Scripture: Leviticus 9:1–6, 22–24; Numbers 11:16–30
Such limitations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such restraints on the liberty of prophesying, seem to be very remote from the spirit, temper, and practice of the holy men recorded in the Old and New Testament: for we read of Moses, (Numbers xi.) that he was so far from such a monopolizing disposition, that when news was brought to him that Eldad and Medad did prophesy in the camp, and he was desired to forbid them, he answered, “Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that he would put his Spirit upon them” —Thomas Wight
Questions: When have you seen God raise up prophetic or unexpected voices to provide leadership the community needed but was not looking for? Within Quakerism, it can be difficult to know what makes a good spiritual leader, since we emphasize each person having access to God. What are your thoughts about the strengths and weaknesses about Quaker expressions of leadership?
Friends groups operate in a variety of ways in regards to leadership, but we are not always good at recognizing and supporting spiritual leaders. Since we all have access to God, it can be difficult to balance individual interpretation with communal trust.
It is notable in this passage that God works through people in different ways, and one of those ways is through spiritual authority that comes from a direct encounter with God.
Just because he could sense God differently from others did not mean Moses could do everything himself. Moses recognized when he needed help, and he asked for it. He first asked God, and listened for an answer. Then he followed up on the answer, and gathered the people God suggested. He made sure he wasn’t taking on too much.
In the Jewish Midrash on Numbers 11:16–30, the Spirit in Moses is likened to a candle, by which the other elders can be ignited without his own Light being diminished. This reminds me of the Quaker concept of the Inward Light of Christ. We might think of the meeting of the seventy elders in this passage as a gathered meeting for worship, where each elder experienced the movement of the Spirit.
Later in the passage, Moses and Joshua are alerted to the fact that two other elders who weren’t at the meeting, Eldad and Medad, are prophesying. Joshua apparently feels concerned that Moses’ authority will be questioned or usurped. But Moses does not feel threatened. He has asked for others with whom to share the load of spiritual leadership, and he says, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” This is what Friends intend and hope, and why we spend time listening to God together in silence, trusting God will speak through the gathered community.
Friends can learn much from this passage. Moses realizes it is not healthy for him to bear the full weight of leadership on his own, and although he has a protégé in Joshua, he needs more help and support. Although he does what God instructs and shares God’s Spirit with those elders who gather, he also recognizes God at work in the prophetic utterances of Eldad and Medad. Rather than feeling threatened by their connection to God, he welcomes others who are also able to sense God. As Friends, this is what we are trying to do: recognize the different ways God works in different people, welcoming all who have gifts to exercise them.
–Cherice Bock in “Friendly Perspective” from Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Following God Together