Numbers 11:17, commentary and pictures

God would come down and speak with Moses at the tabernacle and share the Spirit resting on Moses with seventy chosen helpers so they would carry the burden of the people together with him instead of leaving him to carry it alone. The promise came when Israel despised the manna and clamored for flesh meat from depraved appetite, and Moses in distress pleaded that leading so complaining a people was too heavy for him alone. Moses was to bring to the tabernacle seventy men he knew to be elders and officers, men not only advanced in years but of dignity, sound judgment, experience, and faithful service fit to judge and lead. When the Spirit rested on them they prophesied as a sign that God had chosen them to unite their authority with Moses, establish the people's confidence in them, and help quiet murmuring. The sharing lightened Moses' responsible work, made the elders safe counselors, trained others for trust, and helped restrain violence and insurrection, though those who held that Moses had magnified his burden teach that he should have trusted God to sustain and strengthen him for every emergency without this enlarged authority.

Setting and Appointment

The promise was made when Israel despised the manna from heaven and cried for flesh meat, loathing the light bread and hankering after the fleshpots of Egypt from depraved appetite indulged there, though blessed with abundance of food for every need and promised protection from sickness and the plagues of Egypt. It answers Moses because the burden of leading Israel alone was too heavy for him, meeting his distress and plea that he could not carry the people alone. He was to gather seventy men he knew to be elders and officers of the people and bring them to the tabernacle of the congregation to stand with him there.

They were to be not only advanced in years but men of dignity, sound judgment, experience, maturity, and faithful service, qualified to serve as judges or officers. God would come down and talk with Moses there and take of the Spirit that was upon Moses and put it upon the elders to enable them to help bear the burden of the complaining people with Moses. When the Spirit rested upon the seventy gathered around the tabernacle they prophesied and did not cease, the prophetic gift resting on them as a sign that God had chosen them to unite their authority with Moses, establish the people's confidence in them, and assist in subduing murmuring so Moses would not bear the burden alone.

The appointment completed at Sinai the organization of Israel begun before leaving Egypt with the people arranged in companies under leaders, showing order with God as center of authority and government, Moses as His representative to administer the laws, next under Moses the council of seventy, then priests and princes, then captains over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens with officers for special duties. The camp stood in exact order with the tabernacle as God's abiding place in the midst surrounded by priests and Levites and each tribe encamped outside by its own standard. The council of seventy assisted Moses with governing Israel and its general affairs, distributing responsibility rather than leaving him to carry it alone.

Purpose and Responses

The sharing took part of the weight of responsible work off Moses so he would not bear the burden of the people alone, and by sharing the Spirit's counsel it made the seventy safe counselors to help him carry it. The arrangement also gave others the chance to learn responsibility and become prepared for positions of trust. Their influence as faithful helpers in government helped restrain violence and insurrection among the complaining people.

The need for this help arose in part because Moses magnified his own burden and failed to trust fully in God. He should have trusted God to sustain him and to continue to guide and strengthen him for every emergency, without needing this enlarged authority given to the elders, though God still answered his plea that he could not carry Israel alone by appointing them to share the responsibility.

Moses felt the weight of the work and his own weakness under a great work committed to him as to no other man, knowing he could not carry the load alone, with God ever his counselor. Aaron and Miriam did not recognize how much help he needed, because they had never felt the responsibility and burdens he bore. They had not been consulted about the appointment of the seventy, and for that reason they saw no real need for this added help in governing Israel and bearing the burden with him.

They thought that since they had been chosen to aid Moses and God had spoken through them as well as through Moses, they already bore the burden equally with him, so he should not complain of needing help. Yet Aaron's weakness in yielding to the people to make a molten calf in Moses' absence proved he did not carry what Moses carried, and their questioning showed they had never felt the responsibility Moses felt. Their jealousy over the seventy was joined to their lack of reconciliation to Moses readily receiving the counsel of Jethro his father-in-law, fearing Jethro had more influence over Moses than they had.

God put His Spirit upon Moses and honored him before Israel so they would know His Spirit was upon him and would confide in his instructions and believe him forever. This was needed because when the Hebrews met difficulties in the way they murmured against Moses and Aaron and accused them of leading the host out of Egypt to destroy them, though Israel had entered solemn covenant accepting God as ruler and becoming the peculiar subjects of His divine authority. God also honored the elders who received a share of the Spirit upon Moses to assist in governing, by allowing them to witness the glory of His presence as He established the chosen nation under Jehovah as king. They did not see the Deity itself but saw the glory of His presence, and the revelation of His power, purity, and mercy prepared them to approach nearer to Him.

In this same wilderness setting God granted Israel's demand for meat to satisfy appetite and gave the vast multitude quails in abundance, though they had been given manna from heaven, angels' food, and were not satisfied but longed, mourned, and murmured for flesh. When the people reaped the result of their transgression God did not work a miracle to preserve life but sent plague upon them while the flesh was still between their teeth and destroyed thousands of their number. This stands as a warning that He is displeased when appetite controls His people, showing that health reform with temperance in eating and drinking matters for ministers and gives clearer minds to discern what does and does not affect the salvation of the soul.