Insatiable Craving And Greed

Numbers 11:31-34
The LORD Sends Quail
31 Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground.
32 And the people stayed up all that day, 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.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
34 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.

The people of God had left Egypt. They were no longer slaves, and were on their journey to the Promised Land. While travelling in the wilderness, they began to murmur against the LORD by complaining to Moses.

They were sick and tired of having the same food every day for all their meals, even though the heavenly manna was miraculously supplied daily by God. They craved and longed for some of the food they used to eat in Egypt.

As Moses knew that he was unable to provide ample food for this great multitude of people, He brought their request before the LORD. And God heard their cries and demands.

The LORD sent a wind that brought quails from the sea. They were flying three feet above the ground. They settled on the camp, and all around it for miles and miles in every direction.

All that day and throughout that night and even all the next day, the people were busy catching quails. Nobody gathered less than 10 homers. As one homer is 6.24 bushels and one bushel is 25.4 kilograms, 10 homers is more than 1,500 kilograms! Wow, that's a lot of quails for each person! Then they spread their catch out to dry all around the camp.

There was plenty of meat for all of them to eat but some of them craved beyond their normal appetites. While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, their hands were reaching out to grab some more!

The LORD became angry with these people, and caused an epidemic to break out among them. Many died, and were buried there. That place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, which means “Graves of Craving” or "Graves of Greediness."

Who were some of these people who died? There were some Egyptians and foreigners who had travelled with the people of God. They began to long for the good things of Egypt. And their cravings added to the discontent of the people of God, and the Israelites too wept and murmured, “Oh, we long for some meat! Oh, we desire to eat some of the delicious fish we used to enjoy in Egypt! Oh, the wonderful and yummy cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic! But now our strength is gone after daily eating this manna!”

Numbers 11:4-6
4 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?
5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
6 but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

Their sin was not just about giving in to their craving and greed. Their real sin was doubting God's ability to supply their daily needs, and His divine love and concern for their overall welfare and healthcare.

Human nature is never easily satisfied. We are always desiring for more, very often not knowing what is really good for us! When we long for something, we will seek to obtain them. But when getting them, we will long for something else. An endless cycle of craving and longing for things and more things! Never contented or satisfied! Never have enough!

Many believers of Christ may say in their mouths that they are following Christ, but they are actually pursuing the things of the world! Like the Israelites, they might have left the land of  Egypt, but the ways of Egypt were still inside their hearts! The craving desires and lusts for worldly things and pleasures still remain within!

Today, many Christians have embraced a different gospel that endorse wealth and health teachings. If God gives them blessings such as prosperity, good health and such, they will still long for more blessings, for more prosperity, to look younger, to feel healthier and to be more successful in life! Lusting for more and more! The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life! Can never be satisfied! But these things are of the world, and not of our Father in heaven!

God knows what is good and necessary for us! He is Jehovah Jireh our Provider! He is also Jehovah Rapha our Healer! He truly cares for us, and takes proper care of all our welfare and healthcare needs.

Matthew 6:19-34
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lamp of the Body
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Riches
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

We are exhorted not to store up worldly riches for ourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. We need to store up riches for ourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For our hearts will always be where our riches are.

We need to keep watch over our own eyes! The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If our eyes are good, our whole body will be full of light. But if our eyes are no good, our body will be in darkness. So if the light in us is darkness, how terribly dark our life will be!

We cannot serve two masters. If we do so, we will hate one and love the other, and we will be loyal to one and despise the other. We cannot serve both God and money.

We should not worry about the food and drinks we need in order to stay alive. We should not worry about clothes for our body. Isn't life worth more than food? Isn't the body more important than clothes? Please take a good look at the birds. They do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet our Father in heaven takes good care of them! Aren't we worth much more than birds? Can any of us live a bit longer by worrying?

Why worry about clothes? Please take a good look at the wild flowers. They do not work or make clothes for themselves. Not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. It is God who clothes the wild grass. Yes, grass that is here today, gone tomorrow, and often ended up in the oven. Will God not also clothe us? How little our faith is!

Therefore, we should stop worrying. Where will our food or drinks or clothes come from? These are the things the unbelievers are always concerned and worried about.

Our Father in heaven knows that we need all these things. Above everything else, we should be concerned with the Kingdom of God, and with what He requires of us. He will provide us with all the things necessary for daily living.

Thus, let us not worry about tomorrow for it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles of today.

Having enough is good enough!


Written on: 26 July 2021