Numbers 11:14-17
11:14 I am not able to bear this entire people alone,
because it
is too heavy for me!
11:15 But if you are going to deal
with me like this, then kill me immediately.
If I have found favor in your sight then do not let me see my trouble.”
The Response of God
11:16 The Lord said to Moses, “Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know are elders of the people and officials over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting; let them take their position there with you.
11:17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take part of the spirit that is on you, and will put it on them, and they will bear some of the burden of the people with you, so that you do not bear it all by yourself.
Deuteronomy 1:9-12
1:9 I also said to you at that time, “I am no longer able to sustain you by myself.
1:10 The
Lord your God has increased your population
to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky.
1:11 Indeed, may the
Lord, the God of your ancestors, make you a thousand times more numerous than you are now, blessing you
just as he said he would!
1:12 But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife?
Acts 6:1-4
The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons
6:1 Now in those days, when the disciples were growing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews against the native Hebraic Jews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
6:2 So the twelve called the whole group of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables.
6:3 But carefully select from among you, brothers, seven men who are well-attested, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this necessary task.
6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”