Numbers 11; Spirit Without Measure ~ 20260222 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
2026 02/21 Numbers 11; Spirit Without Measure; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20260222_numbers-11.mp3
Last week we looked at the people’s grumbling over God’s provision of food, and God’s response of ‘giving them the thing they craved, but sending a leanness into their souls’ (Ps.106:14). Interwoven with that is Moses’ own complaint and God’s gracious gift to him.
Anger of YHWH; Displeasure of Moses
The people set out from Sinai in formation, in obedience to the Lord’s direction, but after a three-day march, grumbling spread through the camp like a wildfire. They became discontent with the consistent repetitive nature of God’s faithful provision of bread from heaven; a longing for the good old days of slavery in Egypt. Moses heard, and YHWH heard.
Numbers 11:10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.
Both Moses and YHWH were angry. Rightly angry. Ingratitude for God’s salvation, God’s faithful provision, is wicked. Unbelief, even attempting to manipulate God to satisfy their desires, is sin. The Lord’s nostrils blazed with hot vehemence. And Moses’ eye was evil.
Numbers 11:11 Moses said to the LORD, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”
Human Inability
Moses is rightly frustrated. He acknowledges his own weakness, his own inability. This is reminiscent of when the Lord told Moses that he was sending him to speak to Pharaoh and to set his people free.
Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you...
Exodus 4:10 But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
Moses is acutely aware of his own shortcomings, his own inability for the task God is calling him to. Moses is humble, but this can border on unbelief in God’s sufficiency, as in Exodus 4 where the Lord became angry with Moses because he asked God to please just send someone else.
Moses speaks much truth, but it is flavored with strong emotion, even accusation against the Lord. Moses is overwhelmed, he is out of resources, at the end of himself, and that’s not a bad place to be. He brings his human inability, his discouragement, his despair, even his depression to the Lord, and that’s exactly the right place to bring it.
And the Lord is incredibly merciful with his servant Moses. There is no rebuke, no reprimand, no word of correction toward Moses.
The LORD Supplies Spiritual Help
Moses asks for death, but God gives him help.
Numbers 11:16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will 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, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.
Already in Exodus 18 there were chiefs appointed at Jethro’s suggestion; Moses appointed able men over thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens to help bear the burden of settling legal disputes between the people. Already in Exodus 24, 70 of the elders of Israel came up with Moses and Aaron to meet with God on the mountain. Already in Numbers 1, twelve men, heads of each tribe were named to assist in taking a census of the people, in representing each tribe before the Lord, and in organizing and leading the tribes on the march.
But this is different. These seventy were to stand with Moses before the tent of YHWH, and YHWH would put on them a portion of the Spirit to equip them to bear the burden of the people alongside Moses. This was to be spiritual help to share the load, so that Moses would not have to bear it alone. Moses was feeling isolated and out of his depth, so God promised to provide Moses with a Spirit-filled fellowship of leaders.
Is the Lord’s Hand Shortened?
In verses 18-20, the Lord gives Moses a message for the people; he would cure them of their craving by giving them meat for a month until it came out at their nostrils and became loathsome to them.
Moses is incredulous; meat for a month? how is that even possible?
Numbers 11:23 And the LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”
Moses is beyond himself, stuck in unbelief. He can’t possibly imagine how this could happen. YHWH invites him to look beyond himself to who God is. He reminds him of his own proven character, demonstrated in the Exodus.
Exodus 7:5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
Egypt knows the power of my hand. Have I changed? Has my power diminished? Moses, do you remember who I AM?
Initial Manifestation of the Spirit
Numbers 11:24 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.
In 1 Samuel 10, Samuel anointed Saul king of Israel and said that he would prophesy as supernatural evidence of his calling (cf. 1Sam.19).
1 Samuel 10:10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.
We see a similar kind of observable evidence of the Holy Spirit happen to believers in the book of Acts:
Acts 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
This seems to be what is happening here in Numbers 11; an initial observable manifestation as evidence that the Spirit of God has come upon these men.
Numbers 11:26 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.
We aren’t told why these two didn’t appear in the tabernacle courts, but the Spirit of God is not limited by location, and he evidenced his presence by their prophesying in the camp.
John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
The names of these two, by the way, mean ‘God has loved’ and ‘Affectionate’
Ministry Multiplied
Numbers 11:27 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!”
Joshua desires to defend the unique leadership role of Moses, (we will see that challenged in the very next chapter), but Moses is not defensive of his own leadership. He understands that all authority belongs to the Lord, and he entrusts it to whomever he chooses. He views leadership as less a position of power and authority to be held on to, and more a weight of responsibility to lead and to provide for those under his care, and is happy to share that responsibility with others.
This is in line with what Jesus taught on leadership:
Mark 10:42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus himself gave us the ultimate example:
Philippians 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
So Peter exhorts the elders:
1 Peter 5:2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
Joshua desires to defend Moses’ leadership. He was afraid that the Spirit being poured out on others in the camp would diminish Moses’ authority.
One Bible teacher observed “Even as a flame of fire increases as it reaches out and embraces further objects, so the Holy Spirit is not diminished by his extension to others’ lives, but rather is made more effective.” [Jensen EBC, p.54].
Leadership is not diminished; rather ministry is multiplied.
Pour Out Your Spirit on All Flesh!
Moses’ prayer is prophetic; ‘Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’
Much later Joel prophesied:
Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
In John 7,
John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jesus promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit, who had been with them, would soon live in them (Jn.14:17). On the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, Peter quotes the prophecy of Joel as being fulfilled. Because of the finished work of Jesus, the Lord has now poured out his Spirit on all his people, on every believer.
All The LORD’s People Prophets
‘Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’ In 1 Corinthians 14, teaching about the gifts of the Spirit, Paul tells all the believers in Corinth:
1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
And then he tells them why prophecy is superior to tongues;
1 Corinthians 14:2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
Prophecy is meant to build up the church; it is speaking that builds up and encourages and consoles people. It also brings the conviction of the Spirit and can lead to the salvation of unbelievers.
1 Corinthians 14:24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
‘Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’ Has God given you a word to build up, to encourage, to console? To bring the conviction of the Spirit that leads to salvation? Moses’ prayer is being realized in us, in the church today!
Spirit Judges; Spirit Empowers
Numbers 11:30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. 31 Then a wind [Ruach] from the LORD sprang up, and it brought quail…
The Hebrew word for wind is ‘Ruach’, and it can be translated ‘wind, breath or spirit’. The same word is translated ‘Spirit’ in verses 17, 25, 26, and 29. God’s wind or breath or Spirit brought quail from the sea to judge the craving of the people, and also empowered burden-bearers to come alongside Moses in his time of need.
***
2026.02.22 Sermon Notes
Numbers 11; Spirit Without Measure
God’s and Moses’ anger was stirred by ingratitude
Numbers 11:10
Moses acknowledged his own human inability
Exodus 3:11-12; 4:10-14; Numbers 11:11-15
Spiritual help for a weary leader
Exodus 18:13-22; 24:1-14; Numbers 11:16-17
Look beyond yourself to who God is
Exodus 7:5; Numbers 11:23
An observable manifestation of the Spirit’s work
Numbers 11:24-26; 1 Samuel 10:5-13; Acts 19:6; John 3:8
Leadership is not primarily power and position, but responsibility to lead and care for
Mark 10:42-45; Philippians 2:5-8; 1 Peter 5:2-3
Pour out your Spirit on all flesh!
Joel 2:28-29; John 7:37-39; 14:17; Acts 2:16-21
Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!
1 Corinthians 14:1-4, 24-25
Has God given you a word to build up, to encourage, to console? To bring the conviction of the Spirit that leads to salvation?
***
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org