Numbers 11:16-3016And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 17And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. 18And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? 21And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. 22Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? 23And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. 24And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. 25And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. 26But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. 27And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 28And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 29And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them! 30And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel. (Numbers 11:16‑30)
MOSES was downcast and discouraged by the complaining and unbelief of the people. Their unbelief seems to have infected even God’s trusted servant. But the trials of the wilderness only bring out what is in our hearts while at the same time they reveal the wonderful grace and goodness of the heart of God.
God did not rebuke Moses here but He did take him at his word. The honor He had put upon Moses he would have to share with others. He told Moses to gather seventy elders of Israel to the tabernacle and He would take some of the Spirit which was upon Moses and put it upon them. “And they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.”
He also told Moses that on the morrow He was going to give the people flesh to eat, not just for one day but for a whole month, until it became loathsome to them. They had despised God saying, “Who shall give us flesh to eat?... for it was well with us in Egypt.”
But Moses’ sad unbelief comes out here. He reasoned: “How could God give enough meat to feed 600,000 men for a month in the wilderness. Shall all the flocks and herds be slain to satisfy them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be caught for them?” Instead he ought to have said, “God who gives us bread from heaven every day can easily give us meat too if He pleases.”
How patient was the Lord with His failing servant. He said: “Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? Thou shalt see now whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” Unbelief says, See first, believe after. But faith believes first and sees afterward. The Lord said to Martha, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” John 11:4040Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (John 11:40).
Moses gathered the seventy elders together and the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke to him. “And He took of the Spirit that was upon Moses and gave it to the seventy elders.” And it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.” Two of these men, Eldad and Medad, remained in the camp; however, the Spirit rested upon them and they also prophesied.
Moses’ servant, Joshua, a young man full of zeal and jealous for his master’s honor, thought Moses should forbid these two men. He thought only Moses should prophesy. But it seems this jealousy of his servant recalled Moses to the grace in which he stood for he manifested a very lovely spirit here. Delighted to see the work of God’s Spirit in His people, wherever they were, he said as it were, “Are you jealous for me? I wish all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that He would put His Spirit upon them all.”
We should covet this lovely spirit of Moses for this looked on to our time, even now, when God has gathered together in one all His people and has given His Spirit to dwell in each. Perhaps He has given some to see things more clearly than others, but it is only grace that enables us to walk in the truth. Some are in a wrong position no doubt, but let us not hinder in any way their service for the Lord. They are dear to God, and we ought to rejoice to see Christ preached. The work is His and He is sovereign in using whomsoever He will.
It was a day of failure and weakness and Moses felt His own weakness in the midst of it all, but he was enabled to rise above it and joy in the Lord. May we know more of the sweetness of this peace and joy in our day.
ML-08/19/1973