GOD’S EASY YOKE AND LIGHT BURDEN (NUMBERS 11:4-33)
A lady from a church I had preached before once approached me and asked me to retell a story that I had supposedly told her congregation. I said, “What story?” She told me the gist of the story and I said, “I did not tell it.” The story was beautiful and unforgettable.
It was about a man who had it with carrying a heavy cross on his back. He decided that it was unfair to him that he had been carrying it for so long. So he came to Jesus and pointed out that the cross had become unbearable.
“Lord, Lord, I do not want this cross any more. It’s too heavy for me to bear.”
“My child, let me take you to a place that will take care of your burden.”
Then God led him to a huge room and in the room were crosses of various shapes and of all sizes – huge crosses, average ones, and small ones. Then the Lord said to him, “Since you do not like what you are carrying, why don’t you leave it with me and choose something you think it’s your size.”
The man entered the huge room and walked around excitedly, his jaw dropped at the wide selection available. He noticed a big and impressive cross, but decided it was too heavy for him after picking it up for size. He saw a small cross and flashed a smile, but decided that it was undersized for him.
After a long while weighing his options, he saw a cross in a corner. It seemed old, used and discarded. Upon carrying it, the man discovered it was the exact thing he had in mind- the right weight, measurement and shape.
“May I have this one?” he asked the Lord. The Lord answered, “My child, isn’t that what you brought in?”
Moses had it with leading people, serving others and helping them. The Israelites were no closer to following him in the desert than they were when they first left Egypt. In fact, they disliked him, blamed and resented him. He survived three complains before arriving at Sinai (Ex 19:1) – of bitter water (Ex 15:25), no food (Ex 16:20) or drink (Ex 17:1-2), and at Sinai, he saw the people committing idolatry and immorality. As a result, a plague struck (Ex 32:35), adding to the 3,000 people already dead (Ex 32:28).
After leaving Sinai on the second month of the second year (Num 10:11), the Israelites complained about their situation at their first stop, Taberah (Num 11:1-3), and when they reached the next one, Kibroth Hattaavah (Num 11:34), the sporadic grumbling turned to continuous wailing. The intense crying before Moses’ tent so troubled and displeased Moses that he asked God five successive questions (vv 11-13). The key word in Moses’ exchange with the Lord is the word “carry” that appears twice in verse 12, once in verse 14, and twice again 17.
Moses felt he was trapped, with the full weight of Israel on his shoulders alone, and he harbored and expressed the thought of dying (v 15).
What should we do when things and people are overwhelming? Where can we find help when we are faced with complains and cries? How does God assure us when we are burdened with care?
Three times God spoke to Moses. The first speech specified the help of elders; the next chided the immaturity of Israel; and the last challenged God’s response to Moses’ burden.
Acknowledge How You Feel and Ask for Help
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the LORD, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ’Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now--if I have found favor in your eyes--and do not let me face my own ruin." 16 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. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone. (Num 11:10-17)
It’s been said:
“People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The good you do today will be gone tomorrow. Do good anyway.
The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for some underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway (James Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited).
Frederick the Great, the 18th century King of Prussia and great military leader, said, The more I get to know people, the more I love my dog. (Sermonillustrations.org “People”)
After a series of 5 questions, Moses requested what God surely would not grant: his death wish (15). God was understanding, caring and patient with Moses, but dying was not an option or a solution. Instead, He sent other people to stand with Moses and to share the work (11:16-17). The Hebrew word for “stand” can mean location or collaboration. The latter meaning in this context was intended. God not only provided Moses with people who were willing to stand beside Moses, but also to stand for him and with him against forces that he was withstanding (Josh 1:5, 2 Chron 20:6, Job 41:10, Ps 94:16). People and troubles did not disappear or lessen, but they were divided and shared with others.
Moses had a major mental block. His perspective was all wrong. Every of Moses’ five questions were about himself. The words “I” and me” altogether appeared a stunning sixteen times, cluttering and burdening his questions. Sometimes the personal pronoun “I” is repeated. The Hebrew text is more colorful: “Why have you afflicted your servant? And why have ‘I’ not found favor in Your sight that You have laid the burden of all this people upon ‘me’? ‘I,’ have ‘I’ conceived all this people? ‘I,’ have ‘I’ begotten them, that you say to ‘me,’ ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land that You swore to their fathers? Where have ‘I’ meat to give to all people? For this they weep to ‘me’ saying, “Give us meat that we may eat. ‘I’ alone am not able to bear all this people because it is too heavy for ‘me.’ And if thus you deal with ‘me,’ please kill ‘me’ at hand; if ‘I’ have found favor in your sight; and not let ‘me’ see ‘my’ wretchedness.” No doubt, Moses felt alone, bitter, cornered, disillusioned and exhausted.
Doing everything and doing nothing are not in God’s will. Instead, appointing others, allowing and affirming them to share in service or ministry are crucial. No one is invincible.
God knows we are weak. He made us. Confessing that we are weak doesn’t surprise or disappoint Him. Questioning Him doesn’t make Him angry; unbelief does. Interestingly, only when he stopped questioning, Moses entertained thoughts of dying (v 15). God cared more than Moses realized. He was greatly displeased, though never at Moses (v 10). He understood Moses’ troubles (v 10), looked into his frustrations and gave him less to bear. Seventy elders were appointed to carry Moses’ load. Elders (Ex 3:16, 4:29) and officials (Ex 5:14) were always available to Moses but, curiously, he never used them. For some reason, Moses was never good at administration, delegation and mentoring. Previously, judges were appointed only at Jethro’s urging (Ex 18:22)
Bearing people’s burdens singe-handedly is not God’s will. A Yiddish proverb says, “God gave burdens, but also shoulders.” Moses discovered that no man was an island, seventy heads were better than one and help was in his own backyard.
Appreciate What You have and Act in Faith
18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month--until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it--because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ‘“ (Num 11:18-20)
Snoopy’s traveling bird friend, Woodstock, came to Snoopy after returning from an unhappy visit somewhere. Woodstock was visibly upset as he stood facing Snoopy, flapping his wings, mouthing four words, expressing bird talk: “Gripe, Gripe, Gripe, Gripe.”
Next, the disgruntled bird pointed to the sky, opened his beak wider and vented five words: “Complain, Complain, Complain, Complain, Complain.”
The third time, Woodstock turned around, shouted to nobody but the air and grumbled more words, this time eight times: “Crab, Crab, Crab....” The unresponsive Snoopy, on the other hand, turned his face sideways, rolled his eyes and opened his mouth slightly while his friend was voicing his frustration.
The last frame had Snoopy alone by himself with these thoughts: “If he doesn’t like it, why does he keep flying down there every year?”
Someone said, “Pity costs nothing and worth nothing.”
After answering Moses, God addressed the Israelites, whose behavior had not changed from day one. They were stubborn, spoilt and selfish before their needs were met, when and even after they were provided for. Their grumbling before reaching Sinai had turned to weeping and wailing after departing Sinai. The Israelites were punished for three things (v 20): the sin of desertion, the sin of despondency and the sin of dishonesty. They rejected the Lord, surrendered to hopelessness and literally asked for trouble - the trouble that was Egypt.
Moses had never encountered such an outpouring of emotions before. The weeping or wailing had reached a crescendo. This is the first record of the Israelites wailing. The word “weeping” or “wailing” occurs five times in the chapter (Num 11:4, 10, 13, 18, 20). People were wailing by family and tribe (Num 11:10). Their “cry” to the Lord when they were slaves in Egypt (Ex 2:23) was a generic word that paled in comparison to the “wailing” before the door of Moses’ tent. The lamentation that the rabble started (v 4) had affected every household (v 10).
Dennis L. Gibson said: “A self-pitying person denies God’s power, wisdom and goodness. He sees God as unable, unaware and for some reason unwilling to do what is best for him.” (Moody 9/77)
Israel thought that their troubles could be traced to flat seasonings, missing food groups and monotony in their diet. Actually, their problems were caving in to interest groups (v 4) and giving in to their appetite (32-33). The proof was in their behavior, and God gave them meat to eat to expose their greed and disobedience. When the opportunity arose, the Israelites gathered as much as 10 homers of birds, or about 300 gallons, according to one commentator! (Gordon J. Wenham, Numbers, IVP). The anger of the LORD burned against the people and He struck them with a severe plague (Num 11:33) for their craving (Num 11:4, 34). Such “craving” or lust that the Israelites first experienced in this incident did not rear its ugly head again on their journey. Benjamin Franklin wisely said, “If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles.”
Adjust Your Attitude and Add Some Perspective
21 But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?” 23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” (Num 11:21-23)
A friend sent me an e-mail with the subject “Job vs. Ministry”:
Some people have a JOB in the church; others involve themselves in a MINISTRY. What’s the difference?
If you are doing it just because no one else will, it’s a JOB. If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a MINISTRY.
If you quit because somebody criticized you, it was a JOB. If you keep on serving, it’s a MINISTRY.
If you’ll do it only as long as it does not interfere with your other activities, it’s a JOB. If you are committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a MINISTRY.
If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it was a JOB. If you stay with it even though nobody recognizes your efforts, it is a MINISTRY. It’s hard to get excited about a JOB. It’s almost impossible not to be excited about a MINISTRY.
If our concern is success, it’s a JOB. If our concern is faithfulness, it’s a MINISTRY. An average church is filled with people doing JOBs. A great and growing church is filled with people involved in MINISTRY.
Where do we fit in? What about us?
If God calls you to a MINISTRY, don’t treat it like a JOB. If you have a JOB, give it up and find a MINISTRY.
God does not want us feeling stuck with a JOB, but excited and faithful to Him in a MINISTRY.
Moses did not have to feel down or be miserable to the point of death. The Israelites had not rejected or despised him, but the Lord. The Lord did not expect Moses to do everything, to feel nothing or be error-free. Calling in sick, taking a break or sleeping in late bothered Moses more than it bothered God. Moses did not have be perfect; just to be patient. God did not demand Moses to be a saint, but to be a servant. A servant, by definition, is not his own boss; he is just doing his job. The Lord is ultimately responsible for all decisions, actions and troubles. Any complain or displeasure against His faithful servants is an affront to Him.
Rejecting the Lord is one of the most serious charges the Lord can bring against His people. This was the first time the Lord was accusing Israel of such a serious charge. Later God would accuse them of despising the land (Num 14:31). The consequence of rejecting the Lord is ruin. Three times in biblical history, the Israelites were charged with rejecting the Lord – when they rejected Moses in this passage, when they later rejected Samuel as judge (1 Sam 8:7) and, ultimately, when they were deported to Assyria for rejecting God’s decrees and for following worthless idols (2 Kings 17:6, 15).
God’s self-reference to His shortened hand (v 23) was always used in the context of a question, usually challenging Israel to believe His power to deliver and save. (Isa 50:2, 59:1). Moses needed some perspective. He could not see beyond his own problems, the confines of the desert and another day of trouble or existence. He only saw earthly misery, until God rained heavenly food on them (v 31). The heavenly provision God sent could not be measured. Food was beside them and around them. They were flown in, piled up three feet high, as far as a day’s walk in any direction could take them. God’s grace was always sufficient for them.
Conclusion: It’s been said, “Life is about how you respond to disappointment.” God did not promise us a rose, but a cross. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-29) Have you called on God? Do you cry to Him? Are you clinging to Him? Do you ask for and count on God’s strength, His sustenance and support?
Victor Yap
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