IS THE LORD’S ARM TOO SHORT?

Passage: Numbers 11:16-23

Key verse: 23

NIV

16 The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders(A) who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.(B) Have them come to the tent of meeting,(C) that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you(D) there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.(E) They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.(F)

18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves(G) in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed,(H) “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!”(I) Now the Lord will give you meat,(J) and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it(K)—because you have rejected the Lord,(L) who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”(M)

21 But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men(N) on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”(O)

23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?(P) Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.(Q)”

Read full chapter
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Elders Appointed to Aid Moses

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me (A)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and (B)officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 (C)And I will come down and talk with you there. And (D)I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and (E)they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 And say to the people, (F)‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? (G)For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, (H)until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, (I)“Why did we come out of Egypt?”’” 21 But Moses said, (J)“The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ 22 (K)Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” 23 And the Lord said to Moses, (L)“Is the Lord's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether (M)my word will come true for you or not.”

Read full chapter
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

God instructed Moses to raise the seventy elders of Israel. These leaders were to receive the power of the Spirit from God to share the burden of serving the people with Moses. Spiritual leadership is a great blessing as well as a heavy responsibility. The burden of leadership can be shared through a team of spiritual leaders. Team leadership may not be the ‘cure all’ for all church problems and may have different issues to resolve. Yet they can partake in the burden of leadership and grow together.

God promised to give them meat for a month until they would become sick of it. This time even Moses, through whom God had performed the miracles in Egypt and the Red Sea, could not believe it. God helped Moses to know God’s power with a rhetorical question, “Has my arm lost its power? (11:23 NLT)” Moses knew the answer. We do too. God’s question makes us stop thinking about what we can do and start thinking about what God can do. Our arms are short, maybe 2 or 3 feet long. But the arm of God who created the universe and is holding it is long and powerful. God’s arm can deliver us even from death’s strong cord and provide us resurrection life.

Prayer: Lord, you are strong and powerful enough to do what you have promised. Help me to lean on your strong arm and live by faith.

One Word: God’s mighty arm