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So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on 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 son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’ And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. (Numbers 11:24-30)
Prophets are not popular people. And I'm almost sure that most of them don't care about popularity; they care about purpose, and God's purpose at that. The literal word for prophet in the Bible is mouthpiece. And this does not refer to the band instruments that require such, but a literal aid in talking. In the old gangster movies, the gangster would tell the police, "I ain't say nuthin'! Talk to my mouthpiece!" meaning, talk to my lawyer. God uses people to speak Godly words on His behalf. And it usually is a difficult, but brutally honest message that these prophets are called to share. In Moses' story, Moses was called to be both prophet and deliverer; God called him to speak to pharaoh and to the people that God would form into the nation of Israel. In this passage, God has assembled the people, shared God's word, then gathered together the 70 elders of the people and as God spoke to Moses, God took some of the spirit that was in Moses and shared it with the 70, and this enabled them to speak on God's behalf. It was a one-time deal. Two additional men received the Spirit and they spoke on God's behalf in the camp, not in the temple, like the seventy had done. This upset one young man who ran and told Moses about this activity, and even Joshua urged Moses to stop them. Moses' reply was classic: "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!" And he walked off.
How often do you speak God's word to those around you? And a prophet is not necessarily one who sees into the future and speaks a word about what is going to happen. A prophet speaks the truth on God's behalf in the now, about what is necessary for us to please and serve God, and you and I are called to be prophets for God. It might not be on a mountain top, or in a temple, it may be in your kitchen or living room or a park bench; speak the truth in love about God to those who need to hear it. That's the kind of prophet God needs and uses. God needs and can use us!
PRAYER: Loving God, pour into me a fresh and double dose of Your Spirit. Grant me the boldness, courage, and strength to share Your word to those who need to hear it most, starting with me. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Speak the truth in love. Use words if necessary.
Eradio Valverde
