God And Moses Relationship Essay

In the eleventh chapter of the Book of Numbers, the Israelites complain about their hardships and grow tired of eating manna. This dilemma draws out the character traits and attitudes of both God and Moses and allows for insight into the relationship between God and the human race. The development of the relationship between God and Moses reveals the true characteristics of a hesed, or steadfast love, covenant. The attitudes and interactions between God and Moses reveal that a hesed covenant is one of struggle, patience and trust. The struggle of the Israelites is evident as they are led by Moses toward the Promised Land. The Israelites, after years of persecution and wandering, are growing tired of the hardships they are facing (Num. 11:4). Specifically, they are becoming increasingly displeased with the manna that God is providing for them. Even though they were once starving and grateful for God’s providence of the manna, they are now ungrateful because their satisfaction in manna is decreasing as the wandering continues. When they complain to Moses, they remind him of their days in Egypt and describe how captivity would be more favorable than their current condition:
“We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; …show more content…
11:10). Forced to play the middle man in a Divine dispute, Moses must pray in order to make peace between God and the Israelites. Two key characteristics of Moses can be observed in this action: his faithfulness to prayer and his desire to see the Israelites prosper. This is not an easy task, as Moses undoubtedly became the scapegoat when the Israelites stopped trusting God. The Israelites probably viewed the plague as a sign that Moses disobeyed God in some way. Despite the hostility Moses might have endured, he proved capable of leading God’s chosen