Numbers 11:5, commentary and pictures

Israel in the wilderness looked back with longing to the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic they had eaten freely in Egypt, complaining that their souls were dried away with nothing but manna before their eyes. Their memory was selective and ungrateful, idealizing the plenty of bondage while forgetting its hardship and slavery, and despising the bread from heaven after repeated deliverance and care. God had given manna with pure water to meet their real needs and keep them in health, largely withholding flesh not because it was forbidden but to prove them, to discipline perverted appetite, and to train them back to simple wholesome food. Because they persisted in weeping and lusting for flesh, He in anger gave them quails in abundance until gluttony brought burning plague and death while the meat was yet between their teeth. Their craving shows appetite ruling over reason under Satan's attack, and stands as a warning to God's people in the last days not to turn back from health reform and separation from the world toward Egypt, but to accept God's wise restrictions with contentment and self-denial.

Complaint and Context

The remembered menu was fish eaten without cost, together with cucumbers and melons and leeks and onions and garlic, set against the complaint that the throat was dried out and nothing but manna stood before the eyes. That recollection was lusting and murmuring, discontent with the provision that met their needs and kept them healthy, rebellion against guidance, and craving for meat and rejection of the simple diet intended for them. Their insistence brought the food demanded, though flesh was not essential to health and was not best for them, and the granting both taught what they really needed and brought consequences.

The people wept and mourned aloud, loathed manna as insubstantial bread, cried out for flesh to eat, and declared that life had gone well with them in Egypt. The weeping began with the mixed multitude of believing Egyptians, who lusted first and stirred seditious murmuring and dissatisfaction that infected nearly the whole camp. Their idolatrous and irreverent habits spread through the camp with that discontent.

Their memory was selective and idealized, recalling former food while disregarding hardship and bondage and slavery under a tyrannical and idolatrous people. They wished themselves back sitting by the fleshpots, hankering after animal food from depraved appetite indulged in Egypt, and preferred slavery and even death to going without meat. Appetite itself had been shaped by deprivation and hard labor, and the richer diet many had grown accustomed to in Egypt was what they recalled. The memory was sharpened by the hardship and plain fare of bondage, and those Egyptians accustomed to luxury were the first to complain.

The complaint came after being brought out of Egypt in victory and led through the wilderness to prove and try them, in order to test whether serving God and the freedom miraculously given were valued more than pleasures and comforts enjoyed in slavery. It rose despite repeated deliverance and care and blessing, abundance for all necessities, and the promise to take them as a peculiar treasure and preserve them from disease upon obedience. In murmuring over restricted appetite they blamed Moses and accused him of ruling arbitrarily, though he was only the divine instrument to lead them into submission and obedience. That continual murmuring and rebellion made his burden heavy. God then told Moses to gather seventy elders to bear the burden with him, and told the people to sanctify themselves because after weeping for flesh they would eat flesh.

When content with their portion they found manna sweet and nourishing, but when dissatisfied it seemed loathsome. Contentment is blessing and discontent is curse.

Manna and Withheld Flesh

In the wilderness the provision was bread rained from heaven, angels' food prepared by angels, given together with purest water from the flinty rock and with the promise to take away sickness and put none of Egypt's diseases upon them if they obeyed. That food was what was wished for them, and it was healthful for them and their children. None among their tribes was feeble under it, and it met their real needs even while they complained that it was inadequate.

Animal flesh was not forbidden, but it was withheld in great measure and the flesh diet was withheld for their good. Those indulgences were withheld to test whether serving God and the freedom miraculously given were valued more than pleasures and comforts enjoyed in slavery under a tyrannical, idolatrous people. They were led where a flesh diet could not be obtained in order to educate, discipline, and train them in correct habits, to bring them back to simple fruits, vegetables, and grains, and to bring perverted appetite into a healthier state after appetite had been shaped by deprivation and hard labor and by the richer diet many had become accustomed to in Egypt.

Flesh was refused to keep them in health physically, mentally, and morally. Had appetite been denied in obedience they would have had greater physical and mental strength, would have remained a healthy people, and would have been carried into Canaan and established there a pure, holy, happy, separated peculiar people with not a feeble one among them, bearing the divine credentials in physical appearance and preserved in strength and readiness for useful service. Flesh would have been given from the first if it had been essential to health, but it was not essential, and what was given was what was really needed by One who created and redeemed them and who understood what influence flesh eating has upon the human system.

Granted Craving and Judgment

Because they persisted in lusting and murmuring for the foods remembered from Egypt, God in anger gave them what they demanded, sending quails from heaven in abundance to gratify their lustful appetites. The flesh was not given because it was best for them, but to teach them that He knew their real needs and to humble them into submission. They had loathed the bread from heaven and water from the flinty rock, longed to sit by the fleshpots and eat flesh freely, and preferred slavery and even death to going without meat.

He left them to eat until gluttony and excess took hold, and in that excess earthly appetite was encouraged. The more they centered their thoughts on Egypt's food, the more they hated the bread from heaven given to keep them healthy physically, mentally, and morally.

Then His wrath was kindled and He smote them with a very great plague while the flesh was yet between their teeth. Many suffered burning fevers and died after eating the meat, with thousands and great numbers dying while eating the meat for which they had lusted, and He worked no miracle to preserve life. They ate to excess and were speedily punished.

The withholding until they demanded it and the judgment after giving it show that permission to eat flesh was a means to shorten life. Though eating of dead animals had been permitted in earlier times, He knew it would shorten life and inflict the punishment of death pronounced after the curse. Their choice to reject the bread from heaven and choose their own appetite brought dissension, sickness, and death rather than health and happiness. Indulgence in appetite weakens resistance to temptation and prepares the way for sensuality and disregard of moral duties, and unwillingness to deny craving in obedience produced the feebleness and disease that hindered them and their descendants. Disease and misery result when people depart from wise arrangements and give in to appetite and sinful desires, even at the cost of health and life.

Through gratification of appetite they were overthrown and fell in the wilderness. Nearly all who left Egypt consequently died there instead of entering Canaan.

Appetite, Satan, and Sin

The longing for fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic was lusting that let appetite control reason, a corrupted, depraved and perverted appetite dissatisfied with wise restriction instead of grateful and trusting. The mixed multitude first lusted and stirred seditious murmuring that infected nearly all the camp, and all joined in weeping for flesh meat and greater variety, especially flesh meats wisely largely withheld, growing weary of manna rained from heaven and prepared by angels though they knew it was the food intended for them and healthful for them and their children so that none among their tribes was feeble, yet saying their soul was dried away. That perverted appetite is what God was seeking to bring into a healthier state, but murmuring and longing for flesh led them away from the food and blessings intended for them, and letting appetite rule helped lead them into grievous sin and rebellion.

Craving does not prove need, for appetite is a false guide whose indulgence leads to gluttony and ruin. Failure to restrain it in longing for Egypt's foods and dissatisfaction with simple wholesome provision brought physical and mental decline, weakened discernment of truth and duty, and helped lead to repeated backsliding, while God's restrictions are wise safeguards and daily restraint and self-denial preserve strength and readiness for useful service. Satan, the author of disease and misery, attacks where he can succeed best, through appetite, having controlled appetite since leading Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and having controlled descendants until their crimes brought destruction by the Flood, and he came first to the mixed multitude to make them discontent with healthful provision.

Under his direct temptation Israel let appetite control reason, and through indulgence was led to commit grievous sins, corrupt passions, sin and rebellion that provoked God and awakened His wrath so they fell in the wilderness. Appetite thus became his means to lead the people into sin, and through gratification of lustful appetite and corrupt passions for Egypt they were overthrown, so that nearly all who left Egypt died there instead of entering Canaan. He even boasted that the Son of God who was with Moses and Joshua could not resist his power and lead His chosen people to Canaan.

Hunger for temporal food is not the greatest calamity, for physical wants must be secondary to God's requirements and to submission to His choice of proper food. The words that man shall not live by bread alone were given for that rebellion when God restricted diet and they clamored for flesh meats remembering Egypt, and Christ afterward used them to repulse Satan when suffering keen hunger, showing the same point of appetite by which Satan overcame Adam and controlled the world was then brought almost overpoweringly against Christ. Had they put God's requirements first and submitted to His choice of food they would have remained a healthy people and been established in Canaan as a holy, happy people with not a feeble one in all their tribes, but indulgence of perverted appetite led into numerous grievous sins and caused them to fall. Their habits of eating showed whether they were of the world or among God's separated peculiar people, for centering thoughts on the fleshpots and encouraging earthly appetite made them hate more and more the bread from heaven given to keep them healthy physically, mentally and morally.

Lessons for Today

The course in the wilderness stands as an example to the Israel of God in the last days not to provoke God as ancient Israel did, not to depart from Him and mingle with the world and follow the abominations of the nations, but to remain separate as a pure, holy, happy people bearing the divine credentials in physical appearance with not a feeble one among the tribes. That history is repeated when His people turn back from health reform and encourage appetite rather than self-denial, resisting restrictions on the journey just as appetites were restricted on the way from Egypt to Canaan after long following their own preferences. The lament over the foods eaten in Egypt is the same complaining heard when meat-eating is restricted, with weeping over food because desired flesh is withheld.

The same hankering after flesh is done in the present time, centering thoughts on the fleshpots and flesh meats of Egypt and encouraging earthly appetite until the bread from heaven given to keep body, mind, and morals healthy is hated, and indulging perverted appetite today weakens the digestive organs and brings acute disease and death. The craving for meat felt after it is left behind brings loss of desire for other food and weakness and trembling from lack of its stimulus, yet it comes from impulse and love of selfish indulgence rather than reason and the appetite behind it can be trained. Eating meat can revive an appetite that has been restrained, but by firmly refusing to buy or cook meat the craving passes, natural appetite for bread, fruit, grains, and vegetables returns, the head becomes clear, strength becomes firmer, and the goneness common with meat eaters is gone when reason takes the place of impulse and the flesh of dead animals is not tasted.

Dissatisfaction with simple, wholesome provision and failure to restrain appetite brought physical and mental decline, weakened ability to discern truth and duty, and helped lead to repeated backsliding, so God's restrictions on appetite are wise safeguards and daily restraint, self-denial, and regular meals preserve strength, physical and moral health, and readiness for useful service. Temperance in eating and drinking and acceptance of health reform give ministers and all believers clearer minds to discern what does and does not affect the salvation of the soul, while craving that became transgression reaped its own result when quails were given in abundance and plague destroyed thousands with flesh still between the teeth and no miracle worked to preserve life. Workers especially must resist appetite and old habits of indulgence clamoring for control even after leaving Egypt, controlling perverted appetites and following the laws of life and health rather than by example encouraging others' harmful habits.

Longing for Egypt's leeks and onions pictures professed Christians who are not dead to the world, clinging to worldly ways, comforts, fashions, dress, and customs while claiming to follow God and expecting heaven, showing love of the world, conformity to the world, attachment, reluctance toward a self-denying humble life, and estrangement from grace. Those who know Christ will instead seek separation from the world, follow His humble example, enter through the strait gate and narrow way rather than climbing up some other way, and walk worthy of Him. The list of remembered foods represents a desire to turn back toward Egypt instead of continuing toward Canaan, warning against returning to former eating habits, so that choosing plain, wholesome food and refusing unhealthy foods such as hot biscuits even when others object is part of following God's guidance and holding to principle. Preferring return to bondage over denying appetite parallels the later desire for riches and splendor and rejection of God's rule when appetites were not gratified and murmuring arose.