Commentary on "From Complaints to Apostasy"

STEVE PITCHER

 

Day 3: Monday, October 26, 2009

 

Today’s lesson deals with the issue of the pressures felt by those in leadership positions. The author starts by identifying the flaws in Moses and his desires.

What scripture is showing is a great and humble man of God, interceding for the people, yet the author identifies this as a “mistake.” He then makes the following comment:

“The experience of the 70 was similar to the Spirit’s descent upon Christ’s disciples at Pentecost, except that they ‘prophesied.’”

This statement, which may be seen as a minor issue, is a major problem. They mystery of the church, which was hidden with Christ in God until it was revealed on the day of Pentecost, had never been seen before and will never be repeated again. Joel prophesied of this day and that prophecy was fulfilled on one specific day, recorded for us in the book of Acts, chapter 2.

There is a great difference between the experience of the 70 elders and the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit to fill Christians, prophesied by Joel (Joel 2:28-29,) spoken of by Jesus (John 14:26 and 15:26,) and proclaimed by the Apostles (Acts 2, Eph. 3:8-10, Col. 1:25-27.)

Ellen White is then quoted as follows:

They [the 70 elders] would never have been chosen had Moses manifested faith corresponding to the evidences he had witnessed of God’s power and goodness. But he had magnified his own burdens and services, almost losing sight of the fact that he was only the instrument by which God had wrought. He was not excusable in indulging, in the slightest degree, the spirit of murmuring that was the curse of Israel.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 380.

First, there is no scriptural evidence that God would not have chosen the 70 elders. Moses did not “almost” lose sight that “he was only the instrument by which God had wrought.” In fact, it was his apparent intense awareness of this fact that resulted in his request to God.

At the bottom of page 56 in the Teacher’s Quarterly, the author points out that they had “rejected the Lord, who is among you.” But we must read to the end of the verse to see what that rejection entailed. It was Israel’s desire to return to Egypt that was the offense. Often, it is not so much that we “deceive ourselves regarding our relationship to God,” although that is also true, but that our fleshly natures are constantly being pulled “back to Egypt,” i.e., back to the desires of the flesh. It is not the “Great Controversy” that is the Biblical issue, it is the controversy between the born again spirit of the believer and his/her fleshly nature (see Romans 7 and 8) that will not be discarded until we see Jesus, and are changed to be like him, because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2.)

This passage of scripture really has little to do with pressures on leadership. It is primarily about a holy man of God, interceding for his people, sharing his burden with others who have the Holy Spirit laid on them as he was on Moses.

 

Summary

1. Today’s lesson does not significantly address the issue of pressure that leaders are under.
2. The experience of the 70 elders was different from the experience of the Apostles in the book of Acts.
3. The day of Pentecost, prophesied by Joel, spoken of by Jesus and proclaimed by the Apostles was a mystery, hidden in God with Christ, and was a one-time, unrepeatable act of the Trinity.
4. Ellen White’s comments are merely speculative.
5. We can be deceived in our relation to God due to our intense desire to return to “Egypt,” i.e., the worldly desires of the flesh.

 

GO TO DAY 4

 

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