Graves of Craving

In Numbers 11 we encounter the Hebrew phrase "Kibroth-hattaavah" which means "graves of craving". This place received its name from the events that are chronicled in this chapter.
As you will remember Israel has just departed from their meeting with the Lord at Mt. Sinai. There the Lord gave them the law and entered into covenant with them. He would be their God and they His people. As they walked in His ways and followed His commands the Lord would provide for them all that they needed. He had already provided for them the manna which miraculously appeared each morning, but most importantly He provided the blessing of His presence. God had been so good to this people and had plans to bless them all the more in a land flowing with milk and honey.
But there were some among the people, described as the rabble, who wanted more. They were not satisfied with what God had provided. They had a "strong craving". So they began to complain to Moses that they had no meat and wished they were back in Egypt where they ate at no charge fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. They also complained that they were sick of manna every day. They wanted a little variety in their diet.
Now though their complaint came to Moses, the Lord heard it, and it was against the Lord that they really complained. The Lord said Himself in verse 20 that they had "rejected the Lord who is among you". That is to say that in their craving for more than what God had provided, what they were really doing was rejecting the Lord, who was not only the source of all that they had, but was Himself the best gift they had received.
So in His anger the Lord gave them what they craved for. May I say at this point, "Be careful what you crave for!" The Lord may just give you want you want above Him, and you will not like the result. The people of Israel did not like the result, for though the Lord rained down quails to satisfy their cravings, before they were able to consume the meat, many of them had died. Thus the name of the place was called "graves of craving".
I think there is a lesson in this for us all. Our greatest desire is to be the Lord. If we have Him in our midst with that we are to be content. But when we go after other things; when we tell the Lord that He is not enough; when we declare with our complaints that we are not satisfied with what He has provided....we place ourselves in a very dangerous spot. God may well give us what we want, but all aberrant cravings always lead to death - they lead to "graves of craving".
Brothers and sisters we have been given the greatest gift - the presence of the Lord Jesus. Having Him we have all we really need to experience the abundance this life offers. All other desires need to take a place of lesser importance, lest they lead us down the path of destruction. May we say with the psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but You, and on earth I desire nothing besides You." Psalm 73:25