The Complaint Answered
“And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted’ thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
“Have I conceived all this people? Havel begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking childj unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
“Whence should I have flesh to give to all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, ‘Give us flesh, that we may eat.’
“I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
“And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if 1 have found favour in thy sight, and let me not see my wretchedness.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.
“And I will come down and talk with thee there, and I win take of the spirit which is upon thee and will put it upon therii; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that tou bear it not thyself alone.
k” And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; (for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt;) therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
“Ye shall not eat one day, nor two 4ays, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days.
“But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome to you; because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?”
At the first reading of this prayer, of this conversation of Moses with the Lord, we are struck with its uncommon confidence and frankness. He speaks as a friend to a friend, not as a servant to his master; as a child to his father, and not as a subject to his king.
He asks, “Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?” His whole life appears to him but as a series of troubles, even, as in the following chapter, he represents himself as tried above all other men. Nor was he entirely in the wrong. In his tender infancy, his life was in jeopardy, and he was only saved by a miracle. And in maturer .years how critical was his situation, being obliged to live in the splendour of the court, where he might easily have lost the jewel entrusted to him! How must his faith have inwardly struggled, in order to esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt! and although this ceased, when he felt compelled to leave the court, yet what were the plains of Midian — what were his occupations, which consisted solely in feeding Jethro’s flocks, for one who had been educated and brought up in such a manner, habituated to the most refined luxury, and for an individual of such attainments? He who, as it is said, commanded armies, and was esteemed as a prince of the blood, became a poor shepherd, and continued so from his fortieth year, when he was in his prime, until his eightieth! How intolerably tedious, we are ready to say, for such a man as he! If the thought was retained in his soul, that God would deliver Israel by his means, how enthusiastic must such an idea have appeared to him, and as a mockery at himself, now become old and grey-headed. Did he not probably strive against it, and think, that though formerly a prince and generalissimo, he must after all die a mere shepherd, and all his ideas of the deliverance of Israel by his hand have been regarded as a vain chimera? But though it turned out otherwise, and he had now led forth Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness, what was the result? “Labour and sorrow,” as he himself says in the ninetieth Psalm.
“Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?” What is the reason why I have to endure so much, and that, in my case, the clouds return after the rain? This “wherefore?” is, doubtless, frequently uttered. At one time it has reference to the occurrences that befall us; at another, to the circumstances in which the affliction happens to us; as well as, frequently, the intentions and objects which God has in view in sending us sufferings; the utility of which does not always immediately appear, but only in the sequel, and perhaps, only fully in glory. It may also become a subject of painful consideration to the individual, why he alone should be thus chastised and exercised? Would to God, exclaims Job, ye were in my place! Asaph also, could not be satisfied, why such a particularly pious man as he esteemed himself to be, should be chastised every morning, whilst others, as he imagined, were not plagued like him. The Apostle Peter found it necessary to remind those to whom he wrote, that the same afflictions were accomplished in their brethren that were in the world; and the tried Christian finds such a consideration useful to him, even in the present day.
Moses complains of his difficult vocation, and says “Wherefore hast thou laid the burden of all this people upon me? and sayest to me, carry this people on thine arm, as a nurse carries an infant, unto the land, which thou swarest unto their fathers. Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? I am not able to bear all this people alone; it is too heavy for me.” Poor Moses! he puts into one scale the work he has to accomplish, and his own strength into the other, and then all courage forsakes him. The result was, T am not able to do it. From the sequel it would appear, that his eye had become so obscured, that it seemed to him, as if no one could do it.
We leave Moses, and remark, that it is good and necessary to take a minute’ view of that which is incumbent upon us, particularly as Christians, in all its extent, significancy, and importance, and duly to measure out the strength and ability inherent in us for its accomplishment; from whence a humbling but very salutary inference is to be drawn. Let us then in some degree consider our work, and our strength and ability for it.
Great, significant, and important is the work incum-M 3 bent upon us as Christians, which will soon become evident to us on a little reflection. Let us only consider, that it is our duty to attain to such a state, as that we shall not feel ashamed to appear before the judgment seat of Christ at the last great day, and hear a joyful sentence pronounced from that supreme and final tribunal, from whence there is no appeal. What an important work!
Let us consider that it is incumbent upon us, not only to suppress the gross manifestations of sinful passion, and to lay aside single considerable failings, but that the whole of the old man, with his affections and lusts, is to be entirely laid aside and slain, so that no thought or desire contrary to any of God’s commands ever even arise in us, much less insinuate and establish itself. What a laborious task!
Let us reflect, that when even this is accomplished, yet the greater half is still left undone; and that now the love of God and our neighbour must entirely rule in us, so that the latter must be at least equal to the love each one bears to himself, whilst his love to God must far exceed it. We must be ready for every good work, and every v. here approve ourselves as the servants of God. How great the undertaking!
We must, at the same time, not forget the hindrances and difficulties, which oppose themselves to the accomplishment of this work. Suppose the world should no longer cause us so much trouble, and neither its pleasure nor its wealth, its commendation nor its censure, particularly affect us any more, yet how will we be able to accomplish our task, since we find in our very selves the most powerful opposition? How shall a cripple walk? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Evil proceeds from ourselves; and how shall we stop up this source, or rather transmute it, that it may yield sweet water instead of bitter? For we require a new heart.
If, besides all this, we consider that an invisible but mighty power tries to oppose us at every turn; a power which sometimes dazzles, and at others incites and impels, lulls to sleep, and tries to ensnare; and that we have to combat and overcome the whole dreadful host of the infernal powers — what do we then think of our work?
We must not, however, conceal its extent from our view, but, previously, count the cost for this great building and work, and consider how it may be accomplished. Moses looked at the whole affair as if committed to him; but declared it was too much for him. Such was also the Lord’s intention. It was to be carried to the point of impossibility on his part, and was really so. “I am not able to stand it alone,” said he. And such will be also the result with all serious Christians, who are desirous, not merely of hearing and talking, but of being doers of the word.
But such characters will not rest in their own insufficiency; on the contrary, it will powerfully incite them, not to say merely, I am not able, but rather, ‘* I can do all things,” — I can overcome every thing. For there is a people that can say, with one and the same breath, “I am weak; but when I am weak, then am I strong.” If they have not the strength in themselves, they have it in another, and they are strong in his strength — “strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
Moses, in his trials, acts as a person ought to do; he
M 4 takes refuge with the Lord, and lays before him all his sorrows. Nor does he complain in vain: the Lord first lightens his burden, by commanding him to choose out seventy men, upon whom he will put his spirit, and associate them with Moses, that he may not bear the whole burden alone. The Lord is the proper person to afford at least relief, in some way or other to the distressed mind, if he will not entirely deliver it.
We meet here again with the number seventy, which had already occurred at Elim. CInist had also the same number of disciples whom he sent forth, beside the apostles. We find here likewise a type of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, at the solemn opening of the New Testament dispensation, on the apostles, and through them on many thousand others. It soon began to be evident, that the Spirit had been communicated to tl’.ese seventy men, for they began to prophesy, and ceased not. He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his; but wherever he comes, he produces a very evident change. It may even be said of such a one, “he begins to prophesy;” not, indeed, as predicting future things, but inasmuch as he begins to speak of himself and divine things in. a manner conformable to the Word of God, and seeks also to lead other souls to Christ.
Of the seventy men who were selected, two remained in the camp, prevented by some circumstance or other from appearing, as they ought to have done, before the tabernacle with the rest. Certain, however it is, they did not omit it from any evil motive. H^nce.they also partook of the Spirit imparted to the others, and began to prophesy in the camp.* Their names were Eldad — the love of God, and Medad — moderation; two things which must not be wanting. A boy, perceiving; the change in them, and their prophesying, ran and told Moses of it. It happened that Joshua, the servant of Moses, who was constantly with him, heard this news, and was immediately ready with- his advice. “My lord Moses,, forbid them!” cried he. It was his self-love which suggested this advice, and this self-love sought its nourishment in the incomparable greatness of Moses. Doubtless he thought something of himself, and we may add, not without reason; for being, as it were, Moses’ shadow, which accompanied him every where, that which detracted from the authority of Moses detracted also from his; for such is the nature of self-love, it seeks to promote its own advantage by every possible means. Thus, John’s disciples, for the same reason, wished to depreciate Jesus with their master, by saying, “Lo, he whom thou baptizedst, baptizes also, and all men come unto him!” But John answered, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” He was therefore far from partaking of the selfish, ambitious sentiments of his disciples; and Moses was like-minded. He repelled, in a sacred manner, the temptation presented him by his friend and servant, and said, “Enviest thou for my sake? Is my advantage, and my honour, thy chief motive? Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!” Certainly nothing could be more desirable than such an event. What can be compared to it? Nothing. What knowledge, godliness, and love, what peace and joy would then dwell upon the earth! “Mercy and truth would meet together, righteousness and peace would kiss each other.” The words of Moses therefore ought reasonably to be the prayer of every one, both for himself and for others; especially since the Holy Spirit is promised to them that ask him.
‘* 0 that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence!” O that all the Lord’s people prophesied, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!