In the narrative of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, the episode concerning their complaint for meat is a significant demonstration of God's responsiveness to prayer, even amidst human discontent and lack of faith. This event is recorded in the Book of Numbers, chapter 11, and highlights both the challenges of leadership and the divine provision in response to human need.

Context and Complaint

The Israelites, having been delivered from slavery in Egypt and sustained by manna in the wilderness, began to express dissatisfaction with their diet. They lamented the absence of the variety of foods they had in Egypt, particularly meat, and voiced their complaints openly. Numbers 11:4-6 captures their grievance: "The rabble among them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, 'Who will feed us meat? We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!'"

Moses' Intercession

Faced with the people's complaints and the burden of leadership, Moses turned to God in prayer. His prayer was one of desperation and frustration, as he felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of leading a discontented people. Numbers 11:11-15 records Moses' plea: "So Moses asked the LORD, 'Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth, that You should tell me to carry them in my bosom, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land that You swore to give their fathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? For they keep crying out to me, "Give us meat to eat!" I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how You are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in Your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.'"

God's Response

In response to Moses' prayer, God provided a solution that addressed both the immediate need for meat and the broader issue of leadership. God instructed Moses to gather seventy elders to share the burden of leadership, thus alleviating Moses' load. Numbers 11:16-17 states: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Bring Me seventy of Israel’s elders known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you. And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.'"

Furthermore, God promised to provide meat for the Israelites, not just for a day, but for an entire month, until it became loathsome to them. Numbers 11:18-20 records God's words: "Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow you will eat meat, because you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will feed us meat? For we were better off in Egypt!" Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will eat it not for one or two days, nor for five or ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have cried out before Him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'"

Provision of Quail

True to His word, God sent a wind that brought quail from the sea, covering the camp in abundance. Numbers 11:31-32 describes the miraculous provision: "Now a wind went out from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea. It heaped them up all around the camp to a depth of two cubits for a day’s journey in every direction. All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp."

This episode underscores the power of prayer and God's faithfulness in responding to the needs of His people, even when their requests stem from a place of complaint. It also highlights the importance of leadership and the sharing of burdens, as demonstrated by the appointment of the seventy elders. Moses' intercession and God's subsequent actions reveal a dynamic relationship between divine provision and human responsibility.Numbers 11:11-35
And Moses said to the LORD, Why have you afflicted your servant? and why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
Nave's Topical Index

Of Prayer --A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits ...
... Argument founded on a passage in Moses. ... what we asked, being persuaded that he has
answered our prayers ... Hence David's method of prayer to which I lately referred ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 20 of prayera perpetual.htm

A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
... Knox answered, that he had spoken nothing but according to his ... of this point, it
is not hard; for Moses, in the ... thee, and have poured forth a prayer before thee ...
/.../knox/the pulpit of the reformation nos 1 2 and 3 /a sermon on isaiah xxvi.htm

Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day ...
... families to unite in morning and evening prayer; and it ... could not stedfastly behold
the face of Moses for the ... The which I think is easily answered, in that he ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/questions about the nature and.htm

The Desire of the Righteous Granted;
... Some objections answered.]. ... If thy presence,' said Moses, 'go not ... grant him to be
partaker of this high favour, saying, 'O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer,' &c ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the desire of the righteous.htm

Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ;
... the Lord Jesus, slighting their compliment, answered, "Verily, verily ... God gave them
to Moses, that he might carry ... Therefore, thus it is said concerning the true ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/come and welcome to jesus.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... to a more narrow search, through frequent prayer to God ... of old also; for when he
showed to Moses the patterns ... of this city shall be most exactly answered by our ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... his father"'Whether we were of the Israelites or no ... In 1644, when The Book of Common
Prayer was abolished ... like throwing pearls before swine"'He answered in a ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm

The Doctrine
... O, therefore, be much in prayer for me, thy ... Objections answered for their comfort
who would have their ... nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses." saith he ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the doctrine.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... for though I formerly foolishly imagined, concerning the troubles ... He answered and
said, I will not: but afterward ... me not riches,' is scarce the prayer of one ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm

Questions about Prayer (All) | GotQuestions.org

What is the purpose of prayer? | GotQuestions.org

What is a prayer circle? | GotQuestions.org

Prayer: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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