The story of Moses is full of miraculous wonders that reveal the power of The One and Only True God. However, his story also teaches us how much we need each other in the Body of Christ. Some of us find it difficult to depend on others. Many of us try to live our faith in isolation, and only as necessary will we fellowship. Trust me; this will be a difficult one for me. I love isolation and alone time. But to live that way is not to obey God's Word. He made us to use our gifts among the Body. 1 Peter 4:10 "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others." To be clear, the "others" in this passage refers to other Disciples.
I want to clear that up before we move on. Moses was a faithful man, but he didn't do all he had been given by God, alone. Whether for lack of confidence or because he was physically weary or spiritually exhausted, Moses was given other humans to support him and come alongside. God has not changed how he will aid us. If miracles are necessary, God does one, but for most of what we need, he offers us a community. This is the example of Moses, which is beautiful when you pay attention.
Those we need in our early Christian walk:
First, in the immaturity of Moses' introduction to his assignment from God, he complains about his inability to speak well. He is given Aaron, Exodus 4:10-17; 7:1. Here Moses shows the newness of his faith in God. A new dependency that's not as bold or sure. God's mercy offered Moses help from another human who'd come alongside. God called Aaron Moses' prophet or mouthpiece.
There is a time in each of our lives when we are offered others who help us, teach us and show us explanations of how to interpret the Scripture. Someone we ultimately find ourselves deeply dependent on. Remember, eventually, Moses' dependency on Aaron waned, and he began to speak for God himself, "what thus says the Lord." We must grow less dependent on those people to be God's mouthpiece on our behalf. While we still want to hear what they have to say. They have an important role in The Church.
We each have the Holy Spirit of God to study God's Word for ourselves. We can understand the plain things of Scripture without constantly being told what to think about what the Bible is saying. Don't get me wrong, there are those with the gifts of teaching, the Word of knowledge, pastoring, and others to whom God gives insight into His Word. Here is the key in Acts 17: Paul brought the Word to the Bereans. Verse 11 says this of these godly men, "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." It is necessary to hear from others who help us learn more about all God commands. In other words, others who are making you disciples of Jesus, Matthew 28:19-20. They are not making their disciples. That is why he gives us teaching and speaking ministries. He has not left us dependent on those for our growth. 1 John 2:27 "But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. but as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him." Moses did not remain dependent on Aaron; God did not leave Moses without the need for others.
Those who God gives us during physical struggles:
Second, Moses and the people of Israel faced enemies they'd need to battle against. God helped them win many of those battles miraculously, but not every time. God gifts many people with talents that are not speaking-oriented. Joshua came alongside Moses, Exodus 17. We first read of Joshua as an assistant to Moses. He had a warrior or military gifting. It takes all types of people in various ways to make His Body Work. We all are for the benefit of His Kingdom. It does mean we work best together.
Israel was going into battle with the Amalekites. Moses directed Joshua to choose men to fight. Moses would "stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand." God would work through the means of men battling and through another yet strange way. Moses would need to hold his hands up, and Israel would prevail. Here is where this story reveals the need for others. Though God would use this means, he did not miraculously strengthen Moses' arms. "Moses' hands became heavy." Moses would need the capacity that was given to others to help him. All of Israel depended on others to help Moses so the battle would be victorious for them. "Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."
We need this lesson in the Church Community. We get tired physically and need one another for victory. There is no shame when we are not strong enough for whatever task we are given. People often just quit or assume God did not provide them with the assignment. Perhaps God is humbling you to ask for help. There are those waiting to hold your metaphorical hands up. Those gifted for such an assignment. These folks, possibly without speaking gifts, wait for the opportunity to step into a life and get the physical tasks in the Body done.
God gives us those who rejoice with us:
Thirdly, In Exodus 18, Moses' father-in-law comes to visit and brings Moses' wife and sons to him. Moses communicated all the good the LORD had done from the story of Egypt and all the victories from the departure up to that moment.
A blessing is offered to one another when we share all God has done in our lives. It encourages and builds others' faith. Today, people are hesitant to share, thinking they will cause the one they are communicating with to become jealous. Romans 12: 15, "rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep." This is another directive that commands our need for each other. In Exodus 18, Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, rejoiced with Moses and blessed the LORD for all He was doing to show He "is greater than all the gods..." When we share for others to rejoice, the focus is what God is doing to bring Him glory, not a "look at what God has done for me, sorry if he's not doing that for you." Who does the latter? These men rejoiced together over all God had done for Israel. Who have you last rejoiced with? It's easy to rejoice when someone is cured of cancer.
How easy is it to rejoice when your friend finds a godly man, and you still wait longingly? How about when a friend gets a new car, and yours continues to break down? I'm talking about the difficult rejoicing when you've prayed for something and others get it, but you have yet to receive it. We may find ourselves struggling more with envy. You can confess that to the Lord and let Him help you choose to rejoice.
God gives us those who offer us Biblical Wisdom:
Fourthly, God will let us wear ourselves out, but we don't need to. He has surrounded us within His Body with those who can, by experience or being gifted with wisdom, offer a direction that keeps us from getting exhausted. Do you ever wonder why churches have bi-laws that limit ministry service? If you ask, the answer is they usually want to keep people from wearing themselves out. I don't think that is a Biblical president, but that is the time we live in, and that can be addressed in a different blog topic. While it is true that we can wear out, we are most likely working in our own power. And the other times, we are not leaning on one another. Moses' example is a good one for us to hear too. Listening to wisdom from others can keep us from getting worn out, well biblical wisdom, not psychological or earthly wisdom.
In the same passage where Jethro rejoices with Moses, he also sees a problem that needs to be addressed. As Moses sat to judge the people from morning until evening Jethro saw the impossibility of Moses doing this on his own. Though Moses' goals were honorable, "I judge between one and another, and I make known the statutes of God and His laws." Again, even in doing God's work, we are not meant to be an island. God has people who can come alongside. Thank God, Jethro was not afraid to offer wisdom that would be a blessing to Moses. It is wisdom that would keep Moses from wearing out.
I remember, as a young married woman and a new mom, a lady who stepped into my parenting, and it changed, for good, the way I'd be a mom for my children. I hear many people say, "well, you have to earn the right to speak life to someone." I believe there have been many who have not heard a needed word of encouragement or admonishment with that stupid rule in place. Nothing should supersede God's directing. If God is directing you to speak, you speak. There's some wisdom from me. Anywho, I was in the hallway correcting my 2-year-old daughter. Something I must have said that brought wisdom from this stranger but a Sister-in-Christ. She said, "you are not raising a mini 'me" no matter what the world says. You are raising an image of God-bearer and individual with her knowledge, proclivities, and talents that are not you or yours." Those words changed me forever. I still remember them. I'm still grateful for them. She wasn't invited by me to speak life, but she was led by God. I'm glad she was bold enough not to worry about some stupid man-made rule of knowing those who speak life into.
Jethro recognized all Moses was doing was not good for him or the people. He and they would wear out over this process. He tells Moses, "you are not able to perform it by yourself... select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them... by thousands, hundreds, the fifties and rulers of tens. Then every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge." The remarkable thing about the conversation is Jethro adds, "If God commands..." He understands what we who speak wisdom should; though we believe we are being led, God ultimately has the final say. Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law.
God gives us those who strengthen us when we are spiritually depleted:
Lastly, and sadly becoming spiritually exhausted happens to almost all of us. While it should not happen, it does. When we keep our eyes on others. When we keep our eyes on the circumstances that may be negative. When we surround ourselves with complaints or complainers, with grumbling or grumblers, spiritual exhaustion can happen. Yet the reality of doing God's work, we get tired for reasons that have nothing to do with Jesus. In the end, our flesh does not make us sin against God; it is still the reason we do. We choose the flesh over the spirit. We take our eyes off Jesus.
If we are walking obediently with God, rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, studying His Word, and doing all he commanded, we will not find ourselves in a place of spiritual depletion. But we aren't always doing that, so we find ourselves exhausted and fussing at God. In Numbers 11, Israel is complaining about their misfortunes. They wept over their food options, wanting meat instead of manna. Moses heard the complaining, and Moses took it to the LORD, but not in a way that we should be encouraged. Read the chapter, and you will read how Moses repines against God. The same man who interceded for these people when God wanted to destroy them for their complaining is not interceding for them now. He should have done the same thing he'd done before, intercede.
He needed spiritual support. Earlier, he needed administrative help. God told him to pick men who would become elders and officers, those who would receive "some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone."
At each point in Moses' story, there was someone or many who God assigned to come alongside him. Moses got exhausted spiritually. This was a thankless job. We are not always offered a thank you for our Kingdom work. Luke 17:9, "Does he thank the servant because he did what he was told?" In other words, we should not need a thank you for doing what we are told by obeying Jesus. In our flesh, we want it. Being made in God's image, we are filled with a desire for gratitude, but it should be the gratitude of God as we obey Him and please Him. The people found reasons to complain and no reasons to give thanks to Moses or God.
We are no different than Moses in our need for the care, help, wisdom, encouragement, and admonishment of those in The Body. The cliche is necessary, "we are not an island." In God's Kingdom, there are servants. We serve at our King's pleasure. We don't serve alone, and we serve together. That service is to His glory and each other's good because we need one another.
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