God's Compassion

    When you put people together they tend to feed off each other's moods and emotions.  When that mood turns to grumbling and complaining it angers God.  He doesn't get why we don't appreciate all that He has done for us.  He gets angry because people focus on what goes wrong instead of all the good and beautiful things in their lives.

    It has been this way since the beginning, but God's people began to complain without thinking.  They wanted things simpler in life.  They wanted things easier.  They wanted more of a variety in their diet.  They forgot all God had done for them very quickly.  The break in miracles and hard work left their minds to wonder.  

    God rewarded their ingratitude with fire.  They did not see the error of their way as much as they were afraid, so they went to Moses to fix it.  Moses went to God humbly and cried out on the behalf of the people.  That is the reason why God stopped burning.  He showed compassion, but He needs a little gratitude too.

    God understood that they needed a little variety in their diet, so he provided Manna, bread from heaven, and quail for them to eat daily.  It may not be a grand meal, but it is what they needed to stay healthy and have energy.  How they made the meals was up to them.  

    The people still were not happy and it was a burden on Moses.  He did not want to be responsible for them.  He went to do as God asked by getting them out of Egypt.  His job was supposed to be done, but he became their leader because that is what God wanted.  God had compassion for Moses because of his heart, so he gave Moses 70 elder leaders to help with the burden.  

    However the people were not humble, so God sent a plague among them where they got sick off the quail as they ate it.  When God gives you a gift, something that you want or need and you don't have to work for it at all, be grateful.  Do with that gift as He commands.  Do not grumble or pretend you got it on your own.  There will be consequences.  He will find a way to humble an ungrateful heart.  

Numbers 11