Numbers 11: 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 upon them!”
The backstory here is that the Lord told Moses to bring forward the seventy elders and He would take of the Spirit that was upon Moses and share it with the elders. Moses gathered the elders at the tent of meeting and then the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke with Moses. Moses then took of the Spirit and “put the Spirit on the seventy elders” (v. 25). When the Spirit rested on the elders, they prophesied.
Well, meanwhile, back in camp, two men whose names were listed among those of the elders but who did not go to the tent of meeting began to prophesy for the Spirit of the Lord rested on them. Joshua was dismayed at this and implored Moses to stop them from prophesying. Moses’ response is today’s verse. I believe Moses’ response was God’s heart. Moses not only had God’s Spirit but he also was a man who walked with God. He knew God’s heart.
A couple of years ago I did a study on the Holy Spirit and created a spreadsheet listing every verse I could find on God’s Spirit. I discovered that there was very little known about the Spirit in the times of the Old Testament. Of the roughly 242 verses I found on the Holy Spirit only about 37 of them are from the Old Testament. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit remained yet a promise. He would rest upon people from time to time and when He did they would perform amazing feats. In today’s passage, though, we have a glimpse into the future. Moses said that he wished that every person would have the Holy Spirit. That wish is mostly fulfilled in our time. Every person today has the right to receive the Holy Spirit and have him not only rest on them but actually come live within them and be with them every minute of every day.
It is not automatic, though. You have to invite him to come live in you and be with you but asking is the only requirement. Believe and receive the anointing and indwelling of the Holy Spirit of promise.
