A discontented people set out from the base of Sinai into the desert, following the pillar of fire by which the Lord guides them. Moses, whom the Lord calls "the meekest man on the face of the earth," despairs of the grumbling and complaining of the Israelites. He laments to God:
Was it I who conceived all this people? Or was it I who gave them birth, that you tell me to carry them at my bosom, like a foster father carrying an infant to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?
I cannot help but wonder if St. Joseph ever had a moment when he said something like this to God. Perhaps when the infant Jesus cried and cried during the night, and Joseph walked the floor with him, trying to comfort him. I am drawn to Joseph as a father, thinking about all the joys and frustrations and pain of being a father, and wondering how Joseph handled them. I often wish the Bible had more to say about this man.
Meanwhile, back in the desert, Moses is so moved and overwhelmed by distress from the complaining Israelites, that the Lord lightens his burden by taking some of the spirit that is on Moses and bestowing it on 70 elders. Actually, 70 plus two more who were not at the gathering when this transfer took place. Upon receiving the spirit, the 72 begin to prophesy. Clearly, a foreshadowing of Pentecost, and the number 72 matches the number of disciples cited in the New Testament. Moses is moved to say later, to a jealous Aaron and Miriam:
Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!
Of course, the Lord has done so. He has bestowed His spirit on all of His people in baptism. We are all called to holiness, to meekness, to be part of a community of believers and journeyers on the path to the promised land.
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