Matthew Henry Commentary Numbers 11:16-23

"And Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days, but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected Jehovah who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? And Jehovah said unto Moses, Is Jehovah`s hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not." — Numbers 11:16-23 (ASV)

Moses was to choose those he knew to be elders, that is, wise and experienced men. God promised to qualify them. If they were not found fit for the task, they would be made fit. Even the discontented people would also be satisfied, so that every mouth might be silenced. Observe here:

1. The vanity of all the pleasures of the senses; they will become tiresome, but they will not satisfy. Spiritual pleasures alone will satisfy and last. As the world passes away, so do the lusts of it.
2. What brutish sins gluttony and drunkenness are! They cause what should be for the body's health to harm it. Moses objects. Even true and great believers sometimes find it hard to trust God under the discouragements of second causes, and against hope to believe in hope.

God here brings Moses to this point: The Lord God is Almighty. He then puts the proof upon the outcome, saying, You shall see whether My word will come to pass or not. If He speaks, it is done.