Numbers 33:16 (KJV)
And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-hattaavah.
Kibroth-Hattaavah means 'graves of lusting'. Here the multitude craved after flesh to eat. They were sick of this Manna which they ate every day, and remembered the variety of food that they had in Egypt. All the people wept, because though they desired these things, they could not have. God was again angry with them, and Moses was also displeased. To relieve Moses' burden of government, God took some of the Spirit that was upon him, and He gave His Spirit to seventy other elders whom Moses chose. The seventy prophesied of the things of God to the children of Israel, perhaps reproving them of their lust and unbelief. God made multitude of quails to fall around the camp, enough for them to eat a whole month. The people ran after the quails and gathered loads of them, more than they ever needed. And while they were chewing the quail, before the quail even entered the stomach, plague from the Lord broke out upon them and killed them who lusted.
What can we learn about lust in Kibroth-hattavah? Firstly, we learn here that lust is desiring or craving other things than God's Word and Jesus Christ. God compares Manna to God's word in Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
This verse says the reason why God fed Manna to Israel everyday was so that Israel may see that man must likewise live by God's word that is sent from heaven every day, that it is the only food that God has ordained for our soul that it may live. But see how Israel remembered the variety of foods that they ate in Egypt. It signified that they desired other food for their souls except God's Word. They primarily desired flesh, that is, meat - and flesh they did eat. This could mean that they desired the words of men. They desired after doctrine or teaching that were more familiar to them. They hated sound doctrine of the Lord which promotes godliness and truth.
Is not this happening in the Church today? People desire not scriptures, but they have replaced scriptures with teachings and commandments and words of mere men. They desire flesh for meat, something familiar, rather than the holy Manna of God's word from heaven. Manna tasted of fresh oil, and it was a strange thing, something that Israelites never saw before. God's word is like this. It is holy, it is the mystery of God, and it is something that can't be understood by a mind that is set on the things of the flesh. So instead of seeking God to reveal this mystery to them, people in the church have gone after strange flesh, and lusted after the voice of man, rather than God's. Hear what Paul says:
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (ESV)
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, [4] and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Instead of being satisfied with truth, these lustful people chase after myths and cleverly crafted stories to satisfy their itching ears. See the words that Paul uses here: "accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions". Paul obviously has Kibroth-hattavah in mind. Just as Israel gathered quail for their hungry stomachs, these people gather teachers for their own hungry ears. We ought not be like them. Because Jesus said:
Matthew 23:8 (ESV)
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
We all have one Teacher, Jesus Christ. We are not to gather up teachers for ourselves, but rather listen closely to what Jesus Christ has said. His words, His doctrines, His commandments should be enough for us. Truth should be enough for us. Sometimes God's Word is redundant and tasteless to our fleshly ears, and is even distasteful at times because it points out our sins, but it is the only real food for our souls. Why must we desire and consume that which is like garbage for our souls and makes our hearts to be diseased and blackened? Let us declare a fast towards these other teachings of the world, and feed ourselves with Manna continually. Elijah fed himself in the cave with only that which God gave him through the raven. Likewise we must eat that which only God feeds us through His Holy Spirit.
Lust is also desiring other things than Jesus Christ. Manna is compared to Christ Himself in the Bible:
John 6:35 (ESV)
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Lust is offensive to God because it is belittling His Son. God has sent Jesus Christ down from heaven that all men may believe in Him and live forever. But men have desired other things than Christ. They consider other things - possessions, sex, money, career, family, recognition, achievements, hobbies, knowledge, etc - more important than Jesus. Instead of Christ who is near to them, they desire these things of the world they can't have and crave after them. And because they can't have these things they want, they weep, like Israel did after flesh. Worldly sorrow comes upon them, because, rejecting Christ, they think of themselves so pitiful compared to other people who have. They don't realize they can have GOD as their own Father through faith in Jesus Christ. Thus through their lust, and through their self-pity, they reject God Himself. That is why the Bible calls lust idolatry:
Colossians 3:5 (ESV)
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
We forget that even desiring that which we can't have is sin. It is Idolatry. It is great offense to God for, being ignorant of Jesus Christ whom God gave to the world to satisfy all our longings, we weep because we don't have the same car that our neighbor has. Instead of desiring after God who created all things, we mourn because our house looks so much older than our friend's. What great idolatry. And what is idolatry? It is exchanging the Creator for created things:
Romans 1:23-25 (ESV)
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. [24] Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, [25] because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Jesus, the Creator of the world, came down to the earth, to fulfill all righteousness for us by dying on the cross, so that when we believe in Him, we may have God forever. How then can we exchange His glory and His truth for things other than He? Those who have desired other truths and other glories but Christ shall die with their lusts, as these Israelites died with meat in their mouth. They shall go down to the pit with all their idols and shall be judged eternally. It is a fitting and just punishment.
Lust is also excessive, uncontrollable and out of proportion. We remember how much quails fell from the sky around the camp. It was enough quantity to feed Israel for weeks. It was not abundant blessing from the Lord, but it was overflowing judgment of God upon the ungodly. These Israelites perhaps were very glad to see so many quails fall from heaven. They probably thought that it was a great blessing from God. They probably praised and glorified God for granting them their wishes, and sang worship songs of joy while running to gather these quails. But how mistaken they were of God's heart. They realized not that God was full of wrath, and ready to kill them all.
Lust likewise blinds our hearts from God's heart. Because of our lusts, we can't see God as He is. Thus through lust we commit double idolatry. First we idolize the things that we lusted after, and because of this idolatry, we make within ourselves a distorted image of God who justifies sin. We begin to be confused, and begin to think that God is one who approves of our lusts. And when we abound with the things that we want, we say, 'Not only does God approve of what I want, He is exceedingly pleased with my desires!'. Abundance is not always a sign of blessings, but it may be a sign of cursing. For remember what Jesus said:
Matthew 5:3 (ESV)
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the people who are always feeling destitute and poor in their spirit. They always hunger and thirst after righteousness, after God's anointing and God's grace. These are the truly blessed. Blessed were those among Israel who did not go out for the quails in overflowing and uncontrolled lust and rebellion, but chose to hunger within their tents, that they may mediate on God's word instead. Let us watch out for those times when we are given in abundance those things we lust after. That is the time to repent of our lusts, and to run to Jesus Christ our Manna, not towards those things.
God has allowed us no limit in desiring God's Spirit. Jesus Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit abundantly, and He was always being pouring out upon Jesus beyond measure:
John 3:34 (ESV)
For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.
We are likewise commanded to desire and ask the Holy Spirit to be filled within us, as He was filled in Christ:
Luke 11:13 (ESV)
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Ephesians 5:18 (ESV)
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
God has set no boundaries to how much we can desire God. We are to love, adore and desire Him with ALL our minds, our hearts and our strengths. With ourselves filled with God, we will not desire those other things than Him. We will be satisfied by God, and be full with Him, and our cup will overflow with His mercy and His goodness. There will be no room in us for anything else, for God's Spirit, His Word, Jesus Christ and Father's Love have filled every corner of our hearts.
And we ought to bury our lusts with Christ in His grave. Calvary is our Kibroth-hattavah:
Galatians 5:24 (ESV)
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
The cross of Jesus is our Grave of Lusting. It was Christ who died with our lusts, passions, desires and covetousnesses, as though He was the one who lusted. He, who desired and loved God the Father more than any being did in the whole world, died liked an idolator on that cross. The wrath of God against our lusts fell upon Christ on that cross, and Christ was buried with all our ungodly longings. But Christ was triumphant, rising from the grave, yet burying our lusts forever in His grave where He lay. Our longings have been destroyed by His cross, for our longings died with Christ. Now we live for Him. Moses named the place Kibroth-hattavah as a warning, so that Israel may remember what happened to those lusted, who died along with their lusts. Us Christians must also remember Jesus Christ crucified, who died because we lusted after other things than Him. Let us remember the Cross, the grave of our lusts, every time when we are tempted to desire anything else, and let us appreciate Him forever who died for our sins. Praise be Christ forever.
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