This passage begins with an account that is so contemporary it could have been written yesterday. The people complained, God heard them…and what happens then might surprise you.
Complaining. We have all been guilty of this at one time or another, so our ears should perk up when we realize that God hears our complaints. God becomes angry when the people complain. But people have complained at other times and God was compassionate and understanding. Why is this time so different? It seems to me that they are complaining too loudly about a very small discomfort, and their complaint makes them seem like they don’t appreciate what God has already done for them. I think it would have been okay for them to pray, “Lord, we love you and appreciate everything you are doing for us. We will be content with whatever you provide, because you are good. We miss eating the meat and produce that we had in Egypt, and if you are so moved, we would love to have it again. But if you have given us what we have for a reason, and prefer that we would not have these things, then we pray that we would be grateful servants and ask that you would help us to be content with what you have provided.” Of course, that’s not what they prayed, they whined instead.
And when they did, God moved among them like a blazing fire and burned some of them alive.
So stop whining.
Now to be completely accurate, we really don’t know what they were complaining about….which makes it even worse, I suspect. The complaint about fish and leeks and other Egyptian delicacies comes after their first complaint. It’s hard for me to imagine that the people complained a second time after seeing what God did the first time they complained. And now they have Moses complaining as well.
It’s a burden to be responsible for someone else, and the more people you are responsible for the heavier the burden is. God isn’t angry with Moses when he complains, because Moses is doing too much apparently. I know this because God appoints 70 other people to help out. Now, how would you feel if your boss said he was bringing in 70 other people to help with your workload? Can you even imagine what Moses must have been responsible for, to have that many helpers? If it weren’t for the Spirit within him, he wouldn’t have survived.
One quick note about Moses’ humility here. When he called the 70 men to the tabernacle to be anointed by God for their task of leading, two men refused to come. Their refusal is a direct affront to Moses’ leadership. We all know people like this, who criticize and complain from behind the scenes and engage in small acts of rebellion publicly. They weren’t interested in actually leading, they wanted to be free from that burden while still able to criticize. God anoints them anyway, placing the burden directly on them. From now on, they will know what it is to shoulder the burden of responsibility for others. Moses could have seen this as God rewarding people who were rebellious to his leadership. He could have become angry or upset that God would reward two men who clearly didn’t respect his authority, and I think that’s what Joshua is reacting to.
But Moses is a very humble man, and sees the situation much differently than his subordinate. Moses loves the people, and cares about them, so all he sees is God raising up leaders. He isn’t offended, because he isn’t egotistical at all.
That’s a great lesson, and wonderful role model to follow. When people working around us in a ministry setting seem to challenge our leadership, our response will be determined by our ego. Hmmm.
Faithfully,
PR