All the Lord’s People

Numbers 11:21-29 (The Message)

Moses said, “I’m standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, ‘I’ll give them meat, meat every day for a month.’ So where’s it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?” God answered Moses, “So, do you think I can’t take care of you? You’ll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not.”

So Moses went out and told the people what God had said. He called together seventy of the leaders and had them stand around the Tent. God came down in a cloud and spoke to Moses and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit rested on them they prophesied. But they didn’t continue; it was a onetime event.

Meanwhile two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed in the camp. They were listed as leaders but they didn’t leave camp to go to the Tent. Still, the Spirit also rested on them and they prophesied in the camp.

A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”
Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ right-hand man since his youth, said, “Moses, master! Stop them!” But Moses said, “Are you jealous for me? Would that all God’s people were prophets. Would that God would put his Spirit on all of them.”


Explanation:

There are so many things in life that we need to qualify for to receive: promotions, awards, achievements, mortgages, teams. While that concept isn’t always bad, it has taught us to operate on a performance basis in life. My favorite line from the verses above is when Moses says, “Would that all God’s people were prophets. Would that God would put his Spirit on all of them.” Joshua was concerned that the two leaders Eldad and Medad who were prophesying in the camp would take away from Moses’ status or leadership. Moses opposes that thought and tells them that his desire is for ALL to receive the Spirit of God and for ALL to prophesy. He’s not limiting the gift of the Holy Spirit to just himself or a select few. He wants ALL to receive this gift. We should want the same.

The gift of the Holy Spirit isn’t limited to the most popular, the person with the most money, the one who has achieved the most in life, the most successful, the strongest, the most talented, the person who has it all together, or the person with the ideal marriage or family…. He is available to ALL. We should all desire the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life, and the gifts that come from Him. The gifts include but aren’t limited to the ability to prophesy (encourage and lift up), speak in tongues (a personal prayer language used for edification), wisdom, discernment, comfort, and peace. Don’t those sound like tools you would want to have in your life? I hope so, because the Holy Spirit within us is life changing!

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life. Ask Him to dwell within you and to give you the gifts that He offers. Be open to receiving His gifts. It might seem scary at first, but once you receive the Holy Spirit, you will never want to do life without Him!


Application:

1. Have you ever felt that you had to qualify yourself before approaching God?

2. Have you asked the Holy Spirit to fill you? If not, what is holding you back?

3. From the list above, what do you feel that you need most from the Holy Spirit right now?


Prayer:

God, THANK YOU for Your Holy Spirit! What a gift You are to our lives. Help us to receive this gift, and to not feel the need to “achieve” something before asking. Thank You that it is Jesus who has qualified us, and that we have access to You. May all who read this prayer be open to receiving the Holy Spirit within them. We love You, Lord! Amen.