“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!”” (Numbers 11:27-29, ESV)
In the time of the Old Testament, the Lord caused the Spirit to rest upon specific men for the accomplishment of their duties. The Lord had placed the Spirit upon seventy of the elders to help Moses and they prophesied. In this passage, we see two who remained in the camp who also prophesied under the influence of the Spirit. The word prophesied is the Hebrew, naba, which means to come under the influence of divine spirit, receive God’s speech and proclaim it. When Joshua hears that these men were doing this ministry, he wants Moses to stop them.
Moses’ response is a lesson for us on humility. Moses, rather than being jealous of others who are ministering to the people, endorses their work and hopes that the Lord would work through others in the same way. How do we respond when others are prospering? On occasion, I have seen a lack of humility in the ministry that fosters a spirit of competition between churches and ministers. As a result, pastors and teachers are often unwilling to help others in the ministry become successful. This pride and resultant disunity hinders the work of the church. We must realize that we are all in the same mission, it is not a competition, and we all serve for the glory of God.
This issue of jealousy is not limited to the ministry; it affects every area of life. Do you find yourself becoming envious or jealous of another’s success? There is a way to combat this sin. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the other person’s success. Tell them that you are happy for their success. Encourage them, pray for them, and help them to be even more successful. Keep on doing this and you will defeat this spirit of jealousy and experience joy in the success of others.
Renewing the Heart 