Schoolmaster to Christ
NUMBERS CHAPTER 11

Scripture Reading: Numbers 11 (KJV)

"And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them. And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? we remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic. But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes."

Here the human heart thoroughly lets itself out – its tastes and tendencies made manifest. The people sigh for the land of Egypt, casting back wistful looks for its fruits and fleshpots. They say nothing about the taskmaster’s lash, or the toil of the brick-kilns. There is total silence regarding these things. All that is now remembered are those resources Egypt used to minister to the lusts of nature. Sadly, this is too often the case with us. When the heart loses its freshness in the divine life; when heavenly things begin to lose their savor; when first love declines; when Christ ceases to be a satisfying and precious portion for the soul; when the Word of God and prayer lose their charm and become heavy, dull, and mechanical; then the eye wanders back toward the world, the heart follows the eye, and feet follow the heart. At such moments, we forget what the world was when we were in it and of it. We forget what toil, slavery, misery, and degradation we found in the service of sin and Satan, thinking only of the gratification, ease, and freedom from those painful exercises, conflicts, and anxieties along the wilderness path of God's people.

All this is sad, and should lead the soul into self-judgment. It is terrible when those who have set out to follow the Lord begin to grow weary of the way and of God's provision. How dreadful must those words have sounded in the ear of Jehovah, "But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes." What more did Israel need? That heavenly food was more than enough for them. Why could they not live on that which the hand of God provided?

Perhaps we should ask if we have the right to ask such questions? Do we always find heavenly manna sufficient? Do we ever inquiry regarding the right or wrong of this or that worldly pursuit and pleasure? Have these words even been heard or thought: "How are we to fill up the day? We cannot always be thinking about Christ and heavenly things. We must have a little recreation." Is this not akin to Israel's language in Numbers 11? Yes; and as the language, so the action. By such language and thought we prove that Christ is not enough for the heart. For example, how often does the Bible lie neglected for hours and hours, while worldly literature is devoured. What does a well-thumbed newspaper and a dust-covered Bible display? Obviously, these things speak of despising manna and sighing after leeks and onions.

We especially pray that young Christians will seriously consider this chapter. We are deeply filled with a sense of their danger of falling into the sin of Israel as recorded herein. No doubt we are all in danger; but the young among us are peculiarly vulnerable. Those among us who are advanced in life are not as likely to be drawn away by the frivolous pursuits of the world – by its concerts, flower shows, and pleasure parties, its vain songs and shallow literature. But, usually, the young have a yearning for the world, longing to personally taste it. They do not find Christ an all-sufficient portion for the heart. They want recreation.

How sad to hear a Christian say, "I want some recreation. How can I fill up the day? I cannot always be thinking of Jesus." To such we ask, "How will you fill up eternity? Will Christ be sufficient to fill up its countless ages? Will you want recreation there? Will you sigh for shallow literature, vain songs, and frivolous pursuits there?"

Perhaps one might say, "We will be different then." We ask, “In what respect? We have the divine nature; we have the Holy Spirit; we have Christ for our portion; we belong to Heaven.” The reply might be, "But we have an evil nature in us." Are Christians to cater for that? Is it for that we crave recreation? Must we try to help our wretched flesh – our corrupt nature – in order to fill up the day? No, we are called to deny it, to mortify it, to reckon it dead. This is Christian recreation. This is the way a saint is called to fill up his day. How is it possible for us to grow in the divine life if we only make provision for the flesh? Egypt's food cannot nourish the new nature; and the great question for us is this, which do we really mean to nourish and cherish – the new or the old? It must be obvious that a divine nature cannot feed on newspapers, vain songs, and shallow literature. Therefore, if we give ourselves to such, our souls will wither and droop.

May we seriously think on these things. May we so walk in the spirit that Christ will always be the satisfying portion for our hearts. Had Israel walked with God in the wilderness, they could never have said, "Our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes."

God's manna would have been quite enough for them. And so it is with us. If, in this wilderness world, we truly walk with God then our souls will be satisfied with the portion He gives – His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Can He ever fail to satisfy? Does He not satisfy the heart of God? Does He not fill all heaven with His glory? Is He not the theme of the angels' song, the object of their adoring homage, and wondering worship? Is He not the one grand subject of everlasting counsels and purposes? Does not the history of His ways overlap eternity?

What answers have we for these queries – a hearty, unreserved, unhesitating "yes"? In the deep mystery of His Person, in the moral glory of His ways, in the brightness and blessedness of His character, this blessed One is truly enough for our hearts. How could we want anything else? Do we really need a newspaper, shallow book, or worldly magazine to fill up the vacuum in our souls? Must we turn from Christ to a flower show or concert?

This question needs to pointedly be asked of leaders: "Do you find Christ insufficient to satisfy the heart? Do you have cravings that He does not fully meet?" If so, such a leader is in an alarming condition of soul and it behooves him to look closely into this solemn matter. Such a leader needs to fall on his face before God in honest self-judgment, pouring out his heart to Him. Own up how the heart has fallen and wandered because God's Christ has not been enough. Lay it all out in secret with God, and take no rest until the heart has been restored to communion with God – until fellowship with Him about the Son of His love has been restored.

Let us now return to the chapter before us, and in so doing call attention to an expression full of weighty admonition for us: "And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again." There is nothing more damaging to the cause of Christ or to the souls of His people than association with those of mixed principles – more dangerous than association with open and avowed enemies. Satan knows this, and thus his constant effort is to lead the Lord's people to link up with those who are only half and half. In other words, to introduce spurious materials and/or false professors into the midst of those who are seeking to pursue a path of separation from the world. In the New Testament, we have repeated allusions to this special character of evil – both prophetically in the Gospels and historically in the Acts and Epistles. Thus we have the tares and the leaven in Matthew 13. Then in the Acts we find those who were like the "mixed multitude'' of Numbers 11, attaching themselves to the assembly. Finally, we have apostolic reference to spurious materials introduced by the enemy for the purpose of corrupting the testimony and subverting the souls of God's people. Thus the apostle Paul speaks of "false brethren unawares brought in" (Gal. 2:4). Jude also speaks of "certain men crept in unawares" (v 4).

From all this we learn the urgent need of vigilance on the part of God's people; and not only vigilance, but also absolute dependence on the Lord, Who alone can preserve them from false materials, keeping them free from contact with men of mixed principles and doubtful character. "The mixed multitude" is sure to "fall a lusting." The people of God are in imminent danger of being drawn away from their proper simplicity; they are in danger of growing weary of their proper food – the heavenly manna. Plain decision for Christ is needed – thorough devotedness to Him and His cause. Where a company of true believers is seeking to live in whole-heartedness for Christ and in separation from this present world, there is not much danger of people of bad character finding a place among them; though doubtless Satan will always seek to mar the testimony by the introduction of hypocrites. Because all are welcome such people can obtain an entrance, and then by their evil ways bring reproach on the Lord's name. When Satan led the mixed multitude to attach themselves to the congregation of Israel, he knew full well what he was doing. The effect of this mixture was not all at once made manifest. The people had come forth with a high hand; they had passed through the Red Sea, raising the song of victory on its banks. All looked bright and promising; but "the mixed multitude" was there, and the effect of their presence soon became apparent.

It has always been this way in the history of God's people. In those great spiritual movements that have taken place from age to age, certain elements of decay were, at first, hidden from view by the flowing tide of grace and energy. But when that tide began to ebb, then those elements made their appearance.

This is serious, and calls for holy watchfulness. It applies to individuals as forcibly as it does to the people of God collectively. In our early moments, our younger days, when we were characterized by zeal and freshness, many things were allowed to escape unjudged, which, in reality, were seeds flung into the ground by the enemy's hand, and which in due season were sure to germinate and fructify. Thus it follows that both assemblies of Christians and individual Christians should always be on the watchtower – keeping jealous guard lest the enemy gain an advantage in this matter. Where the heart is true to Christ, all is sure to come out right in the end. Our God is so gracious; He takes care of us and preserves us from thousands snares. May we learn to trust and praise Him.

There are further lessons to draw from the weighty section now open before us. Not only are we to contemplate failure on the part of the congregation of Israel; but also Moses is seen faltering and almost sinking beneath the weight of his responsibility. "And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto, all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give as flesh, that we may eat; I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness" (vv. 11-15).

What wonderful language. Far be the thought that we would think of dwelling on the failures and infirmities of so dear and so devoted a servant as Moses. It would not become us to comment on the actions or the sayings of one of whom the Holy Spirit has declared: "he was faithful in all his house" (Heb. 3:2). Like all Old Testament saints, Moses has taken his place among the "Spirits of just men made perfect," and every inspired allusion to him throughout the pages of the New Testament tends only to put honor on him, and to set him forth as a precious vessel.

However, we are bound to ponder the inspired history now before us – history penned by Moses himself. It is true that the defects and failures of God's people in Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) times are not commented on in the New Testament; yet they are recorded with faithful accuracy in the Hebrew Bible. Is it not for our learning? "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4).

What then are we to learn from the remarkable outburst of feeling recorded in Numbers 11:11-15? At least we learn that the wilderness brings out the best of us. It is there we prove what is in our hearts. And because the Book of Numbers is the book of the wilderness, it is there we might expect to find all sorts of failure and infirmity fully unfolded. The Spirit of God faithfully chronicles everything. He gives us men as they are. In other words, a Moses that "speaks unadvisedly with his lips" is recorded for our admonition and instruction. Moses "was a man subject to like passions as we are;" and it is evident that in the portion of his history now before us, his heart sinks under the tremendous weight of his responsibilities.

Perhaps, it will be said, "No wonder his heart should sink." No wonder, surely, for his burden was far too heavy for human shoulders. But here is the real question; was it too heavy for God's shoulders? Was Moses was called to bear the burden alone? Was the living God with him? And was God sufficient? What did it matter whether God was pleased to act by one man or by ten thousand? In Him could be found all power, wisdom, and grace. He is the fountain of all blessedness, and, thus it makes not one whit of difference regarding the channel – whether there is one or a thousand and one.

This is a wonderful moral principle for all the servants of Christ. We need to remember that whenever the Lord places one in a position of responsibility, He both fits him for it and maintains him in it. Of course, it is something else altogether if one rushes unsent into any field of work, any post of difficulty or danger. In such a case, sooner or later, we may assuredly look for and expect a thorough break down. But when God calls one to a certain position He will endow him with the needed grace to occupy it – God never sends anyone warfare at his own charges. Therefore, all we have to do is draw on Him for all we need. This holds true in every case. If we truly cling to the living God, we will never fail. If we are drawing from the fountain, we will never run dry. Our tiny springs will soon dry up; but our Lord Jesus Christ declares: "He that believeth in me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

This is a powerful lesson for the wilderness. We cannot get along without it. Had Moses fully understood it, he never would have uttered the words: "Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people?" He would have fixed his eye only on God. He would have known that he was only an instrument in the hands of the unlimited God. Without a doubt, Moses could not supply that vast assembly with food for even a single day; but Jehovah could supply the need of every living thing, and supply it forever.

Do we really believe this? Does it sometimes appear as though we doubt it? Do we not sometimes feel as though we are supplying things instead of God? If so, we should not marvel if we quail, falter, and sink. Truthfully, Moses could say, "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me." There was only one heart that could bear such a company – the heart of that blessed One, Who, when they were toiling amid the brick-kilns of Egypt, came down to deliver them, and Who, having redeemed them out of the hand of the enemy, took up His abode in their midst. He alone was able to bear them – His loving heart and mighty hand were adequate to the task. If Moses had been in the full power of this great truth, He would not and could not have said, "If thou deal thus with me, kill me, I play thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight and let me not see my wretchedness."

What a dark moment in the history of this illustrious servant of God. We are reminded of the prophet Elijah, when he flung himself at the base of the juniper tree and entreated the Lord to take away his life. How wonderful to see these two men together on the Mount of Transfiguration. Praise be to God, it proves in a very comforting way that His thoughts and ways are not ours. Today, too many church leaders are quick to throw out one who openly sins, not allowing him to teach others or hold a leading position in the body of Christ. Such elders of the church no doubt assume their leadership responsibilities require that they protect the congregation from being taught by a known sinner, as though they themselves were pure and holy before God. But, thanks be to God – He does not think as men. God had something better in store for Moses and Elijah than anything they could have contemplated. Blessed be His name, He rebukes our fears by the riches of His grace, and when our feeble hearts anticipate death and wretchedness, He gives life, victory, and glory.

However, in shrinking from a position of weighty responsibility, Moses gave up a place of high dignity and holy privilege. This seems evident from the following passage. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there; and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone" (vv. 16, 17).

Was there any additional power gained by introducing seventy men? Certainly not spiritual power – only the spirit that was in Moses. True, there were seventy men instead of one; but multiplying the number of men did not increase the spiritual power. It saved Moses trouble, but it lost him dignity. From then on, he was a joint instrument instead of the sole one. Blessed servant as he was, it may be said that Moses did not want dignity for himself, but rather sought a shadier, retired, humble path. While this may be true, it does not touch the question before us. As we will soon see, Moses was the meekest of men; and we do not mean to even hint that any mere man would have done better under the circumstances. We simply seek the great practical lesson this inspired chapter so impressively teaches, i.e., the best of men fail. It seems exceedingly plain that in the eleventh chapter of Numbers, Moses was not in the calm elevation of faith. For the moment, he appears to have lost an even balance of soul that is the sure result of finding one's center in the living God. We gather this not merely from the fact that he tottered beneath the weight of responsibility, but from the following paragraph.

"And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, Saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word will come to pass unto thee or not" (vv. 18-23).

Here we see the working of a spirit of unbelief that tends to limit the Holy One of Israel. Could the Almighty God, Possessor of heaven and earth, Creator of the ends of the earth, provide flesh for six hundred thousand footmen? Here is where we all so sadly fail. We do not enter as we should into the reality of dealing with the living God. Faith brings God into every scene, and therefore knows nothing of difficulties – it laughs at impossibilities. In the judgment of faith, God is the grand answer to every question – the grand solution to every difficulty. Faith refers all to Him; and hence, to faith it does not matter in the least whether it is six hundred thousand or six hundred million; it knows that God is all-sufficient. Faith finds all its resources in Him. Unbelief says, "How can this or that be?" It is full of "Hows"; but faith has one great answer to all "hows" – God.

"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. 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 seventh elders; and it came to pass, that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, And did not cease."

The true secret of ministry is spiritual power. It is not man's genius, man's intellect, or man's energy; but simply the power of the Spirit of God. This was true in the days of Moses, and it is true now. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 4:6). It is well for all ministers to bear this in mind. It will sustain the heart and give constant freshness to any ministry. A ministry that flows from abiding dependence on the Holy Spirit can never become barren. If a man is drawing on his own resources, he will soon run dry. It matters not what his powers may be, how extensive his reading, or how vast his stores of information; if the Holy Spirit is not the spring and power of his ministry, it will sooner or later lose its freshness and effectiveness.

Therefore how important it is that all who minister, whether in the Gospel or in the Lord's church, should lean continually and exclusively on the power of the Holy Spirit. Such a one knows what souls need, and that God can supply it. But it will not do to lean partly on self and partly on the Spirit of God. If there is any self-confidence, it will soon be made apparent. If we are to be the vessels of the Holy Spirit, we must get to the bottom of all belonging to self.
 
Yes, there should be, there must be, holy diligence and earnestness in the study of God's Word, as well as the study of exercises, trials, conflicts, and varied difficulties of souls. We feel persuaded that the more we lean, in self-emptiness, on the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, the more diligently and earnestly we will study both God's Book and the soul. In other words, it would be a fatal mistake for one to use professed dependence on the Spirit as a plea for neglecting prayerful study and meditation. "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all" (1 Tim. 4:15).

We must always keep in mind that the Holy Spirit is the ever living, never failing spring of ministry. It is He alone that can bring forth the treasures of God's Word, and apply them in heavenly power to the soul's present need. It is not a question of bringing forth new truth, but simply of unfolding the Word itself, bringing it to bear on the moral and spiritual condition of God's people. This is true ministry. A man may speak a hundred times to the same people on the same portion of Scripture – each time ministering Christ to their souls in spiritual freshness. On the other hand, a man may rack his brain to find new subjects and new ways of handling old themes, without having one atom of Christ or spiritual power in his ministry.

All this holds true regarding an evangelist, elder or pastor, deacon, and teacher. A man may be called to preach the Gospel in the same place for years, and at times he may feel burdened by the thought of having to address the same audience on the same theme week after week, month after month, year after year. He may feel at a loss for something new, something fresh, some variety. He may wish to get away into some new sphere, where the subjects familiar to him will be new to the people. It will greatly help such a person to remember that the one grand theme of the evangelist is Christ. The power to handle that theme is the Holy Spirit; and the one to whom that theme is to be unfolded is the lost sinner. Now, Christ is always new; the power of the Spirit is always fresh; the soul's condition and destiny always intensely interesting.

Furthermore, it is well for the evangelist to bear in mind that on every fresh occasion of rising to preach, those to whom he preaches are ignorant of the Gospel. Thus, he should preach as though it was the first time his audience had ever heard the message, and the first time he had ever delivered it. Why? Because it needs to be remembered that in the divine acceptation of the phrase, preaching of the Gospel is not a barren statement of mere evangelical doctrine – a certain form of words enunciated over and over again in wearisome routine. No; far from it. To preach the Gospel is to unfold God’s heart in the person and work of Christ – by the present energy of the Holy Spirit, from the exhaustless treasury of Holy Scripture.

May all preachers keep these things always before the mind, and then it will not matter whether it is one preacher or seventy, one man in the same place for fifty years or the same man in fifty different places in one year. The question will not focus on new men or new places, but on the power of the Holy Spirit unfolding Christ to the soul. Thus in the case of Moses, recorded in this chapter, there was no increase of power. It was the spirit that was on him given to the seventy elders. God can act by one man just as well as by seventy; and if He does not act, seventy are no more than one. It is of the utmost importance to keep God always before the soul. This is the true secret of power and freshness whether for the evangelist, teacher, or anyone else. When a man can say, "All my springs are in God," he need not be troubled regarding a sphere of work, or competency to fill it. But when this is not so, we can well understand why a man would sigh for a division of labor and responsibility. Keep in mind, at the opening of the Book of Exodus, how unwilling Moses was to go into Egypt in simple dependence on God, and how readily he went in company with Aaron. It is always this way. We like something tangible, something the eye can see and the hand can handle. We find it hard to endure seeing only Him Who is invisible. And yet the very props we lean on often prove to be broken reeds that pierce the hand. Aaron proved to be a source of sorrow to Moses; and in our folly, those whom we imagine to be indispensable coadjutors, frequently turn out the very reverse. May God help us learn how to lean on the living God with undivided heart and unshaken confidence.

We must draw this part of our study to a close, but before doing so let us briefly glance at the excellent spirit with which Moses meets the new circumstances. It is one thing to shrink from the weight of responsibility, and quite another to carry oneself with grace and genuine humility toward those who are called to share that weight. The two things are totally different, and we often see the differences strikingly illustrated. In the scene now before us, Moses manifests that exquisite meekness that so specially characterized him.

"But there remained two of the [seventy] 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. And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 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" (emphasis added).

This is beautiful. Moses was far removed from that wretched spirit of envy which would let no one speak but himself. By grace, he was prepared to rejoice in any and every manifestation of true spiritual power, no matter where or through whom. He knew that there could be no right prophesying except by the power of the Spirit of God; and no matter where that power was exhibited, who was he that he should seek to quench or hinder?

Oh how we need more of this excellent spirit. May each of us cultivate it. May we have grace to unfeignedly rejoice in the testimony and service of all the Lord's people, even though we may not all see eye to eye – though our way and measure may vary. Nothing can be more contemptible than a petty spirit of envy and jealousy that will not permit one to take an interest in any work but his own. We may rest assured that where the spirit of Christ is in action in the heart, there will be the ability to embrace the wide field of our blessed Master's work and all His beloved workmen. We may rest assured that there will be hearty rejoicing in having the work done, no matter who does it. One whose heart is full of Christ will be able to say without affectation, "Provided the work is done; provided Christ is glorified; provided souls are saved; provided the Lord's flock is cared for and fed, it matters not who does the work."

This is the right spirit to cultivate, and it stands out in bright contrast with the narrowness and self occupation that can only rejoice in work in which the pronoun "I" has a prominent place. May the Lord deliver us from all this, and enable us to cherish that temper of soul expressed by Moses when he said, "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?"

---

    

Copyright © StudyJesus.com