Psalm 106:15

 

Psalm 106:15 

They got what they asked for!

We sometimes advise people to, “Be careful what you wish for!” As we know, it was not just water that became the source of the travelling Israelites’ complaints against Moses and the Lord, they also grumbled and wailed about the daily supply of Manna. Numbers 11 sets out the story in detail, in verse 4-5 we read, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

Moses took the criticism and moaning personally and appealed to the Lord, “What have I done to displease You that You put the burden of all these people on me?” It was this incident that prompted the Lord to send in quail from the sea; the account reads like it was almost a petulant act on His part! The quail landed amongst the people up to 3 feet deep all around them, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. There was enough for at least 1 ¾ tons per person!!! 

Numbers 11:33 tells us, “But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and He struck them with a severe plague.” The people’s craving certainly paid off, the Lord gave them exactly what they wished for, but He also sent a wasting disease among them. Psalm 78:31 recalls this moment in the severest of terms, “God’s anger rose against them; He put to death the sturdiest amongst them, cutting down the young men of Israel.” 

It's sobering to note that people’s cravings are usually the source of their downfall be it alcohol, drugs, sex, food, money and possessions, power and fame. In fact, anything that we crave in this world will ultimately cause us harm. It is even more sobering to think that there are times when the Lord God may allow us to indulge those cravings even though He knows that they are destructive. It is because He always gives us a choice, our free will is involved, we do not have to follow the road that leads to our own destruction, although so many do.

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