Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” (vv.4-6)
Exodus 12:38 says that a mixed multitude went out of Egypt. This means that not everyone in the great crowd that came out of Egypt with Moses were ethnically Israelites. There were many Egyptians (and perhaps other non-Israelites) who went with them. This may be because they were also slaves in Egypt, and perhaps because the God of Israel showed Himself more powerful than the gods of the Egyptians.
The yielding to "intense cravings" here by the people of Israel implies they chose to comply; their sinful desire would not be fulfilled unless they cooperated with it. James 1:14 says, "but each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." The attraction to sin is present within all of us, yet we must still yield to that sinful desire in choosing to sin. The verb "intense" can be used for positive and proper desires too, but is especially fitting for feelings of (improper) lusts and bodily appetites as we see here.
The question (who will give us meat to eat?), was a strange question to ask considering they had a God in heaven that met their every need. It seems that some in Israel looked for another provider because they were not satisfied with what came to them from the hand of God. They were so distraught over this that they wept. Interestingly enough Israel could have provided meat for themselves. God did not prohibit them to hunt whatever animals they could in the wilderness. And, they also had their flocks which could be slaughtered for meat. Yet they did not want to do anything about their desire for meat except to weep about it.
About a year before this, God responded to Israel’s complaints by providing miraculous food for Israel (Exodus 16:11-35), which they called manna (Exodus 16:31). After a year of eating mainly manna, Israel now longed for the foods they (sometimes) ate as slaves in Egypt. The first food mentioned was fish (which they ate freely in Egypt), because there were no fish in the wilderness. They also mentioned cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic – all juicy, crunchy, or flavorful foods they sometimes ate as slaves in Egypt.
Israel had fallen in love with an illusion from the past (the thought that their life in Egypt was wonderful). Instead, they should have looked for what God had for them in the future – the milk and honey of Canaan (Exodus 13:5). God’s people should have the attitude later expressed by Paul in Philippians 3:13-14 – pressing forward, looking ahead, and not focused on the past. It seems Israel complained that manna was not exciting enough, that it was boring. This terrible lack of thankfulness was nothing less than to have despised the Lord (Numbers 11:20).
The complaint that, "Our whole being is dried up" sounds over-dramatic from a people who were fed by the manna that came to them every morning. In their complaining, Israel not only romanticized the past, but they also exaggerated the problems of the present. To say, “our whole being is dried up” was a terrible exaggeration. God did not intend for them to waste away in the wilderness. In fact, God provided their every need – though not their every desire.
The root of Israel's complaining lied in what they didn’t have. It was true – they didn’t have the fish and several kinds of vegetables listed. However, they seemed to completely forget what they did have – daily, miraculous, nutritious provision from God, that could feed a nation in the wilderness, without having to sacrifice their flocks and herds. Many since that time have followed the same dangerous path of forgetting what God has provided and focusing on what one does not [yet] have.
The Lord eventually sends the children of Israel exactly what they desired in the form of Quail – but it killed those who were greedy and over did it. This is an extremely important lesson for us to understand. While we might think we know what is best for us or what we want, God sees what is truly best for you and me and gives us what we need.
Truly, I will take more of His will in my life and less of my own.
The Truth: “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)
