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. 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. 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. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 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!” And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. (Numbers 11:24-30 ESV)
Poor Moses! He was exhausted, dealing with the needs and the whining of the Israelite people in the desert. He needed help, and God gave it to him. He took the Holy Spirit who was on Moses and gave Him also to seventy leaders of the people, so that they too could help carry the burden. And Moses was so relieved!
But Joshua didn’t see it this way. All he could see was that the new leaders were somehow taking away from Moses’ special glory and position.
Moses knew there was enough work for everybody. And so he said, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!” And that’s exactly what happened, many years later, when Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Because it’s still true, right? There is more than enough work for all of us. Jesus did the most important thing, when He loved us so much that He suffered, died, and rose from the dead to set us free from the power of death and evil, and to make us God’s own children. But after He rose from the dead, He gave us all a job to do—to go and tell the people of the world about Jesus, so that they, too, can be saved in Him. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV).
There’s only one way we can do what Jesus asked of us—and that’s if His Holy Spirit is living in us. Because we don’t know what to do or say, but He does. And He can use our weakness to bring others to Jesus, their Savior and ours.
We Pray: Dear Lord, let Your Holy Spirit work through me so that other people will know and trust in You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on May 19, 2026
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved
Reflection Questions:
• What do you know about the Holy Spirit?
• Do all Christians have the Holy Spirit? (See 1 Corinthians 12:3.)
• When have you relied on the Holy Spirit to help you do something difficult? Tell the story, if you wish.