Thank you for the biblical question on Numbers 11, “Why did God get mad and send a plague to the Israelites for eating the quail that He gave to them (Numbers 11:33)?
As one reads the Book of Numbers, there is a recurrent reaction by the Israelites in the Wilderness. That recurrent reaction was grumbling and complaining by the Israelites, being ungrateful and even forgetting the past provisions of God.
Here are some thoughts for one’s consideration:
A. As the Israelites left Sinai, the Cloud by Day and Pillar of Fire by Night led them each day. God was preceding them. They can see the Tabernacle and see the Cloud and Pillar. This should have assured the Israelites that the LORD God was with them.
B. Leviticus 11:1 the people complained about the hardships of their travel in the hearing of the LORD.
The text doesn’t state what hardships the Israelites faced as they left Mount Sinai. It may be that the weather was too hot, too bumpy the road, too slow or too fast, the supplies were beginning to dwindle since they were not able to resupply on the trip. Carrying one’s possessions is not an easy task.
The LORD God wasn’t leading 600 men. He was leading 600,000 men with their families, including the young and the aged. The people complained about their traveling experience. Evidently the people didn’t learn that the LORD heard and some died because of their grumbling.
C. Leviticus 11:4 the rabbles and the Israelites grumbled about the provision of manna.
The text states that the rabbles among the Israelites began grumbling about the manna that God provided for them. They were tired of eating the same food every single day and their grumbling affected the Israelites. They recalled the fresh vegetables, fish, and even meat that was provided by the Egyptians, but forget about the hard slavery in Egypt. There is the hint that some wanted to go back to Egypt than to proceed to the Promised Land.
The text is unclear as to how many animals accompanied them out of Egypt. It is likely that the Israelites had herds of animals since sacrifices were required each day. Some of the people had animals that could have or were slaughtered for food while others carried the Egyptian jewelry and precious metal with them. Could it be that they were unwilling to depart with their possessions? Greed was among them. They didn’t ask Moses to see if God would provide other food for them. They were in remorse that they left Egypt. They wept and began disgusted with the manna. They rejected God’s provision for them. It should be no surprise that God would be angry with them with murmuring and complaining (vs, 19–20).
D. The greed and ungratefulness for the quails.
Even though God declared that he would provide quail for them, the people hoarded the quail. They stock piled 10 homers of quail (vs. 32). It has been suggested that a homer is a biblical unit of volume used for liquids and dry goods. One homer is equal to 10 baths, or what was also equivalent to 30 seahs; each seah being the equivalent in volume to six kabs, and each kab equivalent in volume to 24 medium-sized eggs.[1] One homer equals 220 litre or 220 dm3.
They knew from the manna that they were to gather enough for each day’s provision, but with the quail, they hoarded it in abundance. They didn’t believe that God would provide for their daily need so they stock pile their own meat source.
It may well be that God saw their greed, their hoarding of the quail, their lack of trust in him and relying on themselves, their lack of gratitude toward him. They may have been gobbling down the meat. One wonders did anyone thank God for the meat?
As one thinks through the scenario of that circumstances, should God allow their attitude and action of complaining, ungratefulness, and hoarding by the Israelites be condoned or be condemned?
SUMMARY: The Israelites did not learn the lesson of manna but repeated their dissatisfactions before the LORD God. Even when he provided for the quail, they hoarded and didn’t thank him. Their ungratefulness led God to be angry with them despite all that he had done for them.
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