Faith Amongst Grasshopper HeartsSample

From a scarcity to abundance mentality

The Israelites had been  complaining again. They were sick of Manna and wanted meat. Moses wasn't  coping with the strain of leading the people and their complaints. He'd  reached the point of burnout...

So God asked Moses to gather the 70  elders who would be given the same Spirit that was on Moses. This would  assure Moses that he was not carrying the load alone. And that's exactly  what happened... These elders were powerfully filled with God's Spirit.  The NIV Study Bible explains that they probably broke out in  spontaneous prophetic utterance which was regarded as the presence of  God's Spirit.

But there were only 68 elders at the Tent of  Meeting. Two had stayed behind in the camp. Maybe they weren't well,  maybe they were ritually unclean, or maybe they had a legitimate reason  to be in the camp. But they had the same spiritual experience even  though they weren't at the tent. God's Spirit is not confined to a  place. (Makes one wonder at all the people who insist that one must go  to a person or a place to be blessed!!!)

When this is reported to  Joshua, he responds defensively. He perceives these two as a threat.  This has happened outside of his sphere of influence and control and he  is threatened by it. It is a sign of a scarcity mentality and a need to  be in control.

Moses invites him to a more abundant view...

"I wish this could happen to everyone!"

Three important lessons emerge:

1. We don't have to do everything by ourselves.

2. God often works in ways that extend beyond our knowledge and control.

3.  Good spiritual leaders recognize the work of the Spirit in others and  encourage it with a beautiful sense of the abundance of God's love and  the opportunities He gives us to serve Him.