Big Idea: Racism and envy can bring about God’s judgment.

Understanding the Text

When Israel leaves Mount Sinai, things quickly turn sour. Numbers 11 begins a series of three locations where the people grumble and complain. At Taberah they complain because of the hardships of the journey (Num. 11:1–3), and at Kibroth Hattaavah they complain because they are tired of manna and want the meat and vegetables that they had enjoyed in Egypt (Num. 11:4–35). Now at Hazeroth (Num. 11:35) two members of Moses’s own family, his sister and brother, complain against him and challenge his authority.

Historical and Cultural Background

Moses has married a Cushite (Num. 12:1). Cushites were from Nubia south of ancient Egypt (Isa. 18:1 places Cush on the Nile) in what is now southern Egypt and northern …