“But Moses said, The people among whom I am are 600,000 footmen (besides all the women and children), and You have said, I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month! Shall flocks and herds be killed to suffice them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be collected to satisfy them?” Numbers 11:21-22 AMP
“The Lord said to Moses, Has the Lord’s hand (His ability and power) become short (thwarted and inadequate)? You shall see now whether My word shall come to pass for you or not.” Numbers 11:23 AMP
You have to give Moses credit; leading more than 600,000 people must have been daunting. Can you put yourself in his shoes? How would you feel if you had people coming to you again and again complaining about how things were going? He was overwhelmed. He went to the Lord about it, “I am not able to carry all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. And if this is the way You deal with me, kill me, I pray You, at once…” (vs. 14-15a AMP)
God heard Moses’ prayer and He provided for him. He instructed Moses to gather seventy of the elder men of Israel, bring them to the tent of meeting and let them stand there with him. God came again to talk with him with those men there and He took of the Spirit which was upon him and put it upon them. They were chosen to bear the burden of the people with him. When Moses’ was overwhelmed, God was able to meet his need.
Yet again there was a struggle within Moses. Even though he had witnessed all the miracles of God already (plagues in Egypt, crossing of the Red Sea, giving of the Ten Commandments, feeding with manna, and now God’s Spirit set upon other respectable men to help him) he was still coming from the attitude of being overwhelmed because the people were still complaining. Now they wanted meat to eat and this time, like all the other times of complaint, they always compared what was going on to what they had in Egypt.
“We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt and without cost…” (vs. 5a AMP) (How easily they forgot there was a cost, slavery.) “…but now our soul (our strength) is dried up; there is nothing at all (in the way of food) to be seen but this manna.” (vs. 6 AMP)
So Moses cries out to God again and in an overwhelmed attitude he asks, “The people among whom I am are 600,000 footmen (besides all the women and children)… Shall flocks and herds be killed to suffice them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be collected to satisfy them?” The task seemed impossible to Moses. Why? Moses was still trying to see the need met in man’s way. “How can I provide enough meat for them to eat? Even if we kill all the flocks and herds it will not be enough. This is impossible!” The key thing that Moses had to grasp is that he could not in any way, shape or form accomplish the task, but that God could. God was able.
God’s anger was kindled against Israel but he seems to patiently, if not firmly, wake up Moses to Who was able to do it. Has My “(ability and power) become short (thwarted and inadequate)? You shall see now whether My word shall come to pass for you or not.”
Do you feel overwhelmed right now? Does something in your life drag you down and seem beyond what you can humanly do? Moses and I are here as witnesses that you cannot do anything about it, but God can. Reach out to Him right now and tell Him how you feel. When you are overwhelmed, God is able!
