“You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.” ESV
After Moses led the children of Israel were out of Egypt and after they set up camp in the wilderness, people would come to Moses with their problems and he would help them. Since there were 600,000 men, plus women and children, Moses had a heavy burden. His father in law, Jethro, came from Midian to bring Moses’ family to him and he saw what Moses doing. I don’t know how familiar you are with this story, but whether you are familiar with it or not, there is a lesson here for you about your need for other people. Jethro suggested to Moses that he divide the people up into thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, and find men to be counselors to each group. That was a simple, workable plan. I imagine Moses said, “Why didn’t I think of that?” What’s the point? Moses needed to know that there were other people who were also capable of leadership. Jethro was encouraging Moses to use the people resources that he had and the work would be more efficient. I doubt that any of us will ever have the responsibility of at least three million people, but there is nevertheless a lesson for us here. When we are going through troubles, we have other people that we can reach out to for help and counsel. What are family, friends and neighbors for? God has given us each other, and what a gift it is. Jethro said, “You are not able to do it alone.” The key words here are: “You are not able.” Those are terrible words for some of us for we like to think that we are able to meet every need and shoulder every responsibility by ourselves. It is as though other people will just get in the way. Understand this: God made us so that “we are not able to do it alone.” Why was Eve created? Because God saw that Adam needed a helpmate. It was not good for Adam to be alone. He needed help tending the garden, but it was much deeper than that. Adam needed someone who could help him fulfill all of the functions of life. Eve could help meet Adam’s spiritual and physical needs, and Adam could do the same for Eve. God made us so that we need other people. For this reason, we should show greater appreciation for the people in our lives – for family and friends. It is especially important that Christians know that we “are not able to do it alone.” Jesus did not call just one disciple; rather He called twelve of them. (One of them turned out to be useless, but there were still eleven left.) Think of it: Jesus knew that He was going to lay a heavy burden on these men, so He gave them each other. These men would bear the burden of starting the work of the church. They would need each other for that. Even the great Apostle Paul could not do it alone. When Paul went on his missionary trips, he carried other people along because he intrinsically know that he “was not able to do it alone.” That is why we have churches. “Church” has almost become an ugly word to a lot of people, but it belongs to Jesus and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Read Matthew 16:13-18.) If you are in a church, you have other Christians to encourage you and help you in the work. This was a great discovery when as a young preacher, I learned the value of church fellowship. Jethro did not tell Moses that he had no capabilities, he just knew that counseling all of those Israelites was “above his pay grade.” (Pardon the cliché, but it fits well here.) The Lord did not give us each other to use but to help and to encourage. Just enjoy the fact that “you cannot do it alone,” and thank God for the other people in your life. Bro. Joe
1 Comment
Margaret M Jones
11/21/2015 10:03:57 am
This is especially true at this time of my life. I also think that I have been able to help others.
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