Kill Me Now

Starting in Exodus, Moses leads thousands of people out of slavery in Egypt toward the promised land. While on their way, the Israelites were miserable and would complain nonstop to Moses and the Lord. Numbers 11 is an example of the trouble the Israelites gave Moses and the Lord, beginning in verses 1-3, where we see the people of Israel murmuring and complaining to the Lord. Finally, the Lord got angry and sent fire down from heaven to the outskirts of their camp, consuming some of the camp and the people. Even though God showed mercy on the Israelites, bringing them out of slavery, they still found ways to complain about the process and journey. Again in verses 4-35, the Israelites were complaining about not having meat to eat. When Moses heard their cry, he went to the Lord and pleaded with Him, saying that the burden of the people was too much for Moses to carry. In his cry out to God, he says, “If this is how you’re going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me…”.

Don’t be the sun: perspective matters. Moses could see the path he was going to be on, leading the Israelites to freedom yet dealing with their constant burden of complaining and wanting more. It was too much for him to handle, and he put all the pressure on himself to fix it, making himself the sun (center) of his universe. 

  • When going through something tough, do you tend to put yourself at the center of it all, trying to fix everything? Why do you think you run to this first?

  • Why is it challenging to take yourself out of the center and put God there instead?

God is able: Is God too small? God responds to Moses, reminding him that God will take care of the Israelites, just like He has all along. Yet, in his limited human understanding, Moses didn’t understand how this would be possible as there were thousands of people God would need to feed with meat.

  • In our humanness, it can be difficult to see a way out of a challenging situation and trust that God can handle what we give to Him. What is your life do you feel is too difficult for God to handle? 

  • Have you had the opportunity to hand it over to him? Did you release it to the Lord or hold it tight with closed fists?

You are not alone: Share the load with those who share the Spirit. God commands Moses to bring Him 70 of Israel’s elders. He tells Moses He will give some of the Spirit in Moses to them, and they will help carry the Israelites’ burdens, so Moses doesn’t have to bear it alone.

  • We strive to be so independent, especially in modern-day America. Why is it so hard to share your load with others? Fear? Insecurity? Perfectionism?

  • What lies do you need to combat in order to be willing to give some of your load to others?

Obedience: your next step. God gives Moses each step to take to help him out of this seemingly impossible situation he is in. He tells Moses to trust that God will give the people the food they crave (and He does) and bring people to Him that are in the same spirit so his load can be carried among others. 

  • No matter what we say on a Sunday morning (We’re great, good, fine, everything is all good), we all have something that is challenging us physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually and God is calling us to take the next step. What next step is God calling you to?

Make a Move:

We’re all facing something, and the truth is that we all have a mighty God willing to help us face it together. So this week, seek the Lord, being dependent in prayer, to see what your next step is. No matter how scary it might be, God is calling you just to take one more step in faith and watch Him work all along the way.

Prayer Prompt:

Father, we thank you that you are a God who hears us in our struggle and pain and meets us right where we are. I pray that, just like you did for Moses, you would give me a way out of this struggle and help me boldly and bravely take one step forward at a time. Thank you for your love. Amen.