Despite the negative connotation this well-known saying may cultivate, this commentary is anything but. What I found through my recent reading of the Old Testament was quite revealing and I just had to share it with you.
An account in the book of Numbers chapter 11 tells of the Jewish people, during their journey through the desert wilderness, grumbling and complaining (in typical human nature form) about how they had only manna to eat and were getting pretty tired of it. Moses became quite troubled over the intensity of these protests and cried out to God, “They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.”
The LORD said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.”
This is an amazing account of how God will provide for each one of us. Certainly the Lord could have had the Holy Spirit wash over Moses and alleviate his worries. The Lord certainly could have quieted the multitude of people in the wink of an eye. The Lord could have done numerous things to resolve the situation. He chose, though, to build Moses up by sharing his burden with people he could trust and rely on.
An interesting note to all this…Moses could have made that decision all along. It is so much like human nature to hold on to our situation—good or bad—and deal with it on our own. It took the Lord’s command to provide Moses the support he needed rather than providing a quick way out.
This is a truth and insight I will keep with me for the rest of my life. I, too, am much like Moses in that sense…wanting to carry burdens and problems on my own. Hopefully I won’t have to go running to God crying my woes only to be told the obvious. God has provided people in our lives for a reason…His reason. It may be clearly evident sometimes; it may take some prodding on God’s part for us to see it. In the end we must all understand that God is a God of mercy, grace and provision and he uses His creation to get us through tough times just as much as He directly restores us.
This has been my revelation for the month.
Greg Morton
© October 2011
To view a printable copy of this commentary click here
Monday, October 3, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)