Quail your Appetite

When the Israelites came out of bondage in Egypt they plundered Egypt (Exodus 12:36-38) taking all the spoils of the land. The Lord also blessed them and healed every living person that journeyed that day.(Psalm 105:37) Not only did they have health, wealth, and healing, it all lasted for forty years (Deuteronomy 8:4) ( Deuteronomy 29:5 ).

 

We know they took plenty of livestock for sacrifice and for their future in the promised land. (Exodus 10:26). The bible tells us there were 600,000 men on foot not counting the women and children (Exodus 12:37). This is a mobile city with all its accouterments to take care of and orchestrate. Yet! the Lord does provide for them, every step of the way. From the first step out of Egypt to the first step into the promised land (Deuteronomy 31:7) (Joshua 1:1-9).

Even with all the miracles they had witnessed from the ten plagues in Egypt, (Exodus 11-12:42) to the miraculous parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21). The Israelites would not trust the Lord to provide.

 

Only three days into their wilderness journey, their lack of faith became obvious. There was no water, and what did they do? Instead of trusting God to provide, they complained to Moses. Moses, in turn, petitioned God, and the Israelites got there fill of water.(Ex.15:22-27).

 

About a month goes by and the people are belly aching again! They are missing all the earthly foods and meat back in Egypt complaining they were going to die again (Exodus 16:3). So, guess what? Yes, the Lord provides again by giving the people all the meat they can eat! (Exodus 16:11-15).

 

The real blessing was not the quail meat in the evenings but the food of the Angels (Psalm 78:25) the Manna in the mornings (Exodus 16:11-15). Just like the clothes on their backs and sandals on their feet that did not deteriorate or wear out for forty years the Manna came as a steady blessing from God (Exodus 16:35). The people now had it made; a perfect food made by God. This Heavenly blessing to fulfill all the nutritional requirements of life. Just pick it up. No hunting, or long lines at the supermarket.

 

This was a test by God. He humbled the people allowed them to hunger and then blessed them greatly with Manna so they would trust and seek Him (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

 

Their gratitude did not last long and the people once again complained and pined for Egypt and the foods they had left behind in captivity (Numbers 11:5). This happened just before their first arrival at the border of Canaan, when God promised meat for a whole month. Consequently, Moses asked God whether they should slaughter their flocks and herds, or gather fish from the sea, to provide enough meat for a whole month (Numbers 11:21-22).

 

God gave a strong warning (Numbers 11:1) when they complained. His anger was aroused and the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. God gave yet another warning to the people telling them to, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat.” (Numbers 11:18)

 

God gives the gluttonous quail till it runs out their nostrils (Numbers 11:20). This is where the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. (Numbers 11:31-34)

 

If you consecrate yourself and prepare for a meal; gluttony would not be an aspect of eating till quail comes out of your nose. This gluttony came from the unconsecrated who were overcome with an intense craving to eat their fill of meat (Numbers 11:4).

 

We must consider the mass number of quail that was there and the fact that a lot of it was probably eaten raw, just like some eat sushi and rare steak.

 

There weren’t any freezers in the dessert to store the meat. They “spread the quails round about the camp;” (Numbers 11:32) this was for the purpose of drying them out like jerky. All of this combined and you have the perfect breeding grounds for a plague. This is where a lot of people get confused saying God gave them meat that killed them.

 

The fact still remains that the only ones to die were the unconsecrated, and the gluttonous, and were the ones breaking the statutes established at the waters of Marah.

 

Here again God is teaching the people a lesson because they did not head His voice and statutes (Exodus 15:25-26) when he sweetened the waters of Marah with a tree just three days into their journey into the wilderness. This is where God said, “I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians”(Exodus 15:25-26).

 

So, when I say Quail your appetite I am teaching that we must realize and remember that the Lord is our provider. We should give thanks and prayers, to consecrate ourselves and our food.

 

This done with reverence not gluttony applied to all aspects of Life not just meals. (Ephesians 5:20) (Romans 11:36) He is the source of everything we have, and praying before meals helps to remind us of that truth. Praying before we eat with a thankful heart brings glory to God and centers our minds on His great love and provisions.

 

*As a side note: Only good comes from God. Quail is a very Healthy Game Bird and the nutritional benefits of quail eggs is worth Googling.