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Testimony Studies on Diet and Foods
flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them? Or shall all the
fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?’ And the
Lord said unto Moses, ‘Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? Thou shalt
see now whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not.’”
“And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails
from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey
on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round
about the camp, and, as it were, two cubits high upon the face of the
earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and
all the next day, and they gathered the quails. He that gathered least
gathered ten homers, and they spread them all abroad for themselves
round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth,
the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord
smote the people with a very great plague.”
In this instance the Lord gave the people that which was not for
their best good, because they would have it. They would not submit to
receive from the Lord those things which would prove for their good.
They gave themselves up to seditious murmurings against Moses, and
against the Lord, because they did not receive those things which
would prove an injury to them. Their depraved appetites controlled
them, and God gave them flesh-meats, as they desired, and He let
them suffer the results of gratifying their lustful appetites. Burning
fevers cut down very large numbers of the people. Those who had
been most guilty in their murmurings were slain as soon as they tasted
the meat for which they had lusted. If they had submitted to have the
Lord select their food for them, and had been thankful, and satisfied
for food which they could eat freely of without injury, they would not
have lost the favor of God, and then been punished for their rebellious
murmurings by great numbers of them being slain.
Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 118-119
When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, it was His
purpose to establish them in the land of Canaan a pure, happy, healthy
people. Let us look at the means by which He would accomplish
this. He subjected them to a course of discipline, which, had it been
cheerfully followed, would have resulted in good, both to themselves
and to their posterity. He removed flesh-food from them in a great