Men of the Bible | Page 5

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him, as it is for us all, to feel the need there is for human sympathy and
Divine aid. Self-contained, self-reliant men are not the highest type of
humanity, and they are sometimes for their own good visited by
anxieties and responsibilities which compel them to cry, "Lord help
me." Thus was it with Moses. Indeed, our Lord Himself shared that
experience, when for our sakes He became man. He chose comrades
who were a blessing to Himself, although He was a far greater blessing
to them. He took them with Him when he went forth to confront the
crises of His life--on the Mount of Transfiguration, and in the Garden
of Gethsemane, where His sorrow was intensified by their failure to
watch with Him. He had three specially intimate friends. He called
twelve to be apostles, and sent forth seventy as missioners--an
arrangement in which we see the New Testament counterpart of the
choosing of these seventy-two elders, to rule and judge the Israelites,
and thus share the responsibility of Moses.
The account given us of their appointment is singularly interesting. Six
men out of each of the twelve tribes were summoned to the Tabernacle,
solemnly set apart and filled with the Spirit--but two of the men--Eldad
and Medad--were absent "They were of them written to" is the exact
phrase--and the fact that they received a written summons denotes a
higher and more general culture among that ancient people than is
generally imagined to have existed. Yet it is what might be reasonably
expected, for they had come out of Egypt, the most civilised power
then in the world, a country where the usual writing materials were
exclusively made. Though the Israelites had been only slaves there,
they would doubtless be familiar with the art of writing, for the men of
that race have never yet lagged behind any people among whom they
have lived.
Seventy of the men thus summoned came together promptly, and were

ranged in a semicircle before the Tabernacle. Then, in the sight of all
the people, the cloud descended, wrapped them all in impenetrable mist,
as a sign that the chosen men were being mysteriously baptised with
the Spirit, and when again they emerged they began to prophesy. It was
the ancient counterpart of the day of Pentecost, when the disciples met,
and the Spirit came upon them as a mighty, rushing wind, and they
began to speak with other tongues, as men chosen and inspired by God.
In the 25th verse of the eleventh chapter of Numbers, it is said that "the
Lord took of the spirit that was upon Moses, and gave it unto the
seventy elders." Some conclude from this statement that, as a
punishment for his intemperate prayer, the wisdom of Moses was thus
lessened, while others were enriched at his expense. But wisdom, and
all gifts similar to it, are not diminished by distribution. If we impart
information, we do not lessen our own store of knowledge. If we give
of our love lavishly, yet affection is not lessened by such outpouring.
The spread of fire over what is inflammable increases its intensity.
Though we light a thousand candles from one which burned alone at
first, it still burns brightly as before. So is it with the Spirit of whose
fulness we all receive. No Christian man is poorer because his brother
is enriched with grace, nor was Moses. "There is that scattereth, and
yet increaseth."
It is time that we turned to the two men, Eldad and Medad, who,
although summoned with their brethren, did not come to the assembly
at the Tabernacle. They may have been absent from their tents when the
papyrus letter was delivered, and would not be quickly found in the
vast camp. Be this as it may, what followed is evidence that they did
not wilfully disobey the summons, and that their absence was not due
to any bad motive. For some reason unknown to us they failed to put in
an appearance at the critical time, when others of the elect were
receiving the mysterious but efficient grace of the Spirit. Yet, at one
and the same moment, they also were inspired while walking together,
as they probably were doing, in some far-off part of the camp. To the
amazement of the people, and doubtless to their own amazement too,
they suddenly began to prophesy, and crowds of listeners quickly
gathered round them, as on Pentecost they ran together to hear the

inspired apostles. This unique experience was given by God, and
received by the people as convincing evidence that Eldad and Medad
were divinely appointed, and divinely qualified, equally with their
brethren nearer the Tabernacle. It is true that Joshua exhibited some
jealousy and suspicion, and would have silenced them because the