We don’t have a tremendous amount of information about the 70 elders God called to assist Moses with the leadership responsibilities for the Hebrew nation. We don’t know their names or tribal affiliation. We do know they were among the rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens selected in Exodus 18:25. We also know that they were a direct answer to Moses cry for help when he hit the point of leadership overload and burnout. Read Numbers 11:11-30.

The book of Deuteronomy tells the story of a leader yearning to finish the work he had begun. Moses casts the vision over and over, hoping the Hebrew people will catch sight of the total picture – the picture that God did not want to merely free them from slavery in Egypt, but to deliver them into the Promised Land. The book also conveys a leader’s love for his people. Even though he lost his chance to enter the land with them, he patiently interceded for them, trying to lead them into the obedient state that would enable them to inherit the land and finish the conquest. Read Deuteronomy 1 and review the rest of the book of Deuteronomy.