Moses was having lots of trouble from the people God had called him to lead. Even though God was feeding them every day with manna, miraculous bread from Heaven, they were not satisfied. Instead, they longed for the earthly food they had in Egypt – even though as slaves, they probably didn’t have all that much of it. Moses then did some complaining of his own, telling God that the burden of leading all these pig-headed people was too much for him.

Part of God’s answer to Moses was reminding him that he didn’t have to shoulder all the leadership responsibilities by himself. Instead, in verse 17, God promised to “take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you.”

This is part of the reason that we Presbyterians organize ourselves the way we do – with more than one ruling elder in charge of every congregation, and with the ruling elders sharing the leadership with the pastor of the church. But of course, sharing leadership in this way is a good idea for any organization, as it prevents any one leader from getting burned out.

But in verse 29, Moses reminds us of an even more amazing truth. He wanted all of God’s people to be filled with God’s Spirit, and thus qualified to share the mantle of leadership. Well, the good news is that in the coming of Christ, Moses got his wish: all those who love and trust the Lord Jesus are in fact filled with the Spirit of Christ, and thus able not only to follow Jesus more consistently, but also to lead others, setting an example of Christian living. How is God calling you to live and to lead today?

Numbers 11:24-30

24 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 around the tent.
25 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 as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
26 Now 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.
27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.”
29 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 on them!”
30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.