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Dec 10, 2022 06:00am

Carry This

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“You are to assign to them all that they are responsible to carry.” Numbers 4:27

The weeks turned into months as they wandered aimlessly through the wilderness. A year had already passed, and still, they walked in circles. Displaced, homeless, and exiled, they journeyed onward. There was rumor of a promised land, a place to finally settle and lay down some roots, but so far no one had caught sight of it.

The wandering, the lack of direction, had gone on for at least 365 days when Moses recorded the book of Numbers. This one book holds an account of the next 39 years that would be spent wandering in the wilderness. In the midst of displacement, God speaks and does something wonderful. He chooses a group of men to carry out the work of setting up and tearing down the Tabernacle.

They were walking in circles, and though the direction was not clear, the directive was.

“At the LORD’S command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry.”

Bearing the responsibility of carrying every load was never the expectation. God gave his children the grace to bear the load assigned to them. It was not lacking and there was no excess, it was just enough. It was not the work and responsibility of every person to carry every load. The tasks were divided among the men so that a singular person would not bear the burden alone.

All they had to do, all they had to carry, had been assigned. As they set up and tore down camp, the expectation was clear. Pick up this, and leave the rest for the others. This is your load to carry. Even a misplaced glance in the wrong direction could bring about death.

In the midst of chaos, God brought order. Through Moses, He made His desires known. The people did not miss the plan, even though they were lost. He told Moses His desires, and Moses conveyed the message to the people.

This is who God is. He is the One who speaks order into chaos. God uses fallen men who are circling the mountain to carry out His purposes for His Glory. He looks at His children and sees the confused state they are in, and He assigns them a specific role to play. The expectation is not for one person to accomplish all the work at hand. The enemy is the one who tries to load us down with more than necessary. The enemy is the one who tries to minimize the work before us.

Do you feel you should be carrying more than you are at the moment? When you look at the load in your arms, are you crumbling under the weight of it? Pay attention to whose voice is speaking marching orders over you. When God has assigned the load to carry, His strength will accompany the assignment at hand.

The enemy tries to trick us into carrying more than necessary. He accuses us in our spirit and mocks the load we carry in our hands. He summons a spirit of shame and shackles us in guilt.

God sees when His children are circling the mountain, and the way ahead is shrouded in confusion. The accounting of Numbers 4 highlights an important part of who God is and how he uses fallen man to bring about His will. He will assign all you are responsible to carry. If the burden is big, you will be given the extra strength required to accomplish the task. Jesus, our Risen Savior, is our burden bearer. Don’t carry it alone today. He will assign all you are responsible to carry, and He will help you bear the load.