If you have been following along with the daily readings at Mass, you know that the first readings have been following the 12 tribes of Jacob as they escaped slavery in Egypt, received the Ten Commandments, fashioned a golden calf, and spent a lot of time complaining, grumbling and being unhappy – especially with Moses’ leadership and God’s providence. Yet… God still desired to be present to them, to be with them in the journey. The reading on Thursday last was all about the construction of the Tent of Meeting and how it is the restoration of human access to the Holy Place where heaven and earth meet. That was all contained in the Book of Leviticus. We turn the pages of daily first readings and suddenly we are in the Book of Numbers. Take a moment and watch this short video overview of the 4th book of the Old Testament and see the overarching story that is playing out: Book of Numbers Summary: A Complete Animated Overview
One theme that emerges in the metanarrative of the book is the tension between Israel’s rebellion and God’s faithfulness. Listen to the manner in which today’s reading begins:
The children of Israel lamented,
“Would that we had meat for food!
We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt,
and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic.
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna.” (Num 11:4-5)
Sound familiar? It should, this is a replay to the first reading from 12 days ago when Israel’s rebellion / grumbling was answered by God’s faithfulness. They were hungry and God fed them with manna and quail (Answered Prayers). Our scene in today’s reading is one year later.
And within all that is a micro story of rebellion and God’s faithfulness: Moses’ grumbling. Sadly, our reading ends with Moses’ heartfelt outburst. It is the rant of someone who wants to be faithful, but is tired, at wit’s end, and wants to know why God put him in this situation. It is the desperate cry for help from someone who thinks this last burden is the one that breaks him down.
If there is one large takeaway writ large from the Book of Number, it is exactly what the Prophets, Psalmists, and Apostles tell us: God is faithful to His promises, but will let his people walk away and face the consequences.
Sadly, the sequence of daily Mass readings does not remain in Numbers 11. If it did, we would read about God’s faithful response to his servant Moses. It is the story of the appointment of the 72 elders to help Moses deal with the people.
Numbers 11 is a wonderful story for us each to recall when we are at wit’s end in our trying to serve the people of God. Go ahead… and get it all out in prayer. Then take a deep breath and wait for God’s response.
Image credit: The Manna Harvest / Giuseppe Angeli c. 1768, San Eustachio Church, Venice, Italy | Public Domain