Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Numbers 11:1-23

The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving; and then the Israelites wept and said, “If only we had meat to eat!” (11:4, JPS)

Last year I took a course at Trinity College that looked at congregational development through the lens of the book of Numbers. Boy, what a revelation! Oftentimes people dismiss Numbers as a boring book of lists, but as it turns out, we can learn a lot about group dynamics from this story. 

For instance, look at how in verse four the words of a few (the “riffraff”) quickly infest and influence the collective voice of the group (“the Israelites”).  Isn’t that something we’ve witnessed, not just in churches, but in our workplaces, schools, and groups of friends? Negativity can be contagious. 

Consider also the requests of the people. They are sick of the miraculous food that they collect each day, and look back longingly on their time enslaved in Egypt. At least in those days they had some variety in their diets! Calling for fish during a desert sojourn is just ridiculous. That’s like taking a trip on an airplane and complaining that there aren’t enough cars driving by at which to look. But then we have the request for cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. Those who are agriculturally-inclined might know or look up how much effort goes into producing these foods. I believe that these are items that take a lot of time and care, i.e. they represent the opposite kind of lifestyle as a continually-moving desert sojourn. Also, leeks, onions, and garlic tend not to be eaten on their own; they’re like butter on popcorn, as it were. Perhaps the people are craving luxuries that are not only unattainable in their current context, but insulting to the big picture of which they are a part. 

Rather than wag our fingers at these complaining wanderers, we would do well to see our own shortcomings in their grumblings. We should also give thanks for our leaders who bear heavy burdens in difficult times. Maybe God is calling us, like the seventy elders, to share the burden with them.

• Matthew Kieswetter