Numbers 11:15-35
If we, like Moses, look at the difficulties of the way, or at the people of God with all their troubles and complaints, it will undoubtedly seem too much for us, but if we look beyond the difficulties, and see the people of God as dear to Him, it is very different indeed. Moses said, “Let me not see my wretchedness,” for there is no place where we learn our own wretchedness like being in the Lord’s presence and attempting to serve Him. We see our lack of patience, our helplessness, and our lack of wisdom, over and over again, as we try to serve the One who is so perfect in patience, wisdom, and power, in spite of all our failures.
As we remarked last week, the Lord had others whom He could use when Moses was unwilling, but there was no more power for the Lord said, “I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them.” It was the same Spirit that came upon the seventy elders of Israel and they propsied. This lack of willingness to bear the burden of the people was soon followed by unbelief of God’s power, and of His ability to meet their needs. When we are unwilling to go forth to serve the Lord as He would have us, it soon comes out that we have really questioned His power. How weak we are when left to ourselves and how impossible to walk the path of faith in human strength! And so here, Moses began to question how God could give enough meat to feed six hundred thousand footmen for a month out in the wilderness. Such is man’s reasoning, but God says we must believe before we see (John 11:40). Moses soon found out that God was able to do as He had said.
When the Spirit of God came upon the seventy elders of Israel, there were two of them, Mad and Medad, who remained in the camp and prophesied there. Now God had said they were to be gathered to the tabernacle of the congregation, but these two men did not come out—they remained where they were. Joshua a very zealous—young man—wanted to forbid them prophesying, because of their wrore position. Undoubtedly they were disobedient in that they did not come out to the place the Lord had appointed yet God, who loves His people, allowed them to prophesy where they were. Joshua thought Moses would be envious of what they were doing (for undoubtedly they had a “good hearing” in the more popular position—the camp), but Moses simply said, “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would lout His Spirit upon them!” This is a most beautiful attitude, and we do well to imitate it. We cannot go with Christians who are in a wrong position, but let us not forbid them to serve, nor let us envy the blessing they have. We should rather rejoice that Christ is preached by whomsover He may use and in whatever position they are found. It is the Lord’s work, and we must own His rights to use whom He pleases, and to work where He please.
Soon God showed that He was able to meet the needs of the people. Be sent a wind which brought up quails to them in great numbers, and the children of Israel went out to gather them. They were so anxious for them that they stayed up all night gathering these quails, but God was displeased, and He punished the people for their unbelief, taking away many of them in death. Sometimes, if we are very insistent, the Lord lets us have what we want, but to our own sorrow, as with the children of Israel here.
ML 09/23/1951