The Strange Case of Eldad and Medad

The Strange Case of Eldad and Medad

Numbers 11 is all about complainers. One of those situations concerns two men named Eldad and and Medad (vs. 26-29). Their story begins as Moses asks God for some help in leading Israel. God tells Moses to gather seventy elders at the tabernacle and He would anoint them to help (vs. 16-17).

Soon Joshua lodges a complaint, “Hey Moses, there are two renegades preaching in the camp. They are out of order!  This is not the way it should to be done. It’s supposed to take place at the tabernacle. You need to put a stop to this!”(vs. 26-28).

Joshua did not understand that God did not need Moses’ authorization to anoint whomsoever He pleases. John had a similar problem in Luke 9:49-50. Paul also had to answer this kind of situation in Philippians 1:15-18.

God knows nothing of “Robert’s Rules of Order.” I’m afraid too many local churches operate more like a governmental bureaucracy than a body led by God’s Spirit.

Paul wrote, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is LIBERTY” (2 Corinthians 3:17). What happened to liberty and spontaneity in worship? Sam Jones said, “It’s mighty hard to say ‘Amen’ in the other man’s meeting!”

I remember taking a group of people from our church to a special meeting at a church in Montana. The song service was in high gear.  Our people began to clap their hands.  The pastor immediately stopped the service and said, “There will be no hand clapping in this service!” What!? (Psalm 47:1; 98:8; Isaiah 55:12)!  After the pastor sat down, the congregational singing resumed. It was enthusiastic. I could not sit on my hands any longer, so I raised my hands to praise the Lord (Psalm 63:4; 134:2; 1 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 12:12). Again the pastor stopped the singing and said, “Put your hands down!  You look like a bunch of charismatics!” What did I do? I put my hands down and returned to our church in Port Orchard where we had some liberty. I will not attend a church where I don’t have the liberty to worship as the Spirit of God leads (Galatians 5:1)!

The Holy Spirit will not be confined to a particular set of rules.  God is bigger than any ecclesiastical box you may try to confine Him in. He is bigger than our programs and our traditions.

I visited the home of a new family who had been attending our church. They were considering joining our congregation. They asked me, “Where do you need us to help the most?” I answered, “Where would you like to serve?” They said, “We will serve wherever you need us.” I told them I appreciated their willingness serve anywhere, however, that was not the issue. I told them, “We want you to serve the Lord in whatever area God has gifted you. If we don’t have a ministry that fits your spiritual gifts, we will create a new ministry just for you.” Let’s quit trying to fit square pegs into round holes and let God put people where He wants them.

What an important lesson for us today! Just because someone’s ministry is not part of “your camp” doesn’t mean they are not of God! God sometimes acts in an irregular or unpredictable way. That makes some pastors uneasy. They want to be in control of everything.

Moses told Joshua, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!” Amen! Where did we get the idea that preaching was to be done only by the professionals? God wants all His people to be preaching (Acts 8:1-4).

Thank God for the unorthodox and curious ministry of Eldad and Medad! May their tribe increase!