Numbers 11:17 And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself. (Berean Standard Bible)
Camping in the desert is not easy. Sometimes the wind blows sand in your eyes. Other times poisonous snakes bite you. But mostly, it’s just really hot. And so the family of Jacob always anxiously awaited the weather report and prayed for cloudy days. Because when there are clouds, the sun doesn’t beat so tirelessly against your skin, and sweat doesn’t pour so profusely from your forehead.
But ever since building the tabernacle, every day was partly cloudy. Because even on sunny days, one cloud always remained. It hovered directly over God’s tent. So when people went to worship God, they didn’t have to do it in the sun. And that was nice.
You might think that if the days were so terribly hot, that the nights would be warm or even a little pleasant. Nope. At night, temperatures could drop like a bowling ball on your toes. And the people had to wrap themselves in blankets to stay warm. But at the temple, God kept a fire that burned all night, every night. Which helped the people stay warm.
Then in the morning, God scattered bread on the ground like dew, and the people would gather it so they’d have food to eat. And that’s how the people lived. Fed by God in the morning, shaded by God in the day, and warmed by him in the night. Until one day, the cloud started to move. “Wait!” the people yelled. “Come back, cloud! Where are you going?” But the cloud kept floating away, moving on across the wilderness. It was leading them to a mysterious Somewhere, a place they called the Promised Land. The time had come. The camping trip was almost over.
The people collapsed their tents, rolled up their mattresses, stuffed their sleeping bags, took apart their stoves, filled their water bottles, packed their bags, and buried their ashes. And finally, the trumpets were blown and the whole family of Jacob began their hike to a new home, a place they just knew would be full of fruit trees, rose gardens, water, honey, and meat.
Oh yes, they imagined a lake next to a small hill with a charcoal grill on top. They’d cook some hamburgers and hot dogs and cut up tomatoes and onions. And on the side they’d have watermelon split into wedges, dripping with juice. They could see it already, almost smell it. It was a perfect summer barbeque. And so while they walked, they salivated.
And they walked and walked and walked and drooled and drooled and drooled and got hungrier and hungrier and hungrier. It’s true, God was still sending them bread, but they didn’t want bread anymore. “We want meat,” they told Moses. “Our bodies need meat. It contains crucial proteins, macronutrients, and vitamins!”
Moses couldn’t deny that meat sounded delicious. But how would he ever secure meat for all of these people? And so he shrugged. “We just have to keep enjoying the bread God is sending us.” And the people tried. They took out forks and knives and cut the bread like it was a steak, and chewed it slowly and smacked their lips and said, “Deee-licious!” But they couldn’t trick their own bellies.
And at night they dreamt of grills and spits and charcoal pits. They wanted it. They needed it. Without meat, they grew weak and dizzy and sick. And then the sickness moved from their minds into their bodies, and people started to feel weak. And the hungrier they got, the grumpier they became. And soon enough, they were not just hungry and grumpy, they were angry. And they were angry with Moses. They yelled at him and said he should never have brought them into the wilderness if he didn’t have plans for how he was going to feed everyone. What good is freedom without survival? Slavery is better than starvation.
And Moses began to wonder if the people were right about him. He was their prophet. He had brought them here. He was the one who told them when to walk, how far to go, and where to camp. He was responsible for keeping all these thousands of people alive. Most of them he barely knew. And yet here he was, leading them.
And it was worse than that. He wasn’t just in charge of keeping them alive. He was supposed to be liberating them from slavery. And yet things had gotten so bad that they wanted to put their chains back on. Because at least in Egypt, they had enough food to eat.
And it was even worse than that. Moses wasn’t just supposed to liberate them from slavery. They weren’t just supposed to be free. They were supposed to be God’s people. They were on their way to build God’s city in God’s own Promised Land. And yet here they were, hating God’s bread and complaining about God’s plan. It seemed like everything was falling apart before it had even begun. And Moses felt like a failure.
Failure, a definition:
A failure is someone who has given up because they think they can’t succeed, even if they try. And it’s easy to be a failure. Because it often feels like the whole world is against you. And nobody wins in a fight against the entire world. But in reality, the world is not fighting against you. On the contrary, the world is giving you food and water and sunshine and air and friends and family and everything that is good and necessary and beautiful. Most of the time, if you look around, you will find that the world is blessing you so much more than it is hurting you. And do you know what I think? I think the world wants you to succeed. And so when you feel like a failure, turn to the world, turn to your friends and family, and turn to God and ask for help. And help will come.
Asking for help is exactly what Moses did. And do you know what happened? The world came to his aid. People came running. “Moses,” they all said, “you are not alone. You do not have to do this by yourself.” And it wasn’t just one or two people, or a small group, or a few friends. Seventy people came, rolled up their sleeves, and said, “How can we help?”
And Moses accepted their help. There was a lot to do, from leading to organizing to praying. And they prayed together, and God answered all of their prayers and sent a huge flock of migrating birds right over the family of Jacob’s caravan. And they captured the birds and lit fires, and started rotisseries and imagined they were already in the Promised Land. And in a way, they were. “This is the life,” the people said, filling their mouths with perfectly tender meat. And they could feel the nutrients dissolve, the vitamins distribute, and the fats and proteins fill their bodies. And they rejoiced and prayed and thanked the earth and God and Moses for providing the exact thing they needed when they needed it. And Moses thanked all the people who had come to help.
And the people picnicked together under the shade of God’s cloud, fed by God’s bread and birds, looking forward to God’s own Promised Land. And for the first time in a long time, they felt full.
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