NASB) - “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took away some of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Yet they did not do it again.

It is clear here that the spirit that was given to the seventy elders was not the spirit of Moses, but was the Spirit of God - the Holy Spirit. We know from Romans 12 that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy, so it is no surprise that the elders began prophesying. Moses understands here that he is not to carry the burden of leadership alone.

There are real questions here when it comes to understanding God’s response. In what way would the appointment of elders address the internal crisis Moses was undergoing? His problem was that he did not see how he could provide the people with meat. Would seventy elders help solve this problem? Clearly not. Either meat would appear by a miracle or it would not appear at all.

And did Moses need the seventy elders to share the burden of leadership? The answer again is no. Already, not long before in Exodus 18, on the advice of Jethro, he had created an infrastructure of delegation:

Exodus 18:21-23 - “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.”

Moses acted on this suggestion. He therefore already had a leadership class of able men, rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. In what way would this new appointment of seventy elders make a difference? There is also no indication that the seventy elders even did anything after their time of prophecy. Yet Moses appears transformed (see below). What was it that caused this?

The answer, it seems to me, is this: God let Moses see the influence of the Holy Spirit in others. When the people complained, Moses despaired because it was as if nothing had changed in their hearts, even after the transformative experiences of the exodus from Egypt, walking through the Red Sea, the construction of the Tabernacle, and the trauma of the golden calf. But here with prophecy of the seventy elders, Moses has undeniable proof that God is working in the hearts of others. Moses now saw that the seventy elders had received the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. His vision for the people was not his alone, but God had planted it in others. Others, too, had the ability to continue his work after his lifetime.

Eldad and Medad

Numbers 11:26-29 (NASB) - “But two men had remained in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other, Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. So a young man ran and informed Moses, and said, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ Then Joshua the son of Nun, the personal servant of Moses from his youth, responded and said, ‘My lord Moses, restrain them!’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!’”

Moses is transformed, He understands now that the Spirit of God is to be shared.

Numbers 11:31-35 - “And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp… And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails… And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted. And the people journeyed from Kibrothhattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.”

God did what Moses and the seventy elders could not do. He again provided the people with the meat they desired. Yet He also sent a very great plague, killing the people that complained.

References

1. The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
2. Rabbi Seymour Rossel, The Torah Portion-by-Portion (2007)
3. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation - Numbers: The Wilderness Years (2017)