Moses was trying his best to do everything on his own. All the major decisions were his. All the teaching was his. All the work of speaking the words of God to the people was his. The most tiring was receiving all the complaints and whining from the people. Receiving all the complaints must have been what pushed him too far and Moses began to cry out to God for help.
God provided help in the form of seventy elders to share in the work. God took some of the spirit which rested on Moses and shared it with the others. The result of this is the workload was spread out to many in the camp. Two of the people who continued to complain to God and to Moses were the first two people raised up to help, Aaron and Miriam. Their grumbling caused more stress and concern for Moses rather than helping him.
The value of a good helpmate should never be underestimated. Before we were married, before we were even dating, we had conversations about how important it was to each of us that our spouse be a helpmate in the work of God. Too often in marriage rather than being support and helper to each other it seems couples almost work against each other. Life can be challenging enough, only to add not having the support and help of a spouse.
The second most important part of being a good helpmate is to not be concerned over who gets credit for what God is doing. When God consecrates the seventy elders there are two who miss the ceremony but begin to fulfill their role as elder in their tents. Concern comes about this and Moses reminds the people the goal is that everyone would be so focused on God and not worried about who was doing what. This is the model for being a good helpmate.
When a marriage is built on the premise that we will serve God above all else and not care who get
s credit for what happens, God can do amazing things. This also lays the ground for spouses to be helpmates to each other so that the challenges of life are not faced alone.
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