Numbers 11:11–14

We learn this at least, that it is the wilderness that really brings out what is in the very best of us. It is there we prove what is in our hearts... The Spirit of God faithfully records everything. He gives us men as they are. Even when it is a Moses who "speaks rashly with his lips," that rash speaking is recorded for our warning and instruction.

Moses seems to reproach God for laying such a burden on him... The repose of faith cannot exist alongside a fretful spirit... His very despondent language is not the expression of trust in God. He forgot that the Lord was leading the people and going before them to find a resting place. He shows this when he says "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me." Strange words from the meek man Moses. The secret root lay in the word I, "I am not able." No doubt he was not able. But he speaks as if God had appointed him to bear the people alone. His words show that he forgot something: honoured as he was, he was only a servant. He had not fathered these people. It was not his job to nurse them or to find meat for them.

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. He might as well have said that his rod was bearing the people. What was he but an instrument in God's hand, just as the rod was an instrument in his? This is where the servants of Christ fail again and again. The failure is all the more dangerous because it looks like humility... all we need to ask is, has God imposed that responsibility? If so, He will certainly be with me in sustaining it... With Him, the weight of a mountain is nothing; without Him, the weight of a feather is overwhelming.

In answer to his complaint (chap. 11:11-15), God tells him to bring seventy of the elders... Moses loses something of the importance of his place. God does not say, I will give them of My Spirit. He says, "I will take of the spirit that is upon you, and will put it upon them." That was a strong rebuke.

Also God meets him on his own ground; he said he was not able, so God appoints seventy others to help him... The effect is that they prophesy and did not cease. This proves that God had given him enough wisdom. The thought of self hid it, and he did not seek power from God. "That you bear it not yourself alone" is the way God brings the root of his failure before him. Not that he had to bear it, but that he thought so.

Whenever the Lord places a man in a position of responsibility, He will both fit him for it and maintain him in it. It is, of course, another thing altogether if a man rushes unsent into any field of work... He never sends anyone to war at his own expense... We can never run dry, if we are drawing from the fountain.

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.

The words "nurse" and "foster-parent" carry the general sense of an "instructor" and a "protector." Moses, speaking to the Lord, uses it to describe his office of leadership of Israel in the wilderness.

If the thought had not been in his heart that he himself was Israel's nursing father, and had to carry them in his bosom, he would not have spoken so unfittingly to God when he found he was unable. God was the nursing Father, and Moses judges himself and bows. God makes it clear to him that He has resources beyond the flocks and the herds, and beyond the fish of the sea too. He alone is able to bear the burden of this people.

The word "I" appears again and again in Moses' speeches in this chapter. When "I" and "me" become the object of our thoughts, we usually find words to express them. Moses had said (Exodus 4:10), "I am not eloquent … I am slow of speech and of tongue." But he becomes eloquent when "Moses" is the theme of his talk. He finds the use of his tongue in describing his own difficulty, and that is natural to all men.

Well indeed might Moses say, "I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me." There was only one heart that could bear with such a company. It was the heart of that blessed One who came down to deliver them while they toiled among the brick-kilns of Egypt. He redeemed them out of the hand of the enemy, and then made His home among them. He was able to bear them, and He alone.

We learn this at least, that it is the wilderness that really brings out what is in the very best of us. It is there we prove what is in our hearts… The Spirit of God faithfully records everything. He gives us men as they are; and even though it is a Moses who "speaks rashly with his lips," that very rash speaking is recorded for our warning and instruction.

Whenever the Lord places a man in a position of responsibility, He will both fit him for it and keep him in it. … When God calls a man to a certain position, He will give him the grace he needs to fill it. He never sends anyone to war at his own expense; and so all we have to do is to draw on Him for all we need.

He goes beyond Moses here. The lawgiver, when smarting under the stubbornness of those in his charge, was ready to disown them. He asked the Lord why He had afflicted His servant by laying the burden of the people on him. … But Paul was willing to go through the pains of childbirth for the Galatians a second time.

It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Leader of their salvation perfect through sufferings. And this blessed Leader never complains, as Moses did, of the weight of the burden He carries. The wilderness journey, for us, is drawing to its close; but we are still in the wilderness, and need to look up to Him at every moment, and He will not fail us.

He was the leader taking the people to the promised land. But instead of a joyful nation hurrying to Canaan, he hears them weeping for the things of Egypt and despising the manna. The circumstances are too much for him… He forgot that the LORD was leading the people, and went before them to find a resting place… Strange words from the meek man Moses. The secret root lay in the word I, "I am not able." No doubt he was not able. But he speaks as if God had appointed him to bear the people alone. His words to God show what he had forgotten: honoured as he was, he was only a servant.

Whenever the Lord places a man in a position of responsibility, He will both fit him for it and keep him in it… Had Moses fully understood that, he never would have said, "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?" He would have fixed his eye only upon God. He would have known that he was only an instrument in the hands of God, whose resources have no limit. Moses could never supply that vast assembly with food even for a single day. But the Lord could supply the need of every living thing, and supply it for ever.

They could never have asked such a question as, "How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?" Moses, long before, had asked, "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?" The poor unbelieving heart shuts God out. Did the Lord ask Moses to provide meat? Surely not. No mere man could do it.

Compare Numbers 11:11-15 with Numbers 11:21-22, and you will see a marked and solemn connection. The man who shrinks back from responsibility because he feels weak is in great danger of doubting the fullness and sufficiency of God's resources… Where the Holy Spirit is working, one instrument is as good and as effective as seventy. Where He is not working, seventy are worth no more than one.

Moses loses something of the importance of his place. God does not say, "I will give them some of My Spirit." He says, "I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them." That was a strong rebuke.

He complained of the burden, and the burden was soon gone. But so was the high honour of being allowed to carry it… No fresh power came in. It was the same Spirit, whether in one or in seventy.

Despite their unbelief, their pride, their insensitivity, and their stubbornness, He never complained, "Why have you dealt ill with your servant? Why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?"… Jesus, the good Shepherd, looks past His sufferings to the day when He would say, "Behold, I and the children God has given me." Instead of saying, "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?" He, and He alone, could say, "The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

These constant complaints brought the Lord's discipline on Israel. One can understand how they could wear out the patience of their leader. So Moses pours out his complaint before God: "Why? … Why? … they weep before me …"

Such despairing words are not the language of trust in God. He forgot that Jehovah was leading the people, going before them to find a resting place. For he says, "I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me." … Strange words from the meek man Moses. The secret root lay in the word I: "I am not able." No doubt he was not able. But he speaks as if God had appointed him to carry the people alone. His words to God show he had forgotten that, honoured as he was, he was only a servant. He had not given them birth, he was not their nursing father, and it was not his to find meat for them.

Moses had said (Exodus 4:10), "I am not eloquent … I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue"; but he becomes eloquent when "Moses" is the theme of his discourse. He finds the use of his tongue in describing his own difficulty; and that is natural to all men.

But he was not asked to bear them alone; for God was with him. They were not too heavy for God. It was He that was bearing them; Moses was but the instrument. He might just as well have spoken of his rod as bearing the people. This is where the servants of Christ keep failing, and the failure is all the more dangerous because it looks like humility. The one question to ask is this: has God laid that responsibility on me? If so, He will be with me as I carry it. With Him, the weight of a mountain is nothing; without Him, the weight of a feather is overwhelming.

Whenever the Lord places a man in a position of responsibility, He will both fit him for it and keep him in it. It is quite another thing if a man rushes out unsent into any field of work, or any post of difficulty or danger. In that case we may look for a complete breakdown, sooner or later. He never sends anyone to war at his own expense. So all we have to do is draw on Him for all we need.

In answer to his complaint, God tells him to bring seventy of the elders. He adds, "They shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone." Moses loses something of the importance of his place. God does not say, I will give them of My Spirit. He says, "I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them." That was a strong rebuke.

Moses lost a great privilege. Jehovah exercised the same power, though He now used seventy other men. He spread the power of the Spirit out; He did not increase it.

He was so overwhelmed by the burden of the people that he forgot who was really carrying it. The burden rested on his God, not on himself. In verse 15 he asked to die rather than carry it any longer. Elijah did the same thing centuries later, when he threw himself down under the juniper tree. Both broke down in mind under the burden of an unbelieving people. Yet both had the honour of appearing in the glory of Christ on the mount of transfiguration. Such is the grace of our God!

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 ever find that He cares for us.