"Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ"

“So gather your extended family, you immediate family and those belonging to your staff, the tribe of Levi, so that they understand you're all in this together. Your brothers from the greater Levi family will assist you while you and your sons come up to the tent holding the covenant.” (Numbers 18:2)

God was speaking this to Aaron, his sons, and extended family as they stepped into their responsibilities for the sanctuary. He told them in Numbers 18:1b, “Any offense against the sacred meeting place, whether the sanctuary or the priesthood, is to be born by the members of your ancestral house.”

They were not made to bear the weight of their ministry alone. God had called them as a family to share in the responsibilities and bear the burdens together.

Ever notice that what you are bearing in life impacts the entire family, not just you? If someone has to be gone for an extended period, or is stressed, the whole family is impacted. Choices each person makes, impacts others in their family unit. And when they are being blessed, it is their entire family who is blessed, down through the generations. God gave us our families as a gift to share in our burdens as well as our blessings.

Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” 

How much more should we then bear the burdens of those in our family who we are closest to?  1 Timothy 5:8 tells us to care and provide for our relatives, especially our immediate family or we are denying the faith.

Beyond immediate family, the priests were given extended family who shared in and carried the burdens along side them. And beyond this, they were also given the Levites, set apart for God, as assistants to do whatever needed to be done in maintenance of the sanctuary (Numbers 18:6). Like the family, the Levites shared both in the burdens, as well as benefits. For both the Priests and Levites, rather than having land, God was their “portion and possession among the Israelites.” (Numbers 18:20)

Our country is built on individualism so we have a tendency to look through this lens at life. We look at the world through what we want to accomplish and what we need to bear individually.

Moses needed people to bear the burden along with him. He had his brother Aaron, sister, Miriam, Jethro his father-in-law, Zipporah his wife and their two sons. He also had Joshua and Hur who were part of his inner circle.

When Moses thought he needed to do it all himself, he was confronted by Jethro. Jethro told Moses in Exodus 17:17-18, “What you are doing is not good for you. The responsibility is just too much. You are going to wear yourself out and the people too. You can't do it all by yourself.”

Jethro went on to tell Moses to split up his leadership and appoint several leaders under him to judge and make decisions. He told Moses in Exodus 18:22b-23a, “This will be much easier for you, and they will help you carry this burden. If you do what I advise and God directs you, then you will be able to handle the pressure.”

Numbers 11:17

"Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sharing-Burdens#sthash.OrrNVUXJ.dpuf

 

 

 

Numbers 11:17

"Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sharing-Burdens#sthash.OrrNVUXJ.dpuf

Numbers 11:17

"Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sharing-Burdens#sthash.OrrNVUXJ.dpuf

Numbers 11:17

"Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sharing-Burdens#sthash.OrrNVUXJ.dpuf

Even Jesus did not bear his burdens alone. He shared His life with His disciples and when He went through His greatest trial, He brought those closest to Him along to stand watch and pray with Him.

As people, we need each other. It is those around us who encourage us and help us to keep walking the path God has for us. When we get off course, they correct us and help us move back on track. They share their stories and lives with us and we with them. We carry each other's stories of God's faithfulness and in such, grow in our own faith.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary notes, “We are to bear one another's burdens. So we shall fulfil the law of Christ. This obliges to mutual forbearance and compassion towards each other, agreeably to his example. It becomes us to bear one another's burdens, as fellow-travellers. It is very common for a man to look upon himself as wiser and better than other men, and as fit to dictate to them. Such a one deceives himself; by pretending to what he has not, he puts a cheat upon himself, and sooner or later will find the sad effects." [1]

Besides our family and intimate friends, we are called to share in the burdens of those around us, including neighbors and the poor. Levites 25:35 notes, “If your fellow citizen becomes poor and cannot take care of his needs, men you must support him with what you have. Look after him, as you would a stranger or outsider, so he may keep living in your community.”

In sharing burdens together and of the poor, we grow in our faith, love and understanding (compassion) for each other.   While we need to understand each other to really help and bear burdens of one another but sometimes when we don't, stepping in and being willing to bear another's burdens, we come to understand them more.  

Mother Teresa writes, “This sharing of love in His poor has brought us all so close to each other and so, closer to the poor; and by doing so we have come to know the poor. This knowledge has led us to love and sacrifice, to personal service for our neighbour.” [2]

Bearing another's burden's is not from above or in reaching out from a distance to help, it is a coming along side a person and being in it with them.  It is more about the relationship than about the doing things for someone.  The load becomes easier not because someone else is doing it for you but because they understand you, care about you and there is a deep comfort when someone is "in it with you." 

As our closest friend, Jesus desires to share in our burdens.  In Matthew 11:28 He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. - See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sharing-Burdens#sthash.OrrNVUXJ.dpuf

Lord, forgive me where I look through life from a lens of independence and fail to see where I may need to share my burdens with others or share in their burdens. Open our eyes to see those around us and how we may help carry their burdens or where we might invite them to share in ours. Let us be especially open to see where we might share in the burdens of our family members.