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!”
– Numbers 11:29
Oh, I love this verse. So the story in Numbers 11, is two men among the Israelites, Eldad and Medad. Numbers 11:26 says the Spirit of God was resting on them. And they began prophesying. They began speaking the Word of God.
And in Numbers 11:28, Joshua comes up to Moses and says, “My Lord, Moses, stop them. Stop them from prophesying.” And Moses responds with this verse. “Are you jealous for my sake?”, he says, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them.” Like Moses would love for God’s Spirit to be resting on everybody in the camp of the Israelites, and they’re all speaking the Word of God.
So we fast-forward to the New Testament in Acts 2. And the Holy Spirit comes down on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit rests on every follower of Jesus gathered together there. And you know what they all do? They all start speaking in different languages, the wonders of God and the Word of God. And Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, stands up and preaches the first Christian sermon.
And as a result, by the end of that chapter, thousands of people have come to faith in Jesus. Because what Moses longed for had become a reality.
Numbers 11:29 explains the purpose of the Holy Spirit in us.
And this is where I want to bring this whole picture into your lap today. If you are a follower of Jesus, yes, because of the gospel, you are forgiven of all your sin. But that is not the end of the story. You’re not just forgiven of all your sin.
You are filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit rests on you. Just let this soak in wherever you are right now. You have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in you right now and all day today. And think about why his Spirit’s resting on you. So many reasons we see in the New Testament. He’s our Counselor. He’s our Guide. He convicts us of sin. There’s so much the Holy Spirit does in our lives.
But one of the primary things, if not the primary thing, because this is what Jesus said in Acts 1:8,
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…
– Acts 1:8a
You have power from the Holy Spirit of God resting on you to speak the Word of God with power, with supernatural power to other people, to build them up in Jesus.
If they’re followers of Jesus, and you have power to speak God’s Word in ways that lead people from eternal death to eternal life, you have this power in you. It’s resting on you. And so I want to encourage you to live in this power and to speak in this power.
Numbers 11:29 pictures a Spirit-filled community speaking God’s Word.
Oh God, I pray for every one of my brothers, and sisters in Christ who’s listening to this right now, who is filled with your Spirit, your Holy Spirit in them resting on them. I pray that they, that I, would know this and live in this today, that we have your Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, resting on us. And God, we pray that your Spirit would do in me and each of us all you want to do. Convict us of sin today. Please counsel us, comfort us, lead us, guide us, all that your Holy Spirit does.
And may we speak your word today with power. May we build up other brothers and sisters in Christ today with supernatural power. Your Word in us, your Spirit upon us. God, help us to encourage others today. Oh God, we pray you would help us to share the gospel with somebody today in the power of your Spirit to speak your Word. And God, we pray that you’d use us today to bring people from eternal death to eternal life.
Oh God, help us to live in this. Help us to do this right where we live in the communities, cities, schools, and workplaces today. God help us to do this just like Acts 1:8 says, “To the ends of the earth.”
Prayer for the Mozabite Berber People
God, we pray specifically today for the Mozabite Berber people of Algeria. For 203,000 of them who’ve not had somebody tell them the good news of your love.
God, we pray that somebody, some people filled with your Holy Spirit, would go to the Mozabite Berber people to make the gospel known among them. And God, we pray you’d show your supernatural power among the Mozabite Berber people in Algeria and draw them to yourself. Oh God, help us to live in what Moses was longing for in Numbers 11:29. That all the Lord’s people were prophets. All the Lord’s people had the Spirit of the Lord resting on them so they could speak the Word of the Lord. God, help us to live in this today, what you’ve made possible for us through Jesus, by your Spirit in us. In his name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
