In Acts 2, Peter preaches about Jesus and the Holy Spirit, interpreting the words of Joel and David as prophetic witnesses to what they were experiencing. In his sermon, Peter goes on to explain that repentance – true turning – is at the root of forgiveness in Christ. The passage goes on to tell us that in response to the Spirit’s presence, the church grew numerically as the disciples shared meals together and shared all their resources in common. What an amazing picture of the early Church! Many look to Pentecost as a model for church growth and with good reason. Pentecostal and Charismatic churches are some of the only denominations seeing numerical growth during a period of broader church decline. They’re also some of the only truly racially diverse denominations in the country too. People are attracted to signs and wonders. Sure, this can become sticky. We don’t want to be fake or put on a show. That being said, we should certainly ponder how we might make the Spirit’s presence more real in the lives of those we worship with, especially newcomers to the faith community.
So why choose a passage from Numbers – from the Torah – to discuss and explore during the season of Pentecost? I mean, the Holy Spirit doesn’t show up until the Second Testament, right? It’s complicated. Jewish and Christian biblical scholars believe we see many references to the concept of God’s Spirit or God as Spirit in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the book of Numbers alone, we see references to the Spirit’s presence in fire and cloud. We see God’s Spirit present in the ark of the covenant that represented God’s throne. We also see the movement of God’s Spirit along with the Tabernacle – or portable sanctuary – demonstrating that God cannot be confined to a particular place.
These are the words of God:
16 The Lord answered Moses, “Bring me seventy men from Israel known to you as elders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting and have them stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.
18 “Tell the people: Consecrate yourselves in readiness for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you wept in the Lord’s hearing, ‘Who will feed us meat? We were better off in Egypt.’ The Lord will give you meat and you will eat. 19 You will eat, not for one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes nauseating to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and wept before him, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
21 But Moses replied, “I’m in the middle of a people with six hundred thousand foot soldiers, yet you say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ 22 If flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”
23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm weak? Now you will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you.”
24 Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He brought seventy men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spirit who was on Moses and placed the Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again. 26 Two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad; the Spirit rested on them—they were among those listed, but had not gone out to the tent—and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 Joshua son of Nun, assistant to Moses since his youth, responded, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”
29 But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would place his Spirit on them!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel.
Today’s passage in Numbers is one of these places where we might be seeing a glimpse of the concept and person of the Holy Spirit. Numbers is one of the books of Moses. It deals extensively with the uniqueness and sovereignty of God. It also deals with promises and fulfillment related to the Promised Land. Numbers 11 is at the beginning of a broader section of chapters dealing with the Israelites’ rejection of God. Moses is so distraught by this that he actually tells God that if God won’t intervene God should kill him to ease his burden of leadership. The Israelites are once again complaining about a lack of food. This time, they are upset that they don’t have meat. Manna has grown boring and stale to them. How often do we find God’s gracious and even miraculous provisions boring and stale in our lives?
In response to Moses’s outcry, God instructs him to appoint elders to bear a load of leadership alongside him. We see that God continues to be faithful to Moses. But this isn’t all. God does, indeed, grant the Israelites their wish – their desire – for meat. But, be careful what you wish for. God promises to give them so much meat that they will grow sick of it. In fact, God promises to give them so much meat that they will literally grow sick. The Scriptures tell us the meat – in the form of Quail – will stuff them so severely that it will come forth out of their noses! Gross! For more, let’s take a closer look at the passage.
The first few verses of the passage show God’s dramatically different response to the complaints of Moses and the people. God is patient and graceful with Moses yet God is furious with the people. Why might this be? The answer seems to be in the difference between how Moses and the people complain. Moses, in his deep frustration, takes his complaint directly to the Lord. The people, however, only complain about the Lord. Do you see the difference? Moses is frustrated with the people’s unbelief. He is rightly weighed down as he seeks to shepherd this group who appear not to be in right relationship with God. As a pastor, I find this very relatable. I’m sure most of you have had this experience as you’ve tried to disciple someone – perhaps your children, for instance. Moses doesn’t come off smelling like a rose here, to be sure. He wrongly takes on full responsibility for the people when he is only their leader. The people belong to God. And it is this God who Moses seems to doubt. It is this same God to who Moses gives an ultimatum in his grandiosity. Still, when faced with hardship, Moses complains to God rather than about God.
In contrast, the people complain about God to each other. And the passage shows us that God wasn’t putting up with that. He wasn’t here for it, as the kids say. What might we learn from their bad example? How might we learn from Moses? Siblings, when you are distraught or discouraged you should take your complaints directly to the Lord in prayer. God is not only willing but is eager to listen to us. To hear us out. And what’s more, he’s eager to respond! Our God is a God who answers prayers!
As we continue in the passage, we see God over and over again reveal His power. Moses is called to lead the people but he has to understand that God is asking him to do something he’s simply not able to do. That seems strange, doesn’t it? I’ve heard countless people say that God doesn’t ever give us more than we can handle. You’ve heard that too, right? Well, it’s a half-truth. It’s a pretty thought. Sure. But, an honest appraisal of it finds that it’s far more complicated than a bumper sticker or a hashtag will allow. Seeming Christians die of disease. They succumb to addiction. Their lives end in suicide. Even when not faced with such tragedies, we generally suck. We don’t know what we’re doing. On his own, Moses is ill-equipped for the task at hand. He does not know how to lead. It does not come naturally to him. Even at this point in the narrative, when he has a measure of God’s Spirit, he flounders. Siblings, we are not capable of doing the things God asks of us. Thankfully, though, God is able for nothing is impossible for God. And, since nothing is impossible for God, nothing is impossible with God. We can only follow Christ when empowered to do so by the Holy Spirit. When we rest on our own abilities we will fail every single time. My good faith effort is not enough! I am not able! But, praise God, He is!
Friends, there are some pretty hard passages of Scripture. The Scriptures show that God requires much of His people – of true followers aligned with Him and His purposes. A challenge is not a personal attack. Siblings, it is natural to read these challenging passages or hear my strong exhortations on them and be confused. Or be put off. Because you really are being asked to give up everything. Because God is actually calling you to something you truly are not capable of. I know I’m not. I know that when I lean into myself apart from God, I fail each and every time. I fail over and over again. Being a follower of Jesus is the hardest thing I’ve ever done with my life. And, while I slip up daily I aim to be on the narrow path. But the truth is that my faithfulness is only a byproduct of God’s faithfulness to me. I’m not able to honor the Father. I’m not able to follow Christ. But, thankfully, with the Holy Spirit, nothing is impossible. If you look at the hard sayings of Scripture and are concerned or even distraught because you don’t see how you could possibly live into such radical transformation, you’re right. You can’t. But God, through you, can. God will, indeed, accomplish His purposes in this world. He will do so with or without me. She will do so with or without you. They even will do so with or without this, or any specific, congregation. We have a choice to make. We can’t do what needs to be done. So we’re invited to die to ourselves so that the Spirit might rise up in us and accomplish what we simply cannot.
We see this directly in the Numbers passage. God equips his saints and leaders for the task at hand. And that equipping is a gift from God! Just as Moses is equipped so are the 70 elders. And what a glorious occasion is this! We actually see in the passage that some are jealous for Moses’s sake as they see other anointed leaders prophesying. Moses, with great humility, says that we should not be jealous of other people’s gifts of the Spirit. Moses wishes that all the people would receive the Spirit. How beautiful is this? How true is this in our own ministry? I would that each and every one of you would know the Spirit’s awesome power. God does not simply offer His Spirit to a select few. God is eager to reveal Himself to each of us for “the earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.” The Scriptures tell us that immediately after the death of Jesus the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two, from top to bottom. And with it, the separation between God and the people was also torn. In Christ’s death, the gateway to an intimate relationship with God was opened. And it remains open still! Moses’s hope that all would receive the Spirit is possible! It is my earnest, earnest prayer that you would receive the Spirit. As Peter said in his famous sermon, “Repent…and…receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
[pause]
What would it look like for us to be pentecostal – anointed? What would it mean for us to live like the resurrection were true? Did you know that in addition to the Lord’s Day, Sundays have historically been called “little Easters?” As we end Eastertide this Pentecost, let us reflect on whether the world, whether our neighbors know our God is a god of life based on the way we live ours.
Chibuzo N. Petty is a minister and writer whose work has been featured in InterVarsity Press, Brethren Press, Brethren Life & Thought, Quaker Life, and Anabaptist World (forthcoming), among others. Black, disabled, and queer, their interests lie at the intersection of cultural competency and pastoral care. In addition to their writing and editing ministry, they work as an interfaith chaplain for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.