parenting a difficult child

and this embarrassing episode is just thebeginning of a sequence of embarrassing events that will occur as the israelites move fromegypt towards the land that's been promised to them. most of these episodes will occurin the book of numbers, and they involve the rebellion of the people in some way, generallygod's fury in reaction to that rebellion, moses' intervention usually on behalf of thepeople, and god's appeasement. the book of numbers recounts the itinerary of the israelitesthroughout the 40 years of their wanderings and encampments around the sacred tabernacle.the tabernacle always moves in the center of the tribes, and they're positioned in certainspecific positions around the tabernacle as they move. they stay at sinai for a year,i believe, in the text, before they begin

their movement, and numbers contains somelaw, and much narrative material. the material tells of god's provision for the people inthe desert, but it also tells of the israelites' constant complaining, and rebellion. the israelitesrebel against moses and god, and they long for egypt. there are several times when godthreatens to exterminate them, but moses manages to dissuade him. in numbers 14, for example,when the israelites complain again, god is determined to destroy them, and moses intervenes,and the intervention leads to a compromise. god swears that none of the adults who witnessedthe exodus -- with the exception of joshua and caleb, who did not join in the rebellion -- none of the adults who witnessed the exodus would see the fulfillment of god's salvation,and enter the promised land. this means the

israelites will have to wander for 40 yearsin the desert until all of those who left egypt as adults pass away, leaving a new generationthat hasn't really tasted slavery, to enter the land and form a new nation. the book ofnumbers, i think, is most remarkable for the relationship that it describes between mosesand god. i love reading these particular stories, and just hearing the dialogue between them,and imagining it, because the two of them alternate in losing patience with the israelites,and wishing to throw them over. but each time the one convinces the other to be forbearing.the relationship between moses and god is a very intimate one, very much like a husbandand wife, who are working together as partners and parenting a difficult child. they're partnersin the preparation of israel for their new

life, readying israel for life in god's landas a nation, as a people. i'm going to just give you two examples of the way moses andgod act as a check upon each other. the first excerpt is from numbers 14, and it shows moses'ability to placate the wrath of god. now, in this story, the israelites express greatfear. they've just heard a report from a reconnaissance team that scoped out the land, and they comeback and say: oh, boy, you know, it looks really bad--and that they think that the chancesof conquering the promised land are very, very slim. the whole community broke intoloud cries, and the people wept that night. all the israelites railed against moses andaaron. "if only we had died in the land of egypt," the whole community shouted at them,"or if only we might die in this wilderness!

why is the lord taking us to that land tofall by the sword? our wives and children will be carried off! it would be better forus to go back to egypt!" and they said to one another, "let us head back for egypt." å¯ the presence of the lord appeared in thetent of meeting to all the israelites. and the lord said to moses, "how long willthis people spurn me, and how long will they have no faith in me despite all the signsthat i have performed in their midst? i will strike them with pestilence and disown them,and i will make of you a nation far more numerous than they!" but moses said to the lord, "whenthe egyptians, from whose midst you brought up this people in your might, hear the news,they will tell it to the inhabitants of that

landå¯. if then you slay this people to aman, the nations who have heard your fame will say, 'it must be because the lord waspowerless to bring that people into the land he had promised them on oath that he slaughteredthem in the wilderness.' therefore, i pray, let my lord's forbearance beå¯ abounding inkindness; forgiving iniquity and transgressionå¯. pardon, i pray, the iniquity of this peopleaccording to your great kindness, as you have forgiven this people ever since egypt." and the lord said, "i pardon, as you haveaskedå¯." so note god's offer to start all over againwith moses. this is a pattern with this god, you know--create, gets upset, a flood wipesthem out, let's start again, oh, still not

too good, let's choose one person, abraham,see how that goes; oh, disappointed, let's go with moses--so this is a bit of a pattern.but moses refuses to accept the offer, and instead he defends the israelites, and heaverts their destruction. he appeals primarily to god's vanity: what will the neighbors thinkif you destroy them? they'll think you couldn't fulfill your promise. they'll think you'renot the universal god of history. but the roles are reversed in the following passage,and this is where the text blows hot and cold. in fact, there's a rabbinic image, there'sa rabbinic tradition that talks about this period of time, and has god and moses talking,and god says: listen, between the two of us, whenever i blow hot, you blow cold, or wheni pour hot water, you pour cold, and when

you pour hot, i'll pour cold, and togetherwe'll muddle through, and get through here. the israelites won't be wiped out. but inthis next passage, which is numbers 11, moses is the one who is impatient with the israelites'constant complaints and lack of faith, and he's ready to throw in the towel. i'll justread this last passage. the riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonouscraving; and then the israelites wept and said, 'if only we had meat to eat! we rememberthe fish that we used to eat free in egypt okay, we were slaves, but the food was free,you know? i just love that line. we used to eat this fish free in egypt. å¯the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, theonions, and the garlic. now our gullets are

shriveled. there is nothing at all! nothingbut this manna to look at!' å¯ moses heard the people weeping, every clanapart, each person at the entrance of his tent. the lord was very angry, and moses wasdistressed. and moses said to the lord, "why have you dealt ill with your servant [me],and why have i not enjoyed your favor, that you have laid the burden of all this peopleupon me? did i conceive all this people, did i bear them, that you should say to me, 'carrythem in your bosom as a nurse carries an infant,' to the land that you have promised on oathto their fathers? where am i to get meat to give to all this people, when they whine beforeme and say, 'give us meat to eat!' i cannot

carry all this people by myself, for it istoo much for me. if you would deal thus with me, kill me rather, i beg you, and let mesee no more of my wretchedness!" then the lord said to moses, "gather for meseventy of israel's elders of whom you have experience as elders and officers of the people,and bring them to the tent of meeting and let them take their place there with you.i will come down and speak with you there, and i will draw upon the spirit that is onyou and put it upon them; they shall share the burden of the people with you, and youshall not bear it alone. so again, hot and cold. and in many ways, moses sets the paradigmfor the classical prophet. he performs this double duty. he chastises and upbraids theisraelites for their rebellion and failures.

when he's turning and facing the people, he'son their case. but at the same time, he consoles the people when they fear they've driven godaway irreparably, and when he turns to face god, he defends the people before god. hepleads for mercy when they do in fact deserve

punishment--and he knows they deserve punishment.he even says as much, but please [he says] have mercy. at times he expresses his frustrationwith the difficulty of his task, and resentment that it's been assigned to him. but we'llconsider the character and the role of moses in much greater detail when we reach the bookof deuteronomy.