A Sharp Warning About Grumbling. The People Complain and Are Smitten. Moses Intervenes (Numbers 11:1-3).
It is interesting that even in so short a passage another chiastic formation is revealed.
a They displease Yahweh and the fire of Yahweh burns among them (Numbers 11:1).
b The people cry to Moses for the quenching of the fire.
b Moses intercedes with Yahweh and the fire is quenched.
a The place is called Taberah because the fire of Yahweh burnt among them.
‘And the people were as murmurers, evil in the ears of Yahweh, (or ‘were as murmurers in the ears of Yahweh about their misfortunes') and when Yahweh heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of Yahweh burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp.'
The incidents are not specifically fitted into the travel schedule so that we do not know how long this was after leaving Sinai, but it was clearly not long before the people began to murmur. It was probably in the desert of Et-Tih. And what they were muttering among themselves was evil in Yahweh's ears, as such muttering always is. Indeed the mood was so ugly that God was angry with it. He clearly felt it totally unjustifiable. They would have much worse to go through than this. They had to learn to cope with adversity.
The result was that on the extremities of the camp a fire burst out and ‘burned among them', and they recognised it for what it was, a warning shot from Yahweh. Whether it was caused by lightning, or a bush bursting into flames in the intense heat which then spread, we do not know. And whether anyone died or whether it just affected possessions we are not told. But it was their first salutary warning.
God uses such trials and judgments in order to teach His people lessons. Whom Yahweh loves, He chastens (Deuteronomy 8:5). Here He was trying to pull the people up short so that their minds might be taken off themselves and set on Him. He knew the condition that they were getting themselves into. Had they taken heed it would have saved them a lot of trouble in the future.
‘And the people cried to Moses, and Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire abated.'
The extent of the fire was such that the people came to Moses and pleaded for help. The result was that Moses prayed to Yahweh and the fire died down. That should have given the people grounds for gratitude to Yahweh. They should have recognised that it was fortunate that they had in Moses one who was always ready to intercede for them. He had done so before (Exodus 15:25; Exodus 32:11-14), and now he had done it again. It should have fixed their thoughts on God. But if it did, any gratitude was only temporary.
We also have One Who intercedes for us at all times (Hebrews 7:25). How trying we must so often appear to Him, but He is ever patient with us. Yet we must beware lest we forget and lose touch with Him, otherwise He may have to chasten us too.
‘And the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of Yahweh burnt among them.'
Then they gave the name ‘Taberah' to the place, which means ‘burning', because there Yahweh's fire had burned among them. The name does not appear in their travel itinerary, and indicates more their deep feeling at the time. It was not a recognised name.
We may see this as an act of grace. By acting quickly the people had been made to think so that they would be more careful in future. As we have learned in the past they had a tendency to grumble (Exodus 15:24; Exodus 16:2-3; Exodus 17:2-3), so this was not the first time. But it was the first time since the journey from Sinai began. The sharp lesson was intended to save trouble in the future. As it turned out it was not sufficient because their faith was low, as the next incident brings out.