Then the LORD said to Moses, "Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you. Then the LORD said to MosesThis phrase indicates a direct communication from God to Moses, emphasizing the unique relationship Moses had with God as a prophet and leader. The Hebrew word for "LORD" here is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, which underscores His faithfulness and authority. This divine instruction highlights God's active role in guiding His people and His responsiveness to their needs, as Moses had just expressed his burden of leadership. Bring Me seventy of Israel’s elders
The number seventy is significant in biblical numerology, often symbolizing completeness or perfection. The elders were respected leaders within the community, and their selection signifies a shared responsibility in governance. Historically, this reflects the ancient Near Eastern practice of involving elders in decision-making processes, ensuring that leadership was not centralized in one individual but distributed among trusted representatives. who are known to you as leaders and officers among the people
This phrase emphasizes the importance of reputation and proven leadership. The Hebrew word for "leaders" is "zeqenim," which can also mean "elders," indicating those with wisdom and experience. "Officers" translates from "shoterim," suggesting those with administrative or judicial roles. This selection criterion ensures that those chosen were already recognized for their capabilities and integrity, reinforcing the principle of servant leadership. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting
The Tent of Meeting, or "Ohel Moed" in Hebrew, was the sacred space where God met with Moses and the Israelites. It symbolizes God's presence and the centrality of worship and divine guidance in the life of the community. Bringing the elders to this location signifies their consecration and the divine endorsement of their new role, as well as the importance of seeking God's presence in leadership decisions. and have them stand there with you
This phrase indicates a shared leadership model, where Moses is not alone in his responsibilities. The act of standing together at the Tent of Meeting symbolizes unity and collective accountability before God. It also reflects the biblical principle of community and mutual support, reminding us that leadership is a collaborative effort that requires humility and reliance on God's guidance. Persons / Places / Events 1. The LORDThe covenant God of Israel, who speaks directly to Moses, providing guidance and instruction. 2. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. 3. Seventy EldersA group of leaders and officials among the Israelites, chosen to assist Moses in governing and leading the people. 4. IsraelThe nation of God's chosen people, who are journeying through the wilderness towards the Promised Land. 5. Tent of MeetingA sacred place where Moses meets with God, symbolizing God's presence among His people. Teaching Points The Importance of DelegationGod recognizes the burden of leadership on Moses and provides a solution through delegation. This teaches us the importance of sharing responsibilities in leadership roles. God's Provision for LeadershipGod provides the necessary resources and people to accomplish His purposes. We can trust that God will equip us with what we need for the tasks He calls us to. Community and Shared LeadershipThe appointment of the seventy elders highlights the value of community and shared leadership. In our own lives, we should seek to build supportive communities and share responsibilities. Obedience to God's InstructionsMoses' obedience in following God's instructions serves as a model for us. We should be attentive and responsive to God's guidance in our lives. The Role of Elders and LeadersThe elders are chosen based on their known leadership qualities. This underscores the importance of character and reputation in those who lead. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the appointment of the seventy elders in Numbers 11:16 reflect God's understanding of human limitations in leadership? 2. In what ways can we apply the principle of delegation in our personal and professional lives today? 3. How does the concept of shared leadership in Numbers 11:16 relate to the structure of leadership in the New Testament church? 4. What qualities should we look for in leaders within our communities, based on the example of the seventy elders? 5. How can we ensure that we are obedient to God's instructions, as Moses was, in our daily decision-making? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 18Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, advises him to appoint leaders to help judge the people, which parallels the delegation of leadership seen in Numbers 11:16. Deuteronomy 1Moses recounts the appointment of leaders to help bear the burden of leadership, emphasizing the need for shared responsibility. Acts 6The early church appoints deacons to assist the apostles, reflecting the principle of shared leadership and delegation seen in Numbers 11:16. People Eldad, Israelites, Joshua, Medad, Moses, NunPlaces Egypt, Hazeroth, Kibroth-hattaavah, Paran, TaberahTopics Authorities, Authority, Bring, Congregation, Elders, Gather, Hast, Israel's, Leaders, Meeting, Officers, Officials, Opinion, Responsible, Seventy, Stand, Stationed, Tabernacle, Tent, Themselves, WeightDictionary of Bible Themes Numbers 11:16 1654 numbers, 11-99 Numbers 11:4-34 4438 eating Numbers 11:10-17 8614 prayer, answers Numbers 11:16-17 7719 elders, as leaders Library April 12. "They were as it Were, Complainers" (Num. xi. 1).
"They were as it were, complainers" (Num. xi. 1). There is a very remarkable phrase in the book of Numbers, in the account of the murmuring of the children of Israel in the wilderness. It reads like this: "When the people, as it were, murmured." Like most marginal readings it is better than the text, and a great world of suggestive truth lies back of that little sentence. In the distance we may see many a vivid picture rise before our imagination of people who do not dare to sin openly and unequivocally, …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth Exposition of Chap. Iii. (ii. 28-32. )
Ver. 1. "And it shall come to pass, afterwards, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." The communication of the Spirit of God was the constant prerogative of the Covenant-people. Indeed, the very idea of such a people necessarily requires it. For the Spirit of God is the only inward bond betwixt Him and that which is created; a Covenant-people, therefore, without such an inward …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Deaf Stammerer Healed and Four Thousand Fed.
^A Matt. XV. 30-39; ^B Mark VII. 32-VIII. 9. ^b 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech [The man had evidently learned to speak before he lost his hearing. Some think that defective hearing had caused the impediment in his speech, but verse 35 suggests that he was tongue-tied]; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue [He separated …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Baptist's Testimony.
"There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.... John beareth witness of Him, and crieth, saying, This was He of whom I said, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. For of His fulness we all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. …
Marcus Dods—The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St. John, Vol. I Third Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Romans 12, 16-21. 16 Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. 19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. 20 But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II False Ambition Versus Childlikeness.
(Capernaum, Autumn, a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XVIII. 1-14; ^B Mark IX. 33-50; ^C Luke IX. 46-50. ^c 46 And there arose a reasoning among them, which of them was the greatest. ^b 33 And he came to Capernaum: ^c 47 But when Jesus saw the reasoning of their heart, ^b and when he was in the house [probably Simon Peter's house] he asked them, What were ye reasoning on the way? 34 But they held their peace: for they had disputed one with another on the way, who was the greatest. [The Lord with his disciples was …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
"The Holy Spirit was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified."--John vii. 39. We have come to the most difficult part in the discussion of the work of the Holy Spirit, viz., the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the tenth day after the ascension. In the treatment of this subject it is not our aim to create a new interest in the celebration of Pentecost. We consider this almost impossible. Man's nature is too unspiritual for this. But we shall reverently endeavor to give a clearer insight …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit Third Sunday Before Lent
Text: First Corinthians 9, 24-27; 10, 1-5. 24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. 25 And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air: 27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II Eastern Wise-Men, or Magi, visit Jesus, the New-Born King.
(Jerusalem and Bethlehem, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 1-12. ^a 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem [It lies five miles south by west of Jerusalem, a little to the east of the road to Hebron. It occupies part of the summit and sides of a narrow limestone ridge which shoots out eastward from the central chains of the Judæan mountains, and breaks down abruptly into deep valleys on the north, south, and east. Its old name, Ephrath, meant "the fruitful." Bethlehem means "house of bread." Its modern …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Messiah's Easy Yoke
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. T hough the influence of education and example, may dispose us to acknowledge the Gospel to be a revelation from God; it can only be rightly understood, or duly prized, by those persons who feel themselves in the circumstances of distress, which it is designed to relieve. No Israelite would think of fleeing to a city of refuge (Joshua 20:2. …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 Of Immediate Revelation.
Of Immediate Revelation. [29] Seeing no man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him; and seeing the revelation of the Son is in and by the Spirit; therefore the testimony of the Spirit is that alone by which the true knowledge of God hath been, is, and can be only revealed; who as, by the moving of his own Spirit, he disposed the chaos of this world into that wonderful order in which it was in the beginning, and created man a living soul, to rule and govern it, so by …
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity Blasphemous Accusations of the Jews.
(Galilee.) ^A Matt. XII. 22-37; ^B Mark III. 19-30; ^C Luke XI. 14-23. ^b 19 And he cometh into a house. [Whose house is not stated.] 20 And the multitude cometh together again [as on a previous occasion--Mark ii. 1], so that they could not so much as eat bread. [They could not sit down to a regular meal. A wonderful picture of the intense importunity of people and the corresponding eagerness of Jesus, who was as willing to do as they were to have done.] 21 And when his friends heard it, they went …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Numbers 11:16 NIVNumbers 11:16 NLTNumbers 11:16 ESVNumbers 11:16 NASBNumbers 11:16 KJV
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