Numbers 11:24-30 comments: two men remained in the camp to preach

 

Numbers 11:24 ¶  And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. 25  And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. 26  But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. 27  And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 28  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 29  And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! 30  And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

 

God came down and gave the spirit of understanding and wisdom that Moses had and gave it to the seventy elders and they prophesied or preached for quite a long time. Prophesying in the Bible, doing the work of a prophet, means either foretelling of future events or, perhaps in this case, forthtelling about the great things that God had done for the Hebrews.

Nehemiah 6:7  And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem…

 

Moses apparently wrote their names down, as per verse 26, but two of them, Eldad and Medad, who did not go to the tabernacle, by their preaching bring up a point here that Jesus underscores later. Here the apostle, John, takes the place of Joshua in condemnation.

Luke 9:49  And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50  And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

 

And note previously in Exodus;

 

Exodus 19:6  And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

 

Compared to what Peter noted;

 

1Peter 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

 

Notice also when Paul was speaking of those who were emboldened by his imprisonment he said;

Philippians 1:12 ¶  But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13  So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14  And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15  Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16  The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17  But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18  What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

We would do well not to deny those whom Christ has called who might not do things just as we would suppose they should. I have heard conservative-minded Christians insist that preaching in any venue other than a church building or perhaps a tent sanctioned by a church organization is not useful for Christ but God might honor preaching on a street corner, in a rescue mission, a drug rehab, a crisis pregnancy center, a prison, or even a park or someone’s private home. Beware of passing judgment on Christ’s man or woman who brings forth God’s word in what seems to us an unusual and atypical place.