Numbers 11:17 God tells Moses that he will take the Spirit that is on him and spread it out to other elders so the burden of leading Israel to the promised land (which takes 40 long years of wandering) can be shared. Interesting notion. Later in verse 25, when the Spirit rests upon the other seventy elders, they prophesy, something, it is written, that will never happen again. Strange thing is, it doesn't say what they prophesied. Why does it matter that they prophesied if we don't know what they said? What am I missing?
Excuse the analogy here, but I've no choice but to make it. I'm reminded of Harry Potter. Harry bears a great burden, to rid the world of Voldermort, the dark and powerful antagonist of the series. Throughout the pages of seven books he carries this burden. It is prophesied that he is the only one who can and will get rid of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name. The connection I see here is the weight of the burden, granted I realize the disparity of the two. Harry understands he must accomplish this task even if it costs him his life, and seems willing to do it. When Hermoine and Ron (and countless others) offer Harry their help and their advice, he refuses it on several occasions, feeling that this burden is his alone. Unlike Harry, Moses begs God to relieve him of his task, he'd rather die than continue to carry the weight of whining Israel. This is when God tells Moses to gather the elders and shares the Spirit of the burden with the group. We're not meant to struggle through things alone. That's why we have people around us. That, in my opinion, is what community is all about, sharing and caring for one another's burdens. God later calls Moses the most humble man on Earth. In contrast, Harry, in an attempt to "go it alone," fails and is only successful when his friends surround and support him.
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