91 - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

The oldest stories of Numbers were about the crises of leadership in the Babylonian captivity, told from two distinct perspectives: One from a populist perspective, and the other from an elitist perspective. The combined stories appear as one in Numbers, chapter 11. Shemaya's populist story (verses in ch 11): 11 So Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all these people on me?  12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a wet nurse carries a nursing child, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors’?  14 I am not able to carry all these people alone, for they are too heavy for me.  15 If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favor in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.” 16 So Yahweh said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting and have them take their place there with you.  17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself.  24 ... and he gathered seventy of the elders of the people and placed them all around the tent.  25 Then Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders, and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. 26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, so they prophesied in the camp.  27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”  28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!”  29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all Yahweh’s people were prophets and that Yahweh would put his spirit on them!”  30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. Ezekiel's elitist story (verses in ch 11): 1 Now when the people complained in the hearing of Yahweh about their misfortunes, Yahweh heard it, and his anger was kindled. Then the fire of Yahweh burned against them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.  2 But the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire abated. 3 So that place was called Taberah, because the fire of Yahweh burned against them.  4 The mob of the camp followers with them had a strong craving, and the Israelites also wept again and said, “If only we had meat to eat!  5 We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic,  6 but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” 10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then Yahweh became very angry, and Moses was displeased.  13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they come weeping to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’  18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wailed in the hearing of Yahweh, saying, “If only we had meat to eat! Surely it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore Yahweh will give you meat, and you shall eat.  19 You shall eat not only one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,  20 but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected Yahweh who is among you and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”  sewn  23 Yahweh said to Moses, “Is Yahweh’s power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.” 24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of Yahweh. 31 Then a wind went out from Yahweh, and it brought quails from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, about two cubits deep on the ground.  32 So the people worked all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quails; the least anyone gathered was ten homers, and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.  33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of Yahweh was kindled against the people, and Yahweh  struck the people with a very great plague.  34 So that place was called The Tombs of Craving because there they buried the people who had the craving. 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