NUMBERS 11
27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
28 And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men answered and said, my Lord Moses, forbid them.
29 And 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!
MOSES BEAUTIFUL RESPONSE:
The children of Israel were complaining again; this time, they wanted flesh to eat, instead of manna.
God had provided seventy people to prophesy around the tabernacle, and two of them were undertaking prophesy in the camp.
Joshua, who was Moses’s assistant, is pretty upset and comes to Moses to say that these two men should not be doing this in the camp.
The response of Moses is so beautiful, and it can teach us so much.
So often, we have people who are doing something outside the box, so, to speak. That doesn’t mean they are wrong.
We try to put people in a box, and the Spirit of God cannot and will not be confined.
MATTHEW HENRY (Commentary) SAYS THIS:
(1.) We must not secretly grieve at the gifts, graces, and usefulness of others.
It was John’s disciples’ fault that they envied Christ’s honor because it shaded their master’s, John 3:26-36.
(2.) We must not be transported into heat against the weaknesses and infirmities of others.
Granted, Eldad and Medad were guilty of an irregularity, yet Joshua was too quick and too warm upon them.
Our zeal must always be tempered with the meekness of wisdom: the righteousness of God needs not the wrath of man (James 1:20).
(3.) We must not make even the best and most useful men heads of a party. Paul would not have his name used to patronize a faction (1 Corinthians 1:12-13).
(4.) We must not be quick to condemn and silence those that differ from us as if they did not follow Christ because they do not follow him with us (Mark 9:38). Shall we reject those whom Christ has owned or restrain any from doing good because they are not in everything of our mind?
Our response in today’s church should be the same as what he said in verse 29.
What does Paul say in 1 Corinthians 14:1-5? He is of the same heart as Moses. Amen.
Finally, he says that he wishes that all people would have the spirit of God upon them?
Let our prayer be that: (capitals are my words), is this your wish that all the people of God are holy and full of his spirit) would God that all the Lord’s people were HOLY, and that the Lord would put his spirit IN them!
Instead of trying to restrict believers from serving God because they do things differently to our rule book, and yes, we need to careful to discern false teachers. Still, we need to encourage people with true spiritual gifts to use them.
We should want all of our brothers and sisters to use their gifts. There are too many pew-sitters in our churches, after all.
KK
JOB 42
3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
JOB’S CLEAR VISION
Job had gone through a lot and now God has responded to him in the form of a whirlwind. God did not tell Job why he permitted the devil to afflict Job. Please note that this affliction did not come from God; He allowed Satan to afflict Job up to a point. Satan was allowed to take everything from Job except one thing…his life.
It says later in the Bible, that the thoughts of God are far above our thoughts. Our finite minds are unable to fully comprehend the purpose of God. This is especially true when it comes to suffering. God rest on top of Mount Sinai, and we like the Children of Israel or at the base of the mountain.
Job’s vision here is beautiful, it is like the one given later to Isaiah. Both of them knew God, they had heard God, they were in fellowship with God, God had spoken to them, but now through divine revelation, God had revealed himself to them.
Note both of Isaiah’s and Job’s vision had some similarities:
They both knew God, he had spoken to them, but this was something deeper. You know you can go to church for years and you can say like Job, I have heard thee by the hearing of the word, but now I see you. We need to have a vision of the glory of God like both Isaiah and Job had and indeed like Moses did. John had the same thing, he knew Jesus personally, he was the one who leaned on Jesus, but in Revelation 1, he had a vision of the glorified Jesus.
They all had the same response, they all fell on their faces. Moses, John, Isaiah and Job all fell on their faces in light of the awesome majesty of God. Confronted by the majesty and holiness of God, Isaiah and Job became aware of their sinfulness. And in each instance God showed them mercy. And He longs to show us mercy as well.
Too many Christians spend their lives listening to good preaching, and enjoying great worship, and yet they never experience a deep and moving relationship with the Lord.
What about you?
Have you heard the word of God, but have not responded to it? When we meet Job he is very religious. The Bible calls him “ blameless.” Was he saved? He certainly had faith in God, and in the end the Lord honored that faith by healing his body and restoring all that was lost. Today, we do not need for God to appear in a whirlwind in order to experience His presence in our lives. We have His Word. Jesus said, “That if any man comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. Here’s a question: Have you experienced the presence of God? Is He real in your soul? The same God who spoke to Job is speaking to you today. Turn away from your sins and make Him Lord of your life today.
God bless you
Keith