And it came to pass that when the people murmured, it was evil in the ears of Jehovah; and Jehovah heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of Jehovah burned among them, and consumed [some] in the extremity of the camp.
Israel has just left Sinai, and the mood breaks. The strange thing here is that no trouble is named. So where did the discontent come from, and why did God answer it with fire?
Nothing had gone wrong.
There has been no unusual occurrence. No enemy has appeared. No need has made itself felt. The promised land lies only a few days' journey before them, and they are still fresh from their long halt at Sinai. It seems they did not yet know of any cause for dissatisfaction themselves. They murmur vaguely about "evil," which they cannot even name. Yet already this murmuring is becoming chronic. It begins to mark who they are. Sadly, there is a source of discontent inside the human heart that does not need circumstances to develop it. It is important that this should be clear from the beginning. Apart from circumstances altogether, there is enough within us to make heaven itself a weariness, if we could carry it there. Here is the underground root of all — the heart's inborn turning away from God.
God was living among them. A dissatisfied heart in His presence is a verdict on Him.
The whole Bible is simply the history of the grace and faithfulness of God, and of the failure of man. The very purpose for which the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt was that He might dwell among them... But there was nothing in this to satisfy the natural man; flesh cannot feed on the manna. "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all." "The people complained." (v. 1) Whenever there is complaint in the heart, the flesh is at work. It displeased the Lord (ESV: "his anger was kindled"). God is present with us. So when there is complaining of heart, it is clear we are not satisfied with Him. The heart has got away from God, and has not Him for its portion... A soul feeding on the Lord will not complain. It may be tried, and then it will cry to the Lord. But complaining is just saying to God, "You are not enough for me."
They had murmured before Sinai too, and no judgment followed. Something had changed in between.
The first three verses tell what happened at Taberah, though they do not say what the people complained about. The people, however, were now definitely under the law that had been given, and had to face its judgment. Exodus 16 and 17 record their murmurings and complaints before God gave the law. Look back there and we see the difference at once. Then no judgment followed, as it did here. It illustrates the statement that "sin is not counted where there is no law" (Rom. 5:13); and also that other statement of the apostle, "when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died" (Rom. 7:9).
Notice how far God let the fire go.
God's anger shows itself, and yet in a way that shows its unwillingness to strike. A fire from the Lord burns and consumes at the far edge of the camp. It does not appear that the fire consumed any of the people. The warning is mercy. Yet it warns of a judgment that, if it does strike, will be severe enough to testify to the holiness behind it. God may delay His judgment, but if it takes its course, righteousness must exact what is due.
Where the fire fell also carries a lesson.
The "utmost part" is a place exposed to danger; it was there that the fire of the Lord burned at Taberah. (Num. 11:1.) Nearness is always a safe place, while being at a distance leaves us open to attack.
The people turned to Moses, and his prayer stopped the fire.
It does not appear that the fire burned anyone. It was meant to frighten them enough that they would judge their complaining. The people appealed to Moses, who prayed again as an effective intercessor, and the Lord quenched the fire (v.2). The place was named Taberah, meaning "you may burn," which was therefore a warning to Israel (v.3).
The New Testament turns this scene into a warning for us.
Nothing is easier than for a murmuring spirit to get into the heart of a saint, or of an assembly. Oh, the mischief a murmuring saint does! So comes the solemn instruction, "nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer" (1 Cor. 10:10)... Examine any bit of murmuring fairly. It is not against the circumstances, and not against fellow believers. It is always the outcome of downright unbelief towards God. That is the point.
- Root. The complaint had no external cause; the discontent came from inside, a source that "does not need circumstances to develop it."
- Direction. A grumbling heart is not aimed at the road or at people. It is unbelief aimed at God, who was living right there among them.
- Distance. The fire fell at the outskirts, the exposed edge; nearness to God is the safe place, distance leaves us open.
- Restraint. God kept the judgment measured. The warning was mercy: He is unwilling to strike, yet able.
- Remedy. Moses prayed and the fire went out. The place kept its name as a warning: intercession, not complaint, is the answer.
And the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to Jehovah -- and the fire abated.
Israel had just left Sinai when the people began to complain, and fire from the LORD broke out at the camp's edge. Then came a cry, a prayer, and a fire that sank — so why did God strike at all, and why did He stop?
Nothing had gone wrong. There was no enemy, no hunger, no delay — that is what makes the murmuring so telling.
There has been no unusual occurrence. No enemy has appeared. No need has made itself felt. The promised land lies only a few days' journey before them, and they are still fresh from their long halt at Sinai. It seems as if they knew no cause for dissatisfaction yet. They murmur vaguely about "evil," which they cannot name. Yet already this murmuring is becoming chronic — it begins to characterise them. Sadly, man's heart holds a source of discontent that does not need circumstances to develop it… Apart from circumstances altogether, there is enough within us to make heaven itself a weariness, if we could carry it there… Here is the underground root of it all: the heart's inborn turning away from God. Circumstances may arise, and man will catch at them and plead them to justify himself against God. A heart full of enmity is fertile in pretexts — but they are only pretexts, and that is what "Taberah" plainly shows.
The fire fell at the camp's edge, not in the middle. One writer reads that as restraint.
God's anger shows itself, and yet in a way that reveals how unwilling it is to strike. A fire from Jehovah burns and consumes at the far edge of the camp. It does not appear that the fire consumed any of the people. The warning is mercy. Yet it warns of a judgment that, if it strikes, will be severe enough to testify to the holiness that acts in it.
So the fire came to shake the complainers, not to destroy them.
God sent the fire to frighten them enough that they would judge their complaining. The people appealed to Moses, who prayed again as an effective intercessor, and the Lord quenched the fire.
The complaining had a target, even if the people never named one.
"And the LORD heard it, and his anger was kindled." For this complaining was a rejection of Himself. They despised their Lord, though it took the form of weeping… Jehovah first showed His presence in burning fire… In this way He called them back to His presence. Humbling follows, and at Moses' intercession mercy resumes its course.
The people did turn for help. Notice who they went to first.
The people cried out, but first of all to Moses. And when Moses prayed to Jehovah, another scene follows. For even divine wrath failed to have a lasting effect on their souls.
Israel had murmured before, in Exodus, and no fire came. One writer finds the difference in the law that had been given in between.
Look back at Exodus 16 and 17. They record their murmurings and complaints from before the law was given. We see the difference at once. Then no judgment followed, as it did here. This illustrates the statement that "sin is not counted where there is no law" (Romans 5:13). It also illustrates the apostle's other statement: "when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died" (Romans 7:9).
The fire went out, but the name stayed — and one writer takes that name straight to the cross.
At Moses' prayer it sinks, but its memory is rightly kept alive. The place is called "Taberah," which means such a burning as does its work. We must not confuse God's grace or His patience with any lessening of the penalty. There was none at the cross, where the Son of God hung for us. There will be none wherever penalty is exacted.
The same writer then draws a line for those who belong to God:
For a child of God there can be no penalty in the true sense, while chastening is his for that very reason.
- Cause — The murmuring had no trigger. The discontent came from within, and it would spoil heaven itself if carried there.
- Warning — The fire burned at the camp's edge and appears to have killed no one. It was judgment shaped as a warning, to make them judge themselves.
- Cry — They cried, but to Moses first, not to the God whose fire it was.
- Mediator — Moses prayed. Mercy resumed its course, and the fire sank.
- Memorial — The name Taberah kept the memory alive. Grace puts out the fire, but never lowers what righteousness demands.
And they called the name of that place Taberah; because a fire of Jehovah burned among them.
A fire from the Lord burned at the edge of Israel's camp. It stopped when Moses prayed, but the name of the place kept the memory. Why fire now, when earlier complaints had brought no judgment? And why fix that memory in a name?
Scripture records the name twice, though the site itself can no longer be found:
The name given to a place in the wilderness of Paran, where the Israelites murmured and the fire of the Lord consumed them until Moses prayed for them. The name means "burning." Numbers 11:1-3; Deuteronomy 9:22. Not identified.
Commentators differ on how to read the name. One takes it as a warning aimed at the people:
The people appealed to Moses, who prayed again as an effective intercessor, and the Lord quenched the fire. They named the place Taberah, which means "you may burn," and so it stood as a warning to Israel.
The fire went out; the name stayed. One writer explains why that memory was worth keeping, and what it says about penalty:
At Moses' prayer it sinks, but its memory is rightly kept alive. The place is called "Taberah," which means such a burning as does its work. Do not confuse God's grace or His patience with any softening of the penalty. There was none at the cross, where the Son of God hung for us. There will be none wherever penalty is exacted. Righteousness itself never demands more than it must.
The fire stayed at the edge of the camp. Commentators differ on whether anyone died in it; this writer reads the limit as mercy:
God's anger shows itself, and yet in a way that reveals its unwillingness to strike. A fire from the Lord burns and consumes at the far edge of the camp. It does not appear that it consumed any of the people. The warning is mercy. Yet it warns of a judgment that, if it strikes, will be severe enough to testify to the holiness that acts in it. God may delay His judgment, but if it takes its course, righteousness must exact its due.
Israel had complained before, early in the journey, and no judgment followed. Something had changed in between:
The first three verses record what happened at Taberah, though they do not say what the people complained about. The people, however, were now clearly under the law that God had given, and had to face its judgment. Look back at Exodus 16 and 17, which record their murmurings and complaints before God gave the law. We at once see a difference. Then no judgment followed, as it did here. It illustrates the statement that "sin is not counted where there is no law" (Romans 5:13). It also illustrates another statement of the Apostle: "when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died" (Romans 7:9).
Another writer traces the same change to the promise the people themselves had made at Sinai:
The first occasion was pure grace. But between that scene in the wilderness of Shur and this one in the wilderness of Paran, Sinai had come in, and the people had promised obedience. They were too ready to say, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." Now, under the chastening hand of God, they must suffer the bitter fruits of their rebellious unbelief.
One writer reads the outskirts as the place where the complainers had lagged behind:
Judgment fell as a result of this murmuring on those at the far edge of the camp. Most likely those who complained fell behind and expressed a desire not to go forward. The fire burned among these; there is no record, however, of this first judgment. Mercy must have tempered it. And the people did not turn to the Lord in this hour of punishment, but cried to Moses. When he prayed, the fire went out.
Nothing had gone wrong. No enemy, no hunger, no hardship — and still they murmured:
There is a source of discontent in man's heart that does not need circumstances to bring it out. It is important that this should be clear from the beginning. In a world like this, trials will arise. There will be evils, and many of them. God's Word never hides them from us; it insists on them. The world really is a wilderness in God's account, and it should be so in ours. The longing after Egypt shows, not that we have judged too deeply, but not deeply enough. Yet, quite apart from circumstances, there is enough within us to make heaven itself wearisome, if we could carry it there.
- Cause: nothing outside the camp set off the complaining. The discontent came from within, and it would spoil heaven itself.
- Fire: the burning reached only the edge of the camp. It was real enough to be felt, restrained enough to be a warning.
- Cry: under the flames the people ran to Moses rather than to God, and his prayer put the fire out.
- Name: Taberah means "burning." One writer reads it as "you may burn" — a caution left standing after the flames were gone.
- Lesson: grace and patience never shrink the penalty. There was none at the cross, and none wherever penalty is paid.