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Regarding success, Charles H.
Spurgeon said, “Brother, beware of the smooth places of the way; if you are
treading them, or if the way be rough, thank God for it. If God should
always rock us in the cradle of prosperity; if we were always dandled on the
knees of fortune; if we had not some stain on the alabaster pillar; if there
were not a few clouds in the sky; if we had not some bitter drops in the
wine of this life, we should become intoxicated with pleasure, we should
dream "we stand;" and stand we should, but it would be upon a pinnacle; like
the man asleep upon the mast, each moment we should be in jeopardy.”
Traveling through the wilderness,
and now at a place that was called Taberah, Moses had uninterrupted success,
much more than perpetual trial. For some two years Moses had been borne
along on a flowing tide. Through faith in the living Jehovah, he had
vanquished the proudest monarch of his time; had conducted nearly three
million people through the wilderness wastes without an H.E.B. grocery store
on every corner; had disciplined an unorganized multitude into a mighty
host, with a code of legislation and ritual that is the admiration of any
thoughtful man. This was success enough to turn the head of any ordinary
man and it would be no surprise to discover him having extreme elation and
pride. But what we are now about to consider shows how absolutely simple
and humble he had remained amid a very great series of successes.
In condescension to his weakness,
his Almighty Friend appointed seventy colleagues to bear with him the burden
of the people; and concerning them a somewhat ominous announcement is made
that “the Lord came down in a cloud and took
of the spirit that was upon him and gave it unto them.”
(Num. 11:25)
In each case of those anointed, the
accession of spiritual force was marked by the sudden breaking forth of
prophecy; reminding us of that memorable day in Acts chapter two when “they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
For sixty-eight of them the power of
utterance was only spasmodic and temporary. “They
prophesied, but they did so no more.”
Two, however, of the selected number, who, for some reason, had remained in
the camp, suddenly became conscious of their reception of that same spirit,
and they, too, broke out into prophecy and appear to have continued to do
so.
Instantly a young man, jealous for
the honor of Moses, carried to him the startling tidings, “Eldad
and Medad do prophesy in the camp.” As Joshua heard this
announcement, he exclaimed, “My lord Moses,
forbid them!” Which elicited the magnificent answer, “Art
thou jealous for my sake? Would God that all the Lord’s people were
prophets – that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!”
It was as if he said, “do you think
that I alone am the channel through which the Divine influences can pour?
Do you suppose that the supplies in the being of God are so meager that He
must stint what He gives though me, when He gives to others? If it should
please Him to create new stars, must He rob the sun of its light to give
them brilliance? Is the gratification of vanity of any interest to me, who
have gazed on the face of God? Besides, what am I, or what is my position
among this people compared with the benefit which would be theirs and the
glory which would redound to God if He did for each of then all that He has
done for me?”
This is the spirit of true
magnanimity, a noble humility. A spirit of self-aggrandizement is set on
retaining its exclusive position as the sole depository of the Divine
blessing. But whenever the eye is single for the glory of God and position
is looked upon only as His gift to be used for His glory, that glory
extinguishes the fires of ambition and the faithful servant is willing to be
anything or nothing if only the Divine purpose is accomplished.
There is no test more searching than
this. Am I as eager for God’s kingdom to come through others as through
myself? In my private intercessions can I pray as heartily and earnestly
for the success of my competitors as for my own? Can I see with equanimity
other and younger men coming to the front and showing themselves possessed
of gifts that I always considered to by my special province? Am I willing
that the will of God should be done through another if he suited God’s
purpose more than I? Few of us could answer these questions without the
sense of great difficulty in assuming the position taken up by Moses when he
heard that Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp.
Sometimes I think that such things
prove it is ourselves we serve and not God at all. If all such servants
were eliminated, I feel sure there would be only a scanty handful that would
be left. When shall we be able to say, “Would
God that all the Lord’s people were prophets.”
Immediately following this, when
they traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there awhile, “Miriam
and Aaron began to talk against Moses.”
(Num. 12:1) “Has the Lord spoken only
though Moses?, they asked. “Hasn’t
He also spoken through us?” Then the Scripture says, “Now
Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the
earth.”
But how did Moses react, he who
years before had felled an Egyptian with one blow of his fist? Did he pour
out a torrent of indignation, assuring himself that he had just cause to be
angry? Did he show them the door of the tent and bid them mind their own
business? Did he call on God to strike them down in his anger?
Nothing of the sort. He in his
bearing up under this attack reminds us of Christ in the judgment-hall, Who,
“when He was reviled, reviled not again.” Was Moses showing weakness? No.
It was an exhibition of colossal strength. It is the weak man who gives
blow for blow; who blurts out his wrath; who cannot control the passion of
his spirit. Only the strong man can be perfectly still under provocation,
holding himself in, and turning the vehemence of his should into the heat of
an intense love. Moses became the intercessor before God on Miriam’s
behalf.
For us, it is only as we claim the
meekness of Christ that we can exhibit this kind of noble humility. This
was not possible for Moses as it is for us. The humility of Jesus did not
forbid His proposing Himself as our model for meekness, “Learn
of Me, “ He said, “for I am meek
and lowly in heart.“ The likeness
of the dove that rested on Him and the lamb to which He was compared were
the sweet emblems of His heart. And in moments of provocation there is
nothing better than to turn to Him and claim His calm, sweet silence, His
patience and meekness, saying “I claim all these, my Lord, that I may
exhibit a noble humility in Your Name.”
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