Deuteronomy 1:9–18

Moses here attributes the appointment of the judges to his own suggestion… That dear and most honoured servant of God felt the burden of the congregation too heavy for him, and it was indeed very heavy. Yet we know well that the grace of God was more than enough for the need. What is more, that grace could act as well by one man as by seventy.

"At that time I said to you, 'I am not able to bear you by myself'" — surely not; what mere mortal could? But God was there to be counted on for the need of every hour — "The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. (May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as He has promised you!)" Lovely parenthesis! Exquisite breathing of a large and lowly heart!

Moses did not want his words "I am not able to bear you by myself" to be misunderstood. So he added a gracious wish: may the LORD, the God of their fathers, make them a thousand times as many as they are, and bless them as He has promised. These beautiful words still breathe the warmth of the loving heart of Moses, and they also express his faith in the promise of the LORD.

In all this we see Moses stepping back from a post of honour. The responsibility was immense, but faith would own that God was more than enough for it. He was not asked to bear them alone, for God was with him. They were not too heavy for God. It was He who was bearing them; Moses was only the instrument… This is where the servants of Christ keep failing. The failure is all the more dangerous because it looks like humility. Shrinking from heavy responsibility seems like distrust of self and deep lowliness of spirit. But the only question to ask is this: has God laid that responsibility on me? If so, He will be with me in carrying it, and with Him beside me I can carry anything. With Him, the weight of a mountain is nothing; without Him, the weight of a feather is crushing.

Here lay the secret of much of the "weight" and the "burden." They could not agree among themselves. There were controversies, arguments and questions. Who was equal to these things? What human shoulder could sustain such a burden? How different it might have been with them! Had they walked lovingly together, there would have been no cases to decide, and therefore no need of judges to decide them.

Where the Holy Spirit is working, one instrument is as good and as effective as seventy; and where He is not working, seventy are worth no more than one. Let the lonely servant take comfort and courage. As long as he has the presence and power of the Holy Spirit with him, he need not complain of his burden or wish the work were shared. If God honours a man by giving him a great deal of work to do, let him rejoice in it and not grumble. If he grumbles, he can quickly lose that honour.

It was failure on his part when he complained of his burden… May we think here of the great burden-bearer, our Lord, who never fails His people and who never complains. We can cast our burdens and cares on Him, and we shall always find that He cares for us.

The Lord God was to be the One they looked to, because of who He is and what He has done. That includes His multiplying of Israel from 70 people to well over 2,000,000 — far more than the number of stars they could see in the sky.

The sons of Jacob went down into Egypt, seventy-five people, and in a short time they grew and multiplied to a miraculous degree. This increase was so striking that it caught the attention of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He was alarmed. He took drastic measures to stop the wonderful increase that God was giving His chosen ones as the seed of Abraham.

The "stars" were connected with Isaac, the son who was the guarantee of God's unconditional promise to Abraham. Both the "dust" and the "sand" are seen in relation to Jacob, the man in responsibility, while Isaac was the son of promise… Out of the three descriptions of the seed, they chose the one they thought was the greatest, and in this they were right… In both prayers there was concern about the failure of the people. Moses and the Levites prayed for them on the ground of God's unconditional promise, and not on the ground of their responsibility, in which they had failed.

That dear and most honoured servant of God felt the burden of the congregation was too heavy for him. It certainly was very heavy. Yet we know well that the grace of God was fully enough for the demand, and that this grace could work through one man as well as through seventy.

What can be more simple and fitting than that Moses at the close should leave out the name and counsel of Jethro, and give the people more prominence than himself in the choice of rulers?… Now he dwells mainly on their part in the matter. He admits he cannot cope with their great increase — an increase he movingly asks God to multiply a thousand times.

They could not agree among themselves. There were disputes, quarrels and questions, and who was equal to such things?… Had they walked together in love, there would have been no cases to decide, and so no need of judges to decide them. If each member of the congregation had sought the good, the interest and the happiness of his fellow Israelites, there would have been no "strife," no "trouble," no "burden."

The book almost begins with a glimpse of the blessing and glory to come. It comes as a prayer, or wish, of Moses — but God will fulfil it in glory at the right time. "May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you!" This implies restoration, for the mercies belong to them, and grace is sovereign.

In chapter 1 Moses has to remind the people of their own deplorable condition. He had been unable to bear by himself their "cumbrance," or as we might say, their "wear and tear," their "burden," and their "strife."

"At that time I said to you, 'I am not able to bear you by myself'" — surely not; what mere mortal could? But God was there, and they could count on Him in the emergency of every hour — "The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. (May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as He has promised you!)" Lovely parenthesis! What a beautiful expression of a large and lowly heart!

Here lay the secret of much of the "cumbrance" and the "burden." They could not agree among themselves. There were arguments, quarrels and disputes. Who was equal to these things? What human shoulder could sustain such a burden? How different it might have been with them! If they had walked together in love, there would have been no cases to decide. And so there would have been no need of judges.

Every age of the church's history proves the same thing: self and its hateful workings produce strife, contention and division — always... On the other hand, you will find that setting self and its interests aside is the true secret of peace, harmony and brotherly love. If we learn to set self aside, and seek the glory of Christ and the good of His beloved people, we shall not have many "cases" to settle.

This made it necessary to appoint men who would be recognised as chiefs and magistrates among them. Rule in Israel was in this way plainly service. And they are invited to put their own hands to this work. They choose from among themselves men who enjoyed their confidence, and deserved the confidence they enjoyed.

It was failure on his part when he complained of his burden... May we think here of the great burden-bearer, our Lord, who never fails His people and who never complains. We can cast our burdens and cares upon Him and shall always find that He cares for us.

Even if it was not proper for Moses to complain to God in this way, we can think that God answered him in grace. He gave the seventy elders to help him carry the burden of the people.

Today, in the light of the New Testament, we must admit one thing. It is not God's intention for His people that only one man take responsibility for the whole service of the local assembly. In Acts 15 the decision did not come from one apostle, however prominent. It came from the apostles and the elders, with the agreement of the whole assembly.

Sadly, here lay the secret of much of the "trouble" and the "burden." They could not agree among themselves. There were controversies, arguments and disputes. Who was equal to such things? What human shoulder could carry such a weight? How different it might have been with them! Had they walked together in love, there would have been no cases to decide, and so no need of judges to decide them.

That dear and most honoured servant of God felt the burden of the congregation too heavy for him; and it certainly was very heavy; though we know well that the grace of God was fully enough for the demand; and, further, that that grace could act as well through one man as through seventy.

"So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and known" — men fitted by God, and having, because they deserved to have, the confidence of the congregation.

From the very beginning, not only of the Christian confession but of Israel's history, we may notice what importance was given to wisdom and understanding. Weigh such plain examples as Deuteronomy 1:13, 15 and Deuteronomy 4:5-6… Indeed the spirit of it runs through that remarkable book, as obedient attention to the word of God shapes it. What else can be the condition of blessing for all in relationship with God, whether for earth or for heaven?

In Exodus 18 it is Jethro who suggests the thing to Moses, and it is Moses who chooses. In Deuteronomy 1:13 it is Moses who proposes the thing to the people, saying, "Take you." The people answer, "The thing which you have spoken is good," and so on. Then Moses says, "So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you."

Exodus 18:25 speaks of Moses choosing these men. Yet here in Deuteronomy 1:13 Moses says he asked the tribes to choose "wise, understanding and knowledgeable men." So he graciously took them into his confidence. When they presented the men, he confirmed them as his choice. Verse 15 makes this clear.

This made necessary the appointment of those who should be recognised as chiefs and magistrates among them; rule in Israel being in this way clearly service; and they are invited to put their own hands to this work, in choosing from among themselves men who enjoyed their confidence, and deserved the confidence they enjoyed.

We call the reader's attention to this as one of the many proofs scattered along the pages of Deuteronomy that it is very far from being a mere repetition of the earlier parts of the Pentateuch… It is very clear that the object of the venerable lawgiver, or rather of the Holy Spirit in him, was to bring everything to bear, in a moral way, upon the hearts of the people, in order to produce that one great result which is the special object of the book from beginning to end — a loving obedience to all the statutes and judgments of the Lord their God.

"So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known" — men fitted by God, and possessing, because entitled to, the confidence of the congregation.

From the very beginning — not only of the Christian confession, but of Israel's history — we can see how much importance wisdom and understanding had.

In Exodus 18 it is Jethro who proposes the thing to Moses, and Moses who chooses. In Deuteronomy 1:13 it is Moses who proposes the thing to the people, telling them to choose the men. The people answer that what he has said is good. Then Moses says, "So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you."

This made it necessary to appoint men who would be recognised as chiefs and magistrates among them. Rule in Israel was in this way plainly a service. They are invited to put their own hands to this work, and to choose from among themselves men who enjoyed their confidence, and deserved the confidence they enjoyed.

Here lay the secret of much of the trouble and the burden. They could not agree among themselves. There were arguments, quarrels and questions. Who was equal to all this? What human shoulder could carry such a load? How different it might have been with them! If they had walked together in love, there would have been no cases to decide, and so no need of judges to decide them.

Admirable arrangement! If it had to be made at all, nothing could keep order better than this graded scale of authority. It ran from the captain of ten up to the captain of a thousand. The lawgiver himself stood at the head of all, in direct communication with the Lord God of Israel.

Again, what could be simpler or more fitting? At the close Moses leaves out the name and the advice of Jethro. He gives the people a larger place than himself in the choice of rulers. He had already shown all this in the history. Now he dwells mainly on their part in the matter. He admits he could not cope with their great increase — and he touchingly asks God to make them a thousand times more — while still urging the rulers to judge righteously.

There is no discrepancy here with the statements in Exodus and Numbers on this matter... It was failure on his part when he complained of his burden. May we think here of the great burden-bearer, our Lord, who never fails His people and who never complains. We can cast our burdens and cares on Him and shall always find that He cares for us.

What could be more simple and fitting? At the close Moses leaves out the name and advice of Jethro, and gives the people greater prominence than himself in the choice of rulers. He had already shown this fully in the history. Now he dwells mainly on their part in it. He admits his own inability to cope with their great increase, which he touchingly asks God to multiply a thousand times. Yet he urges the rulers to judge righteously.

We must never be guided in judgement by a one-sided statement. Everyone is liable, even with the best intentions, to give a colour to his account of a case. He would not deliberately lie or make a false statement. But through a poor memory, or some other cause, he may not present the case as it really is. One fact may be left out. That single fact can affect all the others, so that their bearing changes completely. "Hear the other side" is a healthy motto. And not only hear the other side, but hear all the facts on both sides, and so you will be able to form a sound and righteous judgment.

We must not allow ourselves to be guided by our own impressions. We all know that mere impressions are highly untrustworthy. They may be correct; and they may be utterly false. Nothing is received and passed on more easily than a false impression. So any judgement based on mere impressions is worthless. We must have solid, clearly established facts — facts proved by two or three witnesses, as Scripture plainly insists. (Deut. 17:6; Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19.)

What even-handed justice! What holy impartiality! Prejudice, preference, or personal feeling of any kind must not warp the judge's mind... The position and circumstances of either party in the case were not to be considered. The case had to be decided entirely on its own merits... The poor man was to receive the same even-handed justice as the rich; the stranger the same as one born in the land. No difference was to be allowed.

Israel themselves had known "the heart of a stranger" by bitter experience. God declared Himself to them as One who "loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing." They are urged, "Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt." (Deut. 10:18-19.)

True, we are not all called to be judges or elders or leaders. But the great moral principles laid down in the passage above are of the very greatest value to every one of us. Wherever we find ourselves, whatever our line of life, we are liable — sadly — to meet cases of difficulty and misunderstanding between our brothers, cases of wrong, whether real or imagined. So we need God's instruction on how to conduct ourselves in them.

We are mutually dependent and need each other's help, not simply against others but against ourselves. In our own cause we are not fit to be judges. No laws anywhere in the world would allow it. Yet there is no office we take up more readily. Self-interest pushes us to do the very thing it disqualifies us for.

Cases too hard to decide were to be brought to Moses. In the Church too, elder brothers can decide many things, but if anything is too hard, these must be brought to the Lord in humble, dependent prayer.

The appointment of the judges Moses here attributes to his own suggestion. That dear and most honoured servant of God felt the burden of the congregation too heavy for him. It was very heavy. Yet we know well that the grace of God was fully enough for the demand. We know too that this grace could act as well through one man as through seventy.

It was failure on his part when he complained of his burden. Let us think here of the great burden-bearer, our Lord, who never fails His people and who never complains. We can cast our burdens and cares upon Him and shall always find that He cares for us.

We must never let a one-sided statement guide our judgment. Everyone is liable, even with the best intentions, to put his own slant on his account of a case… He may leave out some fact, and that one fact may so affect all the other facts that it changes their bearing completely. "Hear the other side" is a healthy motto. And do not only hear the other side. Hear all the facts on both sides, and then you will be able to form a sound and righteous judgment. We may set it down as a standing rule: any judgment formed without an accurate knowledge of all the facts is completely worthless.

What is the divine antidote against all these evils? Just this — the fear of God. If we set the Lord before us at all times, it will effectively deliver us from the harmful influence of partiality, prejudice and the fear of men. It will lead us to wait on the Lord for guidance and counsel in everything that comes before us. So He will keep us from forming hasty, one-sided judgments of men and things — that fruitful source of trouble among the Lord's people in every age.

Moses gave firm orders to these rulers to judge righteously any cases that arose between the people. They must carefully avoid partiality in judgment, showing the same respect to small as to great (v.17). They were to bring cases too hard to decide to Moses. In the Church too, older believers can decide many things. But if anything is too hard, they must bring it to the Lord in humble, dependent prayer.

…here everything the Spirit is using seems to be, from first to last, an enforcement of obedience. That holds whether it is direct moral application, which forms much the larger part of the book, or a selection of the shadows that fit its practical object. This obedience rests on the relationship between Jehovah their God and Israel, whom He was just bringing as His people into His land.