Quail: It's What's for Dinner.

Moses had a difficult job. You people in management think you have it bad, imagine managing a group of about a million former slaves. When reading about the ministry of Moses, I often feel very sorry for him. Moses was not a typical CEO type personality. The bible describes him as the humblest man on earth (Num 12:3).

Numbers 11 gives an account of Moses' exasperation over a pity party the nation of Israel was having over their menu. As we see many times during the exodus, the Israelites were grumbling about their situation and wishing to be in Egypt where they had it so good. The manna God had provided had become distasteful to them and they longed for meat, so much so that the scriptures say they sat in the doorway of their tents weeping. I imagine Moses at his wit's end as he cried out to the Lord,
"Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,' to the land which You swore to their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.' I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now-if I have found favor in Your sight-and do not let me see my wretchedness!"

A couple things stand out to me in this story. First, Moses relationship with the Creator. How familiar their relationship must have been to feel like he could address God this way. In fact Moses seems almost kind of snarky. Interestingly, the Lord responds similarly when Moses asks the Lord how He can provide enough meat for the Israelites to eat for a month, "And the LORD said to Moses, "Has the LORD'S arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not."
Secondly, these men and women in the camp who had witnessed God's extraordinary and powerful works on their behalf turned so easily to doubt and distrust when things became difficult or uncomfortable.
While it is easy for me to marvel at the faithlessness of the Israelites, I am not much different. Having been given the gift of grace through faith, I still doubt the Lord by my actions. Often I pray along with the man who asked Jesus to heal his demon possessed son in Mark 9:24, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief!"