I am so sick of manna!
The riffraff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, “Why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt—and got it free!—to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna.”
Numbers 11.4-6 The Message
The history of the Children of Israel is so very interesting. Few people get to see the hand of God manifested in such amazing ways. Really, they were delivered from slavery by God raising up an unconventional leader. That leader was the voice of God who rained down plagues that revealed the impotence of the Egyptian gods. The people were brought across the Red Sea on dry land. God gave his people water from rocks and manna in the morning to nourish them and provide strength for their journey. By all accounts, manna was wonderful to eat, a delicacy unlike any other.
Yet, in Numbers chapter 11, we find the people complaining about manna and not having any variety in their diets. In fact, they were so sick of manna that they remembered the wonderful and varied diet of Egypt. They seemed to be willing to trade their freedom (and the care of a loving God) for the fish sautéed in onions, garlic, and leeks! (Talk about bad breath!) The Israelites complained that God provided for their needs, and didn't give them the luxuries that they craved.
Simply put, they complained because enough wasn't enough.
How similar we are to the Israelites. God provides for our needs (he promises to do that!) and we complain that we just simply don't have enough! Because our every want and desire isn't met, we complain. We moan. We long for the days of more. Complain, complain, complain...
Our complaining flies in the face of the amazing generosity with which God grants us his grace. He loved us so much that he traded the glory of heaven, for the pain and suffering of the cross. All of this pain was to enable us to return to him. His act of love on our behalf frees us from death and slavery to sin and gives us life eternal. What amazing provision he has made for us.
Yet we long for fish poached in onions, garlics, and leeks...
--Just my ponderings...
