The Minority Report
In Numbers 11, Moses cries out to God and asks for help. God answers the prayer by pouring out his Spirit on seventy elders. The elders had all gathered in the Tent of Meeting—the Tabernacle, a place of worship.
But two men, Eldad and Medad, were not present. When they received the same gift of the Spirit and began to prophesy, Joshua said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”
Scholars tell us that the story of Eldad and Medad is a minority report alongside the story of the seventy elders. These two were not at the Tent of Meeting when the Spirit came upon the others. In other words, they were not at church. But the Spirit of God spilled out upon them anyway. And some people didn’t like that. They didn’t like it because it wasn’t how they thought God was supposed to work.
Sometimes we think we have God all figured out, nailed down. We think we know who’s in, who’s out… who’s loved, who’s not. Sometimes we think we have to have all the answers—not just in faith but also in politics, philosophy, or you name it. And that leaves us with blind spots. We fail to be curious. We fail to listen. We fail to be open to the Spirit who is always wanting to do a new thing within us and around us.
The opposite of humility is pride. And the truth is, we’re all affected by it at one level or another.
My prayer yesterday was for humility and strength. It is again today: May you and I—may we—be the kind of people who are humble and strong enough to admit we don’t have all the answers. May we be humble and strong enough to recognize our own limitations and our own need. And may we be humble and strong enough to lead, as Jesus led, with a servant’s heart.
Let us pray: Holy Spirit, open our hearts again to you this day. Grant us curiosity and the ability to listen and learn. Give us openness to your leading and help us recognize signs of your love and grace in the world around us. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
Daily Message Author: Joe Albright
Rev. Joe Albright is a graduate of Flagler College and Columbia Theological Seminary. Together, he and his wife Robbie have five children. He loves spending time on the ocean and especially enjoys surfing and fishing. Before entering the ministry, Joe taught high school Spanish in Cape Hatteras North Carolina and Lawrence Tavern, Jamaica. He has pastored churches in Sarasota and Jacksonville, Florida and is currently serving Trinity Presbyterian Church in Palm Coast. Full Bio “I believe deeply in the power of the Gospel to bring hope, love, and new life. I have seen firsthand how this beautiful ministry of hope has touched people’s lives. It gives me great joy to serve Dial Hope as Lead Pastor.”
