Read Numbers 11 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
11:1-15 {p} Complaint against YHVH: intense craving for meat
11:16-22 {p} YHVH will give them meat for 30 days until they are sick of it
11:23-35 {p} The 70 elders commissioned / quail / graves of craving
Chapter 11 makes the following Chiastic Structure:
In the central axis, which is the key point of the passage, Moses asks an interesting question: Even if all their flocks and herds were slain for them, would that be enough for them? Even if all the fish of the sea were gathered to them, would that be enough for them?
The children of Israel were not satisfied with the manna God had been giving them, and cried for something more. Moses confirmed that their problem was dissatisfaction, in that he questioned what would be enough for them. Through the Teaching Tool of Learning from the Narrative, the Bible is teaching that dissatisfaction drives complaints.
If we were to look up the definition of “contentment” in Webster’s dictionary, it is, interestingly enough, “The quality or state of being contented; that is, feeling or manifesting satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.” Contentment shares a root with contention, which means, “The argument, or tension, that results from a contest, struggle, or rivalry.”
I think “contentment” and “contention” are spiritual opposites—those who are content are satisfied, while those who are contentious always have complaints.
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
Keys to Contentment, part one, part two, part three, and part four – Christine Miller
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