Is There Quail in My Teeth?

Are you ever surprised at the sound of your own voice? To my own ears, my voice is deeper, distinguished, regal, and playful. Every once in a while though I’ll run into a situation in which I actually hear my voice as other hear it: a voicemail or a sound system. In those moments I am brought face to face with the sad and disappointing reality of my own somewhat piping voice.

In the same way, within the confines of our own minds we have an image of ourselves that we would like others to see. Often there is a huge disconnect between the illusion and the reality. I’d like to think that I’d be remembered for my intellect, my writing, or my faith. If I’m honest though what I’m more likely to be remembered for is my complaining. Too often I give in to worry and anxiety, which quickly ferments into bitterness and complaining. It is not an admirable trait, but it is a shameful reality.

Moses, as he led the Israelites toward the Promised Land, had to deal with complainers as well.

The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?  We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic,  but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

But the Lord told Moses:

Say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but 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 wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

Now there went forth a wind from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague.

It is so easy to only see the momentary reality of our present situation. It is only natural, really. However, this was the Israelites (and our) failing: we ignore the miracles that the Lord had performed in the past and the promises He has planned for us in light of the passing inconveniences of the day. Confronted by the challenges of the wilderness, the Israelites saw only their want and inconvenience which led them to revisit their history in Egypt through rose-colored glasses.

We are guilty of that as well are we not? How often do we look back fondly upon the memories of when the Lord ‘used’ to work in our lives; the ways we used to live for Him?

Our God is not a powerless God. He did not call the Israelites out of Egypt and then not know what to do with them. The people only saw the desperation of a life in the desert but had not the faith to trust that the Lord had a plan beyond that. It is easy to cast condemnation on them but how different are we? We worry and stress about the minutia of daily life: mortgage payments, home repairs, children’s grades. Yet we forget the miraculous that He has done for us, starting with the most miraculous moment of all: the moment in which the God of the universe reached down to save such undeserving creatures as us from death and the enslavement to our sin. In light of what He has done for us we should be willing to follow Him wherever He would lead, be it into the desert or into the Promised Land.

But the Lord IS powerful. He chose to show the Jewish people just how powerful He was. He brought the people exactly what they had been asking for: quail (I’m not sure they were specifically asking for poultry but doubtless they would have appreciated some meat). He showed His mastery of the whole of creation to bring this grumbling people what they wanted. Our God is a powerful God.

Yet He is not a God to be trifled with either. In vivid language, the Bible says that “while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed” the Lord brought a plague to punish His disobedient people. While we may struggle with this difficult lesson the Israelites had to learn, we see that our God is not a God to be mocked, manipulated, or tried. He is a mighty God, righteous and just.

As we examine the whole of Scripture we see many attributes of God displayed throughout His interactions with His people both in the Old Testament and the New. Two characteristics of the Lord are his Grace and His Justice. Often we misinterpret these attributes as being extremes on a line. Sometimes the Lord requires justice and sometimes the Lord is gracious, as if it depends on what side of the bed God wakes up on. In truth, the Lord exemplifies both of these attributes simultaneously. While the Lord rebukes and reprimands His people in this incident, the very next chapter He spares Miriam and Aaron after they repent of similar griping.

As we turn our attention to our own lives we can marvel at the grace that the Lord has shown us. He saved us from a life of emptiness and the consequence of our rebellion to say nothing of our eternity. Think of the times in which we, like the Israelites, revel in our short-sightedness; when we fail to remember the victories of the Lord; all the times in which He stepped into our lives and left us unmistakingly changed. In light of grace we can stand humbled at His power and might. In light of all that He has brought us through we can stand confident and secure in the future that He has for us, even when that future looks no more promising than an expanse of desert wilderness. He has taken us, who were dead and made us alive, surely we can forego our momentary discomfort and insecurity and trust in one who is more than able to plan our lives.

Remember:

The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgements for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”

Let us remember.