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Understanding the Third Person of the Trinity
From Numbers 11:24-30: So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and placed them round about the tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did so no more. Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested upon them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, forbid them." But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
The Gospel of John was placed smack dab in the middle of a one-volume work that is now Luke and Acts. The organizers of the Bible felt it might be better to understand the Holy Spirit if a Gospel book, like John, came before Acts. It is John's gospel, after all, that talks more about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Yet, we find in this Old Testament book a movement and a sharing of the Holy Spirit among Moses and the elders of Israel. We see that from Moses' portion of this Spirit, a part of it is taken to share among 70 elders so that they could be a part of sharing what God was doing. Prophesying is not looking into a crystal ball to foresee the future; it is sharing a word from God with truth applicable to the situation. The situation in Moses' day was an unhappy people, impatient about all that was happening and wondering what could possibly come next.
A careful look at that entire chapter 11 of Numbers we find: Complaint. Complaint. Complaint. Quail from the Sea. Challenge. Sound familiar? First complaint was against God, and God sent fire to burn their camp. Second complaint was about the lack of meat; "Manna isn't enough! We're sick and tired of manna (bread from heaven)!" Third complaint was about leadership; "We're tired of the current leadership! We want another leader!" Hmm.
These people, like some people, need a word from God, and that word is that God uses current leadership for their good if they would but humble themselves and seek to follow the leader who has received a vision from God. God was trying to form a new people throughout the Exile experience. The people, however, wanted freedom once, and once they had it were not so sure they really wanted it. "Let's go back!" was their cry, when God was leading them forward to a new land and a new life.
Those who seek to know God may just receive a word from God that needs to be shared among all people and that word might not be a pleasant one. God's word tends to call people into a relationship that begins with our realizing the need in our life is to be made holy and pure; then to get our hands dirty among those not yet with us. This is God at work through His Holy Spirit. And this is what the Church should be about. It is not a competition among people about who does what; it's about doing what God has asked of us. As Moses said, we should also say, "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put His spirit upon them!" Yes, indeed.
PRAYER: Come, Holy Spirit, into my life as a blessing and burden; that I might seek to be at work among You and Yours. This I pray with the help and hope of Jesus my Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
