And I spoke to you at that time, saying: “I alone am not able to bear you. The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude.” (Deuteronomy 1:9-10)

There are two things that merit mentioning as we look at these verses. First, Moses acknowledged that God had blessed Israel in the manner promised to Abraham in regard to his descendants. The Almighty told Abraham that He would, indeed, “multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). As great and wonderful a blessing that this growth was, it also created difficulties where Moses was concerned. In short, the more people there were, the more life issues to deal with. It was simply too much for one man.

Consequently, Moses was compelled to choose from among the tribes “wise and knowledgeable men” to be assigned as “leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens” within the different tribes. In this manner, issues could be dealt with quickly and, frankly, more efficiently. Also, this process trained the people to realize that all their problems didn’t necessarily need to go to Moses. Others, according to their ability, could assist them in their daily struggles and, consequently, the congregation at large would benefit from a team effort instead of just one man at the top.

I think this is a very important principle that we need to employ in our congregations. Far too often, the pastor is laden with so many responsibilities and far too many expectations from people that he simply can’t handle it all. Furthermore, this tends to result in too many pastors becoming “burned out” as they say and, even worse, jaded when it comes to the ministry. I should add that this is not limited to pastors; anyone who works in ministry is susceptible to this kind of pressure and its consequences. The point, however, is that God never intended for it to be that way; He actually gives us a template for how things should be done.

Following Moses example, it is important that we identify those who are mature in the faith and who possess the wisdom to guide others, even if its’ only ten. Maybe they have the gift of administration or the ability to teach or some other skill that is needed in the Body. The point is, if all who are Biblically qualified are serving in their proper place, we can advance toward the goal of “equipping the saints for the work of ministry.” When we function in this manner, the whole Body benefits and nobody has to do it all.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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