Reading: Numbers 11
There is so much in this chapter but today there is one thing in particular that caught my attention and that was the 70 elders that Moses had picked to help him with the people. First off Moses cried out to the Lord after listening to all the complaints of the people. Moses does not want to listen to anymore. Listen to his own complaints to the Lord.
‘So Moses said to the Lord , “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!”’ Numbers 11:11-15
Sounds like a whole lot of complaining going on from Moses. The very idea that he thinks he has to carry this burden alone is laughable because He has the Lord talking with Him at all times. He was never alone. He had the Spirit that was upon him and had the very presence of the Lord with him and yet here he is complaining. Yet how many of us have accepted Christ into our lives and yet we also feel all alone on this walk. We are not alone my friends. For Paul writes, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11 NKJV Paul wrote that the Spirt that rose Jesus from the dead is now inside of us. We are not alone; we have the spirit of God with us everywhere we go. Yet similar to Moses we must come to the realization we are not alone and stop looking at the natural and what we see and/or hear.
God listens to his murmuring and has a solution to help Moses. ‘So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.’ (Numbers 11:16-17) Each of these seventy men were going to have the same spirit in them that Moses had. I can only imagine this was a relief to Moses to hear. One person cannot do all the work for all those people. It is too much work for one person and God was enlisting a relief party.
‘So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.’ (Num. 11:24-25) The first thing these seventy did when the spirit was upon them was to prophesy, all seventy of them. For me this just shows how important prophecy is no matter the times.
Paul writes, ‘Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.’ (I Corinthians 14:1-5)
We are to pursue spiritual gift but especially that we prophesy. When we prophesy, we speak edification, exhortation and comfort to all. We are not giving a word just for one person but for the entire congregation to hear and receive. We have the same spirit that Jesus had and yet we must desire and pursue to use the spirit in us. If you have already received the baptism of the Holy Spirit you are now a three part being. We are Spirit, soul (mind, will, and emotions), and body (flesh). (1 Thes. 5:23) Our soul determines if we live in the spirit or body. That is why it is so important to continually be renewing our mind daily to what God’s word says. (Romans 12:2) We have a choice to live in the body or spirit. It says the seventy elders prophesied that first day but never did it again. I pray you would desire the gifts today, but especially that you would prophesy and encourage and comfort those around you.
It is important to know that neither Moses or you and I can walk alone. We are not to forsake the fellowship of the saints. (Heb 10:25) Jesus sent out the disciples two by two and then they came back together to discuss what they had done. He never sent them out alone. We need to surround ourselves with like precious faith believers now more than ever. (2 Peter 1:1) Find others to walk alongside you during this time and then seek Him that you may prophecy to encourage one another.
**Some of you have never walked in the Holy Spirit. When you accepted Jesus, you got saved and your name is written in the book of life. Yet you can also, ask for the Holy Spirit to come and fill you so that we can walk in the power that rose Jesus from the dead. When you are filled with His Holy Spirit it will come with the evidence of speaking your heavenly language of tongues as Paul writes above. Our heavenly language is for you to speak directly with God. If you have asked God to fill you with His Holy Spirit and you did not feel anything, don’t worry, you have received because God is faithful to give what we ask for (Mark 11:24). You can try now to speak in tongues. It will start out as syllables and will expand the more you do it. Know I’m excited for you and I would love to hear from you and rejoice with you. You have the same spirit that Jesus had. The same spirit that rose Jesus from the dead is now inside of you!