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236
The Beginning of the End
knew that he was following the cloud. Unhappiness is contagious,
and it soon spread in the camp.
Again they began to demand meat to eat. Many of the Egyptians
among them had been used to a rich diet, and these were the first to
complain.
God could have provided them with meat as easily as with manna,
but His aim was to supply food better suited to their needs. The
perverted appetite was to be brought into a more healthy state so that
they could enjoy the food originally provided for the human family,
the fruits of the earth which God gave to Adam and Eve in Eden.
This is the reason the Israelites had been largely deprived of animal
food.
Satan tempted them to think of this as unfair and cruel. He
saw that filling every desire of their appetite would tend to produce
sensuality, and by this means the people could be brought under
his control more easily. From the time he convinced Eve to eat the
forbidden fruit, he has, to a large extent, led men into sin through
appetite. Intemperance in eating and drinking prepares the way to
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ignore all moral standards.
God brought the Israelites from Egypt so that He could establish
them in the land of Canaan as a pure, holy, and happy people. If they
had been willing to deny appetite, they would not have experienced
any weakness and disease among them. Their descendants would
have possessed physical and mental strength, clear perceptions of
truth and duty, keen discernment, and good judgment.
Says the psalmist: “They tested God in their heart by asking for
the food of their fancy. Yes, they spoke against God: they said, ‘Can
God prepare a table in the wilderness? ... Can He provide meat for
His people?’ Therefore the Lord heard this and was furious” (
Psalm
78:18-21
). They had been witnesses to the majesty, power, and
mercy of God, and their unbelief and discontent brought on them
greater guilt. They had made a covenant to obey His authority. Their
grumbling was now rebellion, and as such it must receive prompt
punishment if Israel was to be preserved from chaos and ruin. “The
fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the
outskirts of the camp.” The most guilty of the complainers were
killed by lightning from the cloud.