Saturday 19th August
Read Numbers 11:24-30
“So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and made them stand round the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied – but did not do so again.
26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ 28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since youth, spoke up and said, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’
29 But Moses replied, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!’ 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.” (NIVUK)
Uncontainable and uncontrollable. Just as Yahweh promised Moses, He fulfilled His word. The elders were gathered and the Spirit rested on them. The authority of the office was transferred in a ceremony that looked official and occurred at the right place. Marked by a once-off expression of God’s word passing through His people.
But in case we think that tradition and authority and the power of the Spirit are only conferred by the right people being in the right place at the right time we are told the story of Eldad and Medad. Two elders, in the wrong place, at the wrong time and yet marked out by the Spirit’s power. Joshua is outraged. This is not how it should be done! It is a horrific breach of official protocol. And yet God acted outside of the box…
It is an important lesson for us. The church has often been quick to condemn as heresy expressions of the Spirit of God in the lives of people that don’t occur in the prescribed and official manner. They may be rare, but they do happen. Boxing in the Lord of the universe, deciding what He can and can’t do, how ‘long His arm is’ (v23), is rather unwise.
The echoes with Jesus’ gospel work and mission are also unmistakable. Those with time on their hands can read through Luke 9-10. Particularly Jesus delegating His authority to 70 disciples (or 72 in a delicious riff on the ambiguity of Eldad and Medad being additions to the 70 or part of the original…) and sending them out in the Spirit’s power… (Luke 10:1ff). But even Jesus faced the same challenge as Moses from overzealous disciples protecting the brand.
“‘Master,’ said John, ‘we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.’ 50 ‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘for whoever is not against you is for you.’” (Luke 9:49-50) (NIVUK)
God is uncontained and uncontrollable. He works in His own way and for His own purposes and we are blessed simply to be able to watch in awe!
