Kibroth-hattaavah

After the exodus from Egypt by the miraculous experience of crossing the Red Sea, the experience of bitter water turning to sweet at Marah and the enjoyment of the twelve springs at Elim, the children of Israel continued to be fleshly and murmured against Moses, and God, for the fleshly lust for meat. The answer to this was the supply of quail with a curse. Numbers 11: 

31 And a wind went forth from Jehovah and 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, and about two cubits above the surface of the earth.

32 And the people rose up all that day and all the night and all the next day, and they gathered the quail. He who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah struck the people with a very severe plague.

34 And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.

This indeed is many Christians' experiences today. They have been saved from Egypt under the tyranny of Pharoah, baptised in the sea (Red Sea), experienced the cross at Marah and also enjoyed the resurrection life of God flowing at Elim. However all these experiences were momentary and still something more solid is missing; the daily supply of manna for the daily salvation and nourishment. All the previous experiences comes and go, and does not make one stable and strong. Only the eating of manna is continual and solid. Unless this manna is eaten everyday, whatever experiences of the past, however glorious they may be, is still of the past and not too subjectively applicable at the moment. No wonder, many Christians with glorious past are not presently glorious. Instead there are backsliding and bitterness spiritually. The panacea to this spiritual pandemic is the daily eating of manna with the fresh dew in the morning, the daily enjoyment of Christ.

When this daily enjoyment of Christ in the word is missing or lacking, there will, for sure, be a  lust for other things. Most predominantly in today's world, is the lust for the fleshly desire of worldly pleasures, the "quails."  God would not forbid anyone from such longings, but the more one indulges in the flesh, the more he is deadened in his spirit and the more hungry and lusty he becomes. Many believers have been sucked by this whirlpool of  lust and are rendered maimed, function-less and useless as far as God or the things of God are concerned. In fact, they are judged and struck and buried at Kibroth-hattaavah.

The answer to an enigma of believers in sin lies in the matter of daily spiritual nourishment. A spiritual malnutrition is the root of a Christian backsliding. Environment or circumstances are only the outer shell. The root cause is malnutrition. Eating Christ as the daily manna is the only solution.

Lord, feed me everyday with the heavenly manna; be my satisfaction daily and moment by moment. Deliver me from the path to Kibroth-hattaavah.