In this message we will begin to consider the failures recorded in chapters eleven through fourteen of Numbers.
Moses' word in 10:35 and 36 implies Christ's incarnation, ascension, and coming back. But after this marvelous word at the end of chapter ten, from chapter eleven through chapter seventeen there is nearly nothing except failure. These chapters speak of different kinds of defilement. The behavior of the people in chapter sixteen was an insult both to Moses and to Jehovah. The insult was so severe that Jehovah, who is full of mercy and patience, could not tolerate the situation any longer and became very angry. This is similar to the situation in John 2, in which the Lord Jesus, the incarnated God, became angry. In Numbers 16 God became like this, saying to Moses, "Rise up from the midst of this assembly that I may consume them in a moment" (v. 45).
We may not care for these chapters that record the failures of God's people, but these chapters are in the Bible, and we need to pay attention to them.
In Taberah, which means "a burning," the children of Israel were murmuring evil (11:1-3; cf. Deut. 8:2). Here evil refers not only to evil words but also to evil things. The evil words spoken by the people were based on evil things. These evil words went into the ears of Jehovah. This murmuring kindled the anger of Jehovah, and He sent fire to consume some at the extremities of the camp. Moses prayed for the people, and the fire abated. "So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of Jehovah burned among them" (Num. 11:3).
After the murmuring, the mixed multitude among the people began to lust (vv. 4-35). The mixed multitude consisted of those without a definite family, those who did not know of whom they were born or to what family they belonged. In principle, it is possible for there to be such a mixture in the church life today, for certain ones, not knowing how they were saved or through whom they were regenerated, may not have a proper spiritual status.
The name of the place where the mixed multitude lusted was called Kibroth-hattaavah, which means "the graves of lust," because "there they buried the people who lusted" (v. 34).