Numbers 11:1-2: “And [when] the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard [it]; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed [them that were] in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.”

1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Malachi 3:6: “For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”`

Go ahead and read these three verses and tell me there is no contradiction, I dare you. Explain to me how there is no contradiction in these verses. In Numbers the people of God were consumed for complaining, complaining for crying out loud. We all complain.  But God, no He is just too thin skinned and he has to send fire down to consume his people for complaining.  This word for complaining is ‘anan which some Hebrew scholars teach is a complaining over hardship.  In fact the NIV actually renders it as complaining over hardship. I mean who doesn’t complain over hardship and yet this just sets God off such that he sends fire from heaven to consume His people.  Then in Malachi he has the audacity to say that He doesn’t change and he will not consume His people.  Oh, but then we look at the New Testament and we discover that perfect love cast out all fear.  I would think if fire is falling from heaven and the people plead with Moses to pray to God to make it stop that that is an indication that God is creating some fear.  Yet, if He is perfect in love then how can he create fear?

Oh Christians have come up with a good answer to all that, we live in a new age, a new dispensation we are under a new covenant.  God somehow got civilized by the New Testaments.  Thank you God that you are no longer that angry, irrational God of the Old Testament.  It seems God finally got some religion by the New Testament, maybe He even got saved.

When are we going to admit that we Christians are full of contradictions and the atheistic world is laughing at us, for good reason.  We make little sense when we talk of a God of love who at the same time sends fire down from heaven to destroy anyone who complains about some hardship.

I recently watched a family friendly show on television and you know how they create that perfect little world.  This family was going through some hard times and the teenage son had finally had his fill. He began to yell at his father, blaming him for all their problems.  The father patiently said, “Let me explain.”  The son said defiantly,  “No, I am not going to listen to any explanation, I’m tired of your explaining.” The father then reached out and hugged his son, wept with him and said, “I understand how hard it is, I am so so sorry.” Then of course the son breaks down and weeps on his father’s shoulder.

Ok that is a perfect world, it doesn’t happen that way, but in perfect love it should. In fact I am sure in some families it has happened that way.  If God is perfect love then this human father had left God behind in the dust when it comes to compassion and love for his child.

So how do we explain this passage in Numbers to not be so contradictory.  Ok at the risk of sounding radical let me just say this. In 300 AD the Christian church became an organization and an organization needs to maintain control. You are not going to get people to attend church every Sunday and fill the coffers if you don’t put a little fear of God in them. You know, little things like, “You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian, but (ah the old but) I don’t see how you can be a real Christian if you do not go to church every Sunday.”  How about this one, “You should give a tithe only out of love, but I don’t see how you can be a real Christian and not tithe. Subtle little traditions that crept into the church to help maintain control and of course at the root of this control is the need to have a God that you need to be at least a little afraid of.

So we come to a words like it displeased the Lord. That word for displeased is ra’ which has a string of usages both in Biblical and extra Biblical literature.  Displeasure and evil are two possible usages of that word. So are the words hurt feelings and wounded heart.  Why don’t we say that the people’s murmuring wounded the heart of God?  Well that would not create as much fear in you as to say it displeased God or was evil.

Let’s look further, when God heard it His anger was kindled.  The word anger is aneph which is the snorting of a camel. It could be anger, a camel snorts when He is angry, it also snorts when it is frustrated or it is desiring intimacy with a female camel.  Why could we not say that God’s heart was so wounded that his desire for intimacy was kindled. The word kindled can also mean to grow warm, hot or to burn. When you are emotional, either in anger or having a broken heart your body grows warm as the blood flows rapidly through your body.  Why could we not say that God was so frustrated over the fact he could not be intimate with his people because of their murmurings that he just burned with desire for intimacy.

 
We read further about the fire of the Lord.  The word fire is esh which could mean fire and could also be used as metaphor for passion.  Why can we not say the passionate love of the Lord was kindled. Here the word kindle is ba’ar which could mean to kindle a fire but it is also used in Extra Biblical literature to express the idea of seeking out.  Why could we not render this as the passionate love of God began to seek out his people and consume then.  The word consume is ‘akal which is the word for eating. When you eat something you ingest it you stick it in your mouth and totally encompass the food.  Why could we not render this as the passionate love of God began to seek out his people and encompass them?  Remember these first three verses deal with the people of God.  The next verses deal with the mixed multitude, the Hyksos, the pagans who joined the Hebrews on their journey and found it was not all they anticipated.  Let’s just stay with these first three verses dealing with the Hebrew people. We do not have to say that when the people murmured God sent fire to destroy them, we could also say that when the people murmured God’s heart was broken and he cried out for intimacy and like that father with that rebellious son He just embraced them, hugged them until his fire or passion was quenched.  That word quenched is shaqa’ which means to quench it is also used to express he idea of overflowing and subduing.  Why can we not say that God hugged his people until He subdued them.  We can do that you know, but then you have a God that you do not need to be afraid of and of course how will you maintain control without that.

You know I recently complained to God about my situation and He did not send fire. I rebelled and got angry with Him but He consumed me with His love and passion until he had subdued me and I just loved Him in return and said: “It’s ok, it really is ok.”  You know what? I still go to church, I still pay my tithe, and yet I am not afraid of God if I don’t.  I do it because I know He cares and He gave me a hug.