All Too Much

Contrary to popular belief, God does sometimes give us more than we can handle. Two reasons he may do this are: a) so we will share our burdens with others, and b) so we will give up idolatrous cravings that will never satisfy us. Moses was right: The burden of leading the Israelites was too much for him. So, God put his Spirit on 70 elders to share Mose’s burden. And because the Israelites’ craving for meat was effectively idolatrous, God gave them so much meat that it became loathsome to them. In both cases, God’s “too much” became an instrument of grace. By stripping us of the illusions of self-sufficiency and stuff-sufficiency, we are liberated to trust in the all-sufficiency of Jesus.