All of us make mistakes. All of us have doubts sometimes. All of us get frustrated about our situation on occasion. All of us fail to perfectly follow Jesus. It can be frustrating. We may even dream to be faithful like Bible greats such as Abraham, David, Moses, or Peter.

The good news is that God shows us that even the “greats” failed miserably at times. Last night I was reading Numbers. Many people tend to get bogged down in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, but there are still things we can learn from these books.

At this point in Numbers, the Israelites have seen God’s plagues on Egypt. They’ve been led by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. They’ve crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. They’ve seen God act in mighty acts to rescue them, but what are they doing? They are grumbling because they are only receiving manna and don’t have meat to eat.

Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’ I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.” (Numbers 11:10-15) {emphasis mine}

Have you ever felt that your burdens were too heavy to bear? Did you blame God? Did you want to just give up?

Moses, who had heard God speak audibly to him and who had been led in great miracles never seen before, got frustrated and started blaming God just like the people who were blaming him. “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? … that You have laid the burden of all this people on me?”

His next accusation was, “Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’?” This reminds me of Adam in the garden of Eden when he says, “… “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12) Both blamed God and His creation for their problems and their mistakes. Have you ever done the same?

Despite seeing God’s miraculous intervention and having the blessing of being able to speak directly to God, Moses declares, “if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight.” Moses is so frustrated and worn out that he asks God to kill him. Still there is the glimpse of hope found in his words of despair, “if I have found favor in Your sight.” Even in his hardship, he still knows God is with him.

Then God promises to bring meat to the people and promises that they will eat meat for a month until they are tired of it. Moses has seen God fulfill His promises again and again through mighty miracles, but how does he respond?

But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?” The Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.” (Numbers 11:21-23)

Moses, despite seeing unimaginable miracles, doubts that God can do what He has promised. Moses denies that it is possible, but God says, “Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.” Despite the complaints and accusations from Israel and Moses, God fulfills His promise and provides quail, 3 feet deep up to a days walk in each direction from the camp.

Do you sometimes get tired and start seeing problems instead of solutions? It can happen to the best of us, but we need to not remain in that frame of mind. We need to remember what God has done for us. We need to focus on God instead of the storm.

Now we come to the part that stood out to me. Moses was tired and felt over burdened. God not only provided the meat, but God also gave Moses seventy men to help him lead and judge the people, so he didn’t have to do it alone. Despite Moses’s accusation, God didn’t leave him, nor forsake him.

Shortly later, Aaron and Miriam come questioning Moses’s authority and claiming that they are equally close to God. God responds to them with these words:

He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?” (Numbers 12:6-8) {emphasis mine}

Moses had just accused God of bringing about all of his problems and then God defends Moses against the accusations of others and God even calls Moses “faithful.”

We may think we’ve failed God because of our doubts, our accusations, and our wrong actions, but God can still use anyone who turns to God and rests in Him.

I think that is the key. Moses started to doubt and accuse when he felt tired and overwhelmed. When we feel the same, instead of trying to carry the burden ourselves, we need to ask for God’s help and rest in the knowledge that there is no burden too big for Him to carry.

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (Psalm 55:22)

Trust Jesus

All verses are NASB unless otherwise noted.