I was listening to a sermon by deceased preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones titled "The Mind of Man" (please scroll down to the bottom of the page for the sermon) and he discusses Numbers 11:4-6 and its application to the men of his day (this sermon was delivered in 1957). He covers a variety of topics but the latter half of his sermon emphasizes Israel's willingness to go back into hard bondage and to be slaves so they could be fed with the rich food the Egyptians provided them. I am reproducing below from the English Standard Version but my guess is he used the King James' Version.
"Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at." (Number 11:4-6 ESV).
We see here (as pointed out by Lloyd-Jones in his sermon which I recommend listening to) that the Israelites completely ignore their oppressive bondage and are captured by sensual lusts to such an extent that they are blinded to all that they suffered and are willing to return to bondage in exchange for some meats and vegetables. They have repeated the sin of Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of lentils. They cannot look past a temporary affliction and trust in the Lord so much so that they are willing to suffer slavery (and ultimately effective genocide as Pharaoh had previously ordered all of their male children to be killed) for satisfaction of wanton lusts. This is symbolic of our slavery to the world, which will use us and discard us once it is done with us. We must realize our value and our birthright as children of God and not let ourselves be sold back into slavery for a pittance (be it for food, clothes or any other transient pleasure of the world). We are free in Jesus Christ, let us not go back into bondage for a loaf of bread.
"Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at." (Number 11:4-6 ESV).
We see here (as pointed out by Lloyd-Jones in his sermon which I recommend listening to) that the Israelites completely ignore their oppressive bondage and are captured by sensual lusts to such an extent that they are blinded to all that they suffered and are willing to return to bondage in exchange for some meats and vegetables. They have repeated the sin of Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of lentils. They cannot look past a temporary affliction and trust in the Lord so much so that they are willing to suffer slavery (and ultimately effective genocide as Pharaoh had previously ordered all of their male children to be killed) for satisfaction of wanton lusts. This is symbolic of our slavery to the world, which will use us and discard us once it is done with us. We must realize our value and our birthright as children of God and not let ourselves be sold back into slavery for a pittance (be it for food, clothes or any other transient pleasure of the world). We are free in Jesus Christ, let us not go back into bondage for a loaf of bread.
