“How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?” (De 1:12 AV)
These words are uttered by Moses as he prepares to delegate government to the elders of Israel. His statement is not a complaint. Rather, this is Moses preparing the people for a government that is divested into the people. The leader takes on himself the three concerns of the governed listed above. They come with the territory. He is not asking the LORD to remove all of them to make his job easier. Rather, he will find 70 elders to help judge the smaller matters. He will lean upon Joshua for military needs. Tribal leaders will assist in the logistical needs of the nation as they move from place to place. His job is one of problem-solving. Not one of avoiding problems and seeking the LORD’s hand in removing all problems. What we want to consider are the three areas of concern that Moses mentions. These three concerns are the natural dynamics of group ministry. They are legitimate needs that the leader must regard. Much like a father leading his family, there are natural needs that arise as part of the maturing process of his family. These needs do not arise only because there is something spiritually wrong with the people. For the most part, these needs are part of life and group dynamics. We need to consider these needs as we try to pray for our leaders. The more educated we become, the more intelligent our prayers will be.
There are three concerns listed above. There is the cumbrance; there is the burden;
there is the strife. In all three, there
are no specifics regarding their nature of them. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines cumbrance as,
“That which obstructs, retards, or renders motion or action difficult and
toilsome; burden; encumbrance; hindrance; oppressive load; embarrassment.” Some might see this as a trial of faith. An encumbrance might be the difficulties of
life that come with living. Each day has
its hurdles. The encumbrances are not
willfully placed in one's own way. They
are hardships that must be overcome and often they cannot be overcome
alone. In fact, Moses by virtue of
taking on those encumbrances, suggests they cannot be overcome without the help
of a leader. Some might refer to these
as growing pains. These encumbrances are
difficult to watch, but they generate much compassion and patience. The leader who is burdened by the encumbrances
of his people by taking a break every once in a while can become emotionally
burned out. He prays for and with them. He weeps with them. He often feels what they are going through in
a much deeper way than most. He knows
they will eventually be fine, but the process is strenuous. Pray that your leader, be it a parent,
teacher, or pastor takes time for himself or herself to increase in strength so
that future ministry will be shared unabated.
Although an encumbrance is a burden, it is a
burden of hindrances. The burden Moses
mentions above is more akin to the burdens of duty. Like trying to make ends meet. Or serving the LORD. Or working for the benefit of others. The burdens here would be those tasks which
the LORD has placed on us that take more than one person all alone to
accomplish. For the Jewish traveler,
this might include service in the military, logistical considerations of the camp,
etc. For the New Testament saint, this burden
could be family duties. They could be
duties placed on them for the furtherance of church ministry. These burdens cannot be ignored. They cannot be passed off to someone else
because we have no interest in meeting them.
They take much time and resources.
They often have to be scheduled and planned. These burdens, at times, become
personal. We are the only ones who can
do them. The leader who asks others to
work for the good of the church takes on himself the stress shared with the
laborer. He sees families struggle to
meet their needs, or more frequently, challenged in child-rearing. They feel the pain and frustration individuals
go through because the burden they are required to bear is often too heavy to
bear alone. He may offer
suggestions. He may offer a helping
hand. He feeds them the word of God specific
to their situation. He prays for and
with them. And he internalizes what they
must be feeling. He does so with all
under his care all at once. To pray for
your leader as he or she is burdened by another’s burden, please pray he or she
learn to leave it with the LORD. Pray
that God would give them the peace of heart and mind that even though they can
ease the burdens of others, it is only God who can take them away.
The strife listed above is not immature quarreling. As most siblings do, people will strive about pretty much anything. This strife is different. One dictionary defines it as, “dispute, controversy, case at law.” Moses has a unique responsibility in the formation of the nation of Israel. He was the one who received the law. Therefore, he would be the go-to guy when there was a dispute which the law would address. As the law was rather new, this become a problem. Moses was the only one who received the law at God’s hand and would be the foremost authority on it. Over time, as the elders learned the proper application of the law, Moses was eased of this burden. The people of Israel were new to the law. They were not striving because they couldn’t get along. They were striving because as yet, they had little working knowledge of the law. Moses’ main responsibility was the administration of the law. This took a toll. With the application of the law, Moses had to take the time to teach the law. A simple bench decision was not sufficient. He had to instruct the people on the what, were, when, how, and why of the law. This can become tedious. Especially if the same instruction is given over and again. He is glad to do it because teaching is in his nature. However, there is a part of him that wants to move on rather than re-lay the foundations which were laid previously. Praying for your leader that he or she might have clarity of speech and patience with the students goes a long way. Discouragement is a real battle here. Especially if the leader has to repeatedly layout the same truths. This is necessary. We seldom learn the first time through. Pray your leader never loses his or her heart for those whom they lead and will labor tirelessly for their maturity and faith.
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