Called to Carry (Burdens)
Reading Time: 7 minutes
“The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.’ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
Exodus 17:8–13
Is opening up something that comes naturally for you? I don’t trust many people. It’s hard for me to open up, but I believe it’s smart for me to have a community of brothers. It’s smart for me to have mentors. It’s smart for me to be vulnerable with my mentees. I may need to hire a therapist and counselor for some issues, but the idea makes me uncomfortable. I always tell others how a community is needed but I don’t always engage in it myself. It’s interesting because we can all agree that community makes life better but not all of us actually engage in it. You're only good as your team and holding back from allowing others in sometimes stops me from having a good team.
When we look at this story, we see a lot of community here. We can imagine the uncomfortable situations we find ourselves in while with our church, school, or family communities. The Israelites have a common enemy at this point. Joshua submits to Moses and the mission and goes to grab some men and fight this enemy. Moses doesn’t just leave them to do it alone, he decides to support them within his means.
Joshua is leading his men in the battle while Aaron and Hur decide to help Moses from the mountain. When Moses holds his hands up, the group led by Joshua wins the battle, but as his hands fall they start to lose. This is where it gets interesting. As Moses’ hands begin to get tired, his brother Aaron and Hur get a stone for Moses to sit on to rest and then start to hold his arms up themselves when he can't.
There are a couple things I want to point out that I think I personally can work on. Hur and Aaron take it upon themselves to support their brother, and Moses lets them. I think we can all agree that we should support each other. But in real life, it's a dangerous, messy, stressful, and stretching task. It’s not only hard to support others, it's hard to let them support you.
This brings us to what church should be. When I say church, I’m not talking about a building or institution. Those entities may be tools used to engage in true church, but what I'm actually talking about is community. People walking with each other and growing in similar directions. If we are called to be disciples or students, then church is like a school—allowing our Teacher to mold us and teach us as we share what we learn with others. We are called to allow what Christ has poured into us to flow out to others. We are called to allow Jesus to grow us and take us on a journey, helping others on their individual journeys along the way. The church community is where classmates grow with and support each other. That is a process of sanctification and following Christ.
The Bible talks about how iron sharpens iron but that happens through friction. Growth is messy, but when you agree to be on God's team, it means you have teammates.
On one hand, how did Aaron and Hur know to follow Moses up this mountain? This story doesn’t say Moses asked them to be close enough to him in case he needed support. They just take it upon themselves to come. Aaron and Hur obviously have enough of a relationship with Moses off the court for all parties involved to work together in this game-time situation. And this is something I think we need to learn when we think about the command to carry each other’s burdens. When it comes to supporting each other, you have to build rapport. When it comes to you lifting people up when they’re going through real situations, you have to have enough trust built up to make that connection comfortable.
Another thing we see here is the fact that Moses lets them. Now, as the leader of the entire “country” of Israel, Moses is special. He could easily say, “I can do this on my own. I’m Moses. Have you heard about me?” But no, he allows help. This is sometimes hard for me. I remember Kanye said something about not listening to people with less money than him. That cut him out from so many areas of growth because he is limiting his support systems. We need to be in a place where we allow support from people “below us”. The Bible says there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors (Proverbs 11:14). Now you don't need to be intimate and open up about everything to everyone. There’s wisdom in having boundaries. But don't live your life so isolated that no one can come support you when you're in need. Moses made them feel comfortable, not just to stay with him on the mountain, but to take matters into their own hands by grabbing him a seat and getting up in his personal space. I’m sure Moses’ underarms stank from holding his arms up all day in the ancient desert. Yet, his friends were not afraid to get in uncomfortable spaces, for the greater good of their community.
Community is a need, but it's also a choice. We need to be with people for comfort, and growth. Together we are better, but we have to choose it every day. Do you choose to have uncomfortable situations with your community? Do you choose to build relationships with people that are strong enough to support each other when life gets crazy? Are you deciding to trust God enough to open up to the people He has called you to open up to?
I love Galatians 6:2–3, which says, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” The Bible commands us to bear burdens. The Bible commands us to hold each other up.
You may have been hurt by church. People may have disrespected you and broken your trust. But you are still commanded to have community. You can choose if you want to trust God enough to believe that following His way is healthier than following your own way. You can use wisdom. I’m not telling you to have stupid relationships, but as you grow through uncomfortable moments, a lot of those moments will involve people. Let trusted people guide you. Open up to let them in. Pray about it and ask God for the wisdom to discern how. You're only good as your team and a trusted community is needed.
Help carry other people’s burdens and be intentional about who you will allow to carry yours.
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