I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. Numbers 11:14 KJV
I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. Numbers 11:14 NASB
Moses was a great man; make no mistake about it. Aside from the Lord’s praise of the Baptist, few if any rose as high in heaven’s esteem than Moses. The testimony of God included such expressions as, “My servant Moses … faithful in all my house” (Num 12:7), and “there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deut 34:10).
Moses was a great man, a great leader, and a great prophet. The world has not seen a leader of his calibre, nor did Israel ever again see a prophet of his stature. And yet, there arose an occasion in the life of Moses when he felt the burden too great, the demands overwhelming, and the task onerous. As he faced his own sense of inadequacy, he preferred death over life.
Centuries later, another Man entered the scene. Like Moses, He encountered opposition, misunderstanding, false accusation, and threatened stoning. In contrast to Moses, He had an even greater burden to bear. It is Isaiah who first revealed the immensity of the burden, a meeting of the Savior and our sins, as the Lamb of God. “The Lord hath made to meet upon Him, the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6 Newberry). And again, “He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isa 53:4).
Moses – great and faithful man that he was – fainted under the burden of one nation. Christ went to the cross, a “propitiation not for our sins only, but for the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Moses fainted under the weight of their complaints and murmurings. Our Savior went further still: “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Pet 2:24).
Nothing that has been written thus far should be construed as a criticism of Moses. As mentioned, he gets high praise from the lips of God. But the Lord Jesus excels the best of men at the best of their moments.
When the burden of sin was laid upon Him, there is no complaint, no word of self-pity, no disagreement with the will of God. His words in the garden are a revelation of His heart: “Thy will be done.” He went to the cross with a song upon His lips (Matt 26:30) and anticipated joy in His heart (Heb 12:2). He went to display to all the world for all times His love for the Father (John 14:31) and to announce unmistakably the love of God for a rebellious world.
Moses might faint under the burden of a rebellious and sinful nation. Christ bore a burden far greater for a far greater number, with far greater consequences.
Consider:
Think of other contrasts between Moses and Christ. Note how in John’s Gospel, the Lord is distinguished from Moses until, after being mentioned 12 times up to chapter 9, he is no longer mentioned. Why is that so?