A word to the exhausted

Numbers 11 - part 3

5^th October 2006

This is the last of three columns based on Numbers chapter 11. The first was "A word to the whiners" and the second was "a word to the leaders".

Moses went to God with his complaints. This passage contains just one of several examples that we can find in the books of Exodus and Numbers:

Numbers 11:10-15
Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.
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? 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? Where can I get meat for all these people? 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. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now — if I have found favour in your eyes — and do not let me face my own ruin."

Can you sense the desperation in Moses's prayer? He's asking God to do him a favour and kill him.

Many of us have reached that point at some time in our lives. We've just taken so much pain and disappointment that we can't face the idea of taking any more. It just feels like dying and going to be with Jesus now would be so much less painful than living the lives God has given us. We don't like to admit this to our friends. We keep quiet about it in church, for fear of being less popular and less well regarded. But in our hearts we know that we just can't go on hurting this much.

This wasn't the greatest crisis Moses had ever faced. Remember:

• When he started out, the first result of his ministry was that the people of Israel were forced to gather the straw to make bricks (Exodus 4:29 - 6:1).
• When he had to stand before Pharaoh - the most powerful king in the world at that time - and speak God's word to him, and promise miraculous signs, and then perform those signs.
• When he had his back to the Red Sea and the chariots of the Egyptian army were coming towards him. And God said "wave your stick over the water".

That was pressure. Moses knew all about pressure. He knew about standing firm in the face of difficulties and opposition.

So why was he now praying "put me to death right now"?

I think it was just that he'd had enough. Hard times and emotional pain have a cumulative effect of wearing you down, until one day you say "Lord, I've had enough. I don't want a ministry. I don't want to be an active Christian. I don't want the life you've chosen for me. I just want a quiet life - or to die and go to heaven, and have a rest". Or, as Moses might say today, "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here!"

Moses was exhausted. He may well have been depressed. He'd had as much as he thought he could take.

God replied:

Numbers 11:16-20
The LORD said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Make 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 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. "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. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 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?"‘"

That is, God told Moses:

• God was going to give him some people to help him
• God was going to fix the problem with the whining people

Good news, you might have thought. But Moses replied:

Numbers 11:21-22
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!’ 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?"

Frankly, Moses didn't believe God would do what He said. He didn't even believe God could do what He said! God had said He would feed meat to the people, and Moses responded by saying "It can't be done; there aren't enough animals in the herds, and there aren't enough fish in the sea - it's impossible". That's what exhaustion, stress, depression, disappointment, loneliness, sadness can do to you - you can lose sight of the fact that:

Luke 1:37
nothing is impossible with God

And here is a real test of our faith: When you can't even see how God could possibly fix the situation you're in, do you assume that it can't be done, or do you look to see how He will amaze you? God can perform any miracle. Nothing is too difficult for Him. And, very often, it doesn't take a miracle; God just has a plan that's more clever than you can think of.

God's answer to Moses was short and to the point:

Numbers 11:23
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."

Well, is the Lord's arm too short? Can He do what He needs to do to sort out your situation? You can't see how it can be done. Does that mean that God can't see a way to do it?

Eugene Peterson's modern translation, The Message, translates this verse as:

God answered Moses "So, do you think I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not."

Let me ask again: Is the Lord's arm too short? Do you think God can't look after you?

For most Christians (if not all) there comes a time in their life when they're in a profoundly painful or difficult situation, and they need to get free of it, and they can't see how that can possibly happen. At that time, they're faced with this question: "Do I think God can't look after me?" This is when we find out if our faith is genuine. It's easy to believe in God when things are going well. What about when your situation looks impossible? Only then do we find out if truly believe that God can look after us.

He can!

Numbers 11:31-32
Now a wind went out from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No-one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp.

Moses thought it couldn't be done - but God did it.

I don't know what you're struggling with at the moment. But it may be a great mercy from God if you get to the point where you realise there's no point in you struggling - because you can't fix it. You can't even see how God could fix it. Then it's over to Him. He can do anything.

Nothing is impossible with God!

He can look after you.