In 105 B.C., Quintus Servilius Caepio was a member of the Roman aristocracy and a leader in the Roman army. The Senate instructed Caepio to coordinate with fellow army commander Gnaeus Mallius Maximus as they faced a massive tribal invasion. However, because Maximus was not a member of the nobility, Caepio refused to collaborate with him. Caepio believed it was beneath him to seek assistance from someone who had never held a high political office.
Caepio was so entrenched in his independence that he ordered his army to camp on the opposite side of a river to prevent cooperation. His pride was his undoing as the tribal armies crushed Caepio’s forces before turning their attention to Maximus and his men. The result was the slaughter of 60,000 to 80,000 Roman soldiers. Caepio survived, but was stripped of his rank, expelled from the Senate and exiled.
American society, including Christian churches, is marked by a deep-seated ideal of independence. Many join Caepio in viewing help as an embarrassment, believing it signals weakness. But that’s not what the Bible says. You don’t get extra credit for going it alone.
Exodus 17 records Israel’s battle against the Amalekite army. Interestingly, Israel’s success depended on Moses keeping his staff suspended in the air.
So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. (Ex. 17:9–11)
Lives were at stake based on one man’s ability to keep his arms raised. God commanded Moses to do something he could not accomplish alone. He did not mandate the impossible, but Moses’ ability to successfully obey God required the help of others.
But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. (Ex. 17:12–13)
The Israelite fighters needed Joshua’s leadership. Joshua needed Moses to obey God. And Moses needed the assistance of Aaron and Hur. The great victory was achieved because each person not only played their part but also relied on others to do the same. If any one of them tried to do it alone, it would have been a tragic failure.
The lesson is repeated in the following chapter when Moses’ father-in-law pays him a visit. He watches Moses try to arbitrate all disputes among the people singlehandedly, a task that consumes his every waking hour.
Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. (Ex. 18:17–18)
It took a man from the outside to tell Moses what should have been obvious to all. “You are doing the right thing, but you can’t do it alone!” It was a burden worth bearing, yet impossible to bear without help.
Are you resistant to seeking assistance (or even to acknowledging your need for help)? Like Caepio, do you look down on those who don’t meet your standards? Are you too proud to collaborate with others who would gladly share your burden? Would you rather let others suffer than admit you need help keeping your arms up?
If this is true of you, repent, then thank God for opening your eyes to your need for other Christians. It may be that He has assigned to you a burden that is impossible to bear alone, but entirely possible with the aid of others. Next, prayerfully and humbly seek assistance for those things that are just too heavy to carry alone.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:2)