Lives of Scripture

Medad was one of seventy elders of Israel gathered by Moses at the LORD's command to help bear the burden of leading the people through the wilderness (Numbers 11:16-17). The LORD took of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders gathered around the tent of meeting, and they prophesied (11:24-25). Two of the chosen elders, Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp rather than going out to the tent -- yet 'the Spirit rested upon them... and they prophesied in the camp' anyway (11:26). A young man ran to report this to Moses, and Joshua, Moses's aide, urged him, 'Moses, my lord, restrain them' (11:27-28), apparently concerned that prophecy occurring outside the sanctioned gathering threatened Moses's authority. Moses's response has become one of the most quoted lines in the wilderness narrative: 'Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!' (11:29). Medad's brief appearance illustrates that the Spirit's work is not confined to expected places or sanctioned gatherings, and Moses's reaction models humble leadership that welcomes rather than restricts the Spirit's activity in others.