In this sermon, the preacher discusses the challenges faced by a man of God, using the example of Moses. He emphasizes that even though Moses was chosen by God and had great power, he remained humble and did not abuse his authority. The preacher then focuses on the story of Moses appointing seventy elders to help him bear the burden of leading the people. He highlights the importance of the gifts of the Spirit and how they manifest in individuals. The sermon concludes with the mention of Moses facing opposition from his own siblings, Miriam and Aaron, who questioned his authority.

Yes, he said, I don't know how you're going to do it. No, there were the compulsory offerings, they came later. But he started, oh, surely my people who've responded to me so far will want to give more and more. No, no, no, no, no, no, don't bring me any more of that. But I said, look, here's a way that they can keep on giving. They can keep on offering. Don't want any more of their gold and all that business. They can keep on giving that. If anybody wants to bring an offering, he starts on the voluntary offerings, not the obligatory ones. In other words, he's talking on heart level. Is it true these people in their hearts have really, really given unto me and want to? No, Moses, I've devised the way. I've always had it in mind. Tell them they can do this. Tell them they can do that. No, no, I want to give you more. More should thou have. Wesley would have a sin if I had more. Well, this is the way God led them. Wouldn't it be wonderful to go right through that Leviticus book? But we won't go through it. We'll pass over it. Strangely enough, the continuity from the end of Exodus is in numbers. Leviticus were the laws, governing the offerings, and all sorts of things to do with the priesthood. And of course, that had to do with the children of Israel. Now, I'm aiming at a place tonight to conclude this series. I mean, for this time. We could have stopped on so much detail. But, you know, dear old Moses, I suppose he might have thought that after nine months or so of moving in ten months, pretty well, on the 28th calendar days, after getting this thing really going in Israel, oh, I suppose he might have thought, ah, this is wonderful, we've got the tabernacle, I've got Aaron, I've got her, I've got Bezalel and Aholiab, I've got a people whose heart is winning. Oh, he must have thought, well, you know, I know he must have thought it. Because you can say, how do you know? Well, simply because he was the man he was. He must have thought, this is going to be great now, Lord. You see, a man who has a heart like Moses had, never thinks evil of people. You know that, don't you? And you know whether you think evil of people, don't you? Then you'll know whether you've got the right kind of heart. Never thinks evil of people. Gossip was never in his lips. He would never talk behind people's back or anything like that. He would neither run people down or listen to other people running them down. So with a heart like he had, he would have thought, well now, this is marvellous. It's going to be great. Oh, he's got you some marvellous things. He spoke to him. All sorts of things. You must read this for yourself. I'm just catching on the points that have to do with Moses. And he deals with them. And they're going to move. He gets them in marching order. They're setting out for the promised land. And look at this. Marks, verse 33 of chapter 10. They departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey to search out a resting place for them. How about that? The ark went to search out a resting place. Think of it. Let it get into your heart. You people who think you're going on a wilderness journey. Here it is. And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day when they went out of the camp. And it came to pass when the ark set forward that Moses said, Rise up, Lord. Let thine enemies be scattered. Let them that hate thee flee before thee. Then it rested. He said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel. And when the people complained, I came there to her. What do you think of that? Good old Moses. He is a real leader. The last things that God has instructed to men. If you can look in the earlier chapter. Chapter 10, for instance. Or the earlier part of that chapter. He's saying, Make thee trumpets of silver. Behold, peace shall make them that thou mayst use them for the calling of the assembly and for the journeys of the camp. And then all sorts of things. He talks about blowing them around. Hallelujah. Rise up. On we go. He's a fighting man now. He's got them into shape. Glory. They're on the move. He's got a wholehearted people behind him. You see. So he thinks. And he's going to move. Glory. God's going to find this rest. There goes the ark. Blows the trumpet. Come on. Now that's a leader. God said, really said, Well, Moses, as you can no more go forward without the ark of the covenant or can't go forward without the cloud. Neither can you go forward unless you've got these trumpets. Come on. You've got to go forward as a fighting unit. That's a leader. Glory. Glory. Glory. Ha ha. You can follow a leader like that, can't you? Somebody who knows there's something that's going to lead him to it. Someone who's going to blow that trumpet. Not his own. Hmm. Moses hadn't got a trumpet, but God ordered him to make them. Because he'd got to blow the trumpet for the people of God. And it's going to be a silver one. Hmm. You know, I used to work once with a man. I'm getting reminiscent now. I'm not too sure. I used to work with a man once. He didn't look anything like the man that I would have expected. And he came to me and he'd got hardly any teeth. And he wasn't... He was just a... Well. You listen a minute. I haven't finished the story. Ha ha ha. And he was... He wasn't much older than I was. And I looked down at him just a little. Simply because I was bald with teeth. I said I looked down at him, not on him. And... He said, you know, I used to be the adjacent silver bugler. So I looked at him. He said, yeah, I used to ride on the horse beside the adjacent silver bugler. I looked at him. And I said, well, how about no teeth? You can't play a bugler trumpet without any teeth. And false ones won't do. See? He said, well, he said, you know, I was the top juke. He said, I got fed up with it so I went down and the teeth pulled out. Ha ha ha. I thought, oh, what an idiot. Ha ha ha. Some stupid piece of... You know. And his teeth pulled out so that he couldn't be the adjacent silver bugler, whatever an adjacent is. And I wouldn't know. I never mixed in that crowd. But the whole glorious truth is this, beloved, that God had the silver trumpets made. I would have liked to have been there when they blew them. Wouldn't you? Hallelujah. So would General Booth. It's a marvelous thing, beloved, to understand that God's going to take you to the promised land, but not unless you're prepared to fight. I want to tell you this, that in the things of God, there's only rest for fighting men. The others don't need it. They're too lazy. Here, then, is the glory of the Lord leading us on. Come on, Moses, blow that trumpet. Let's hear it. That silver note. None of the old brassy stuff. I can tell whether it's sounding brass or silver. And so can God. The silvery note is the note of redemption. That's why I chose a hymn to start with. I am redeemed. Silver stands for redemption. The redeemed people of the Lord are coming. Devil! Watch it! Get out! That's right. I'm there. Is the devil afraid of you? Is he? Devil! Now, this tremendous thing, and then in chapter 11, the people complain. And it displeases the Lord. And then verse 4, the mixed multitude that was among the fellow lusting, they wanted, they started to weep, they wanted fish, verse 5, wanted flesh, in verse 4, they wanted cucumbers, they wanted melons, they wanted leeks, they wanted onions, but I couldn't go with them on the last one. Garlic! Oh dear, I would never want to go through Egypt for garlic. Nor Scotland. This is, this is the thing. The God is saying, what a tremendous truth it is, beloved. But look, they were going after this, and they said, our souls dried away. There's nothing at all besides this manna before our eyes. And the manna was this coriander seed. And the color thereof, this is the color of dillium. And the people went about and gathered it, ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in tans, and made cakes of it, and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camphor, like the manna, and they complained. They complained with this miracle. They were absolute miracle people. And they were complaining. Oh, you know what happened. Moses heard the people weep throughout their families. Every man in the door of his tent, the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly. Moses also was displeased. And Moses said to the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servants? Wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight? This is what I asked you for when I came up the mountain, Lord. I asked you to find favor in your sight. Now look at this. Thou lay'st the burden of all these people upon me. Have I conceived these people? Have I begotten them? Thou shouldst tear them to me, carry them in thy bosom as a nursing father bears the sucking child unto the land which thou swearest unto their fathers. When should I have flesh to give unto all these people? Weep unto me saying, Give us flesh that we may eat. I am not able to bear all these people alone. It is too heavy for me. If thou deal'st with me, kill me. I pray thee. Out of hand. If I have found favor in thy sight, then let me not see my wretchedness. Oh. Listen. Grey men of God whom God has chosen to be leaders, they can sometimes get dispirited. They can sometimes get dispirited. They are not dispirited by the hardness of the way. I'll tell you the thing of breaker leaders heart quicker than anything. Grumblings and complaining amongst his congregation. I'll tell you the thing. Quicker than anything. I'm telling you. Oh. Oh. He got dispirited. Mind you, despite this great exaltation by the hand of God this man was still a humble man. He wasn't grasping after power. And he got to a place where he saw his utter wretchedness. I cannot carry on any longer like this. I'm at the breakdown point, Lord. Ever thought of that? A congregation breaking the man of God. Terrible, isn't it? Ah. God was angry. Moses was displeased. Here it is, 16. The Lord says to Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people and officers over them and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation that they may stand there with thee and I will come down and talk with thee there and I will take up the Spirit which is upon thee and will put it upon them and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee as thou bear it not thyself alone and say unto this people and so on down through. Verse 24. Moses went out, told the people the words of the Lord gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and set them round about the tabernacle and the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke unto him and took of the Spirit that was upon him and gave it unto the seventy elders and it came to pass that when the Spirit rested upon them they prophesied and did not cease. I'd like to say this about the gifts of the Spirit of the Lord at this point, if I may the way God gives the gifts of whichever sort it is it isn't a five minute wonder a man doesn't get tongues interpretations prophecy or what it is just as a sort of an initial kind of evidence thing it comes and it doesn't cease then you'll know that God's really good in it it's not just an emotional phase it's there and it remains there Amen I'd like to witness to that Alleluia for what God gives, He gives He's wonderful Alleluia He doesn't give it in one hand and take it away with the other He's not a man that He should repent and it's so glorious the point I want to make though is about Moses for he's our subject not the gifts of the Spirit nor yet the children of Israel only their lives are bound up together here it is this man he wasn't trying to claim anything he wasn't clamoring after position God says look I'll come down and I'll do so and so and so and so he talked with him, told him what he was going to do you gather the people together and then he came down again, verse 25 and spoke to Moses again Moses, are you sure you want me to do this? Moses you said this burden's too great I called you Moses I called you do you know I believe there comes a point in a man's life where if he will go through the breaking point God will do even greater things with him I believe that I ever told you the story of a great man of God's name Menzies must have been a Scot with a name like that, mustn't he? he was a friend of a friend of mine we knew this dear man very intimately we were very young when I say young in our thirties because when you're ten you think thirty it's ever so old but he told me of a man this man Menzies he said he was the greatest man he knew he used to be a builder he was up very high on scaffolding in London and he fell off they picked him up rushed him to the hospital he should have been unconscious they put him on a bed emergency rushed him into an operation and he heard the surgeon say poor devil pretty well every body every bone in his body was broken they did their best they put him in intensive care they knew it in those days as much as they could and in the night God came to him and said get up and walk round your bed he got up he walked round his bed and he was whole he was whole walked out of the hospital they had him report at first every month and then after that every year they wanted to see this miracle man so would you, wouldn't you? disbelieving medical procession well not everybody of course it's innate in them they're trained to believe nothing am I right Jack? absolutely trained to believe nothing you've got to diagnose it yourself you've got to find out for yourself you don't rely on anything believe nothing I know, I've got a friend called Kelly for nothing he taps my brains for a lot and I tap his for a lot too they may not even know it while I'm doing it but they did he, he yeah, so he reported but my friend showed me this he said this man after the fact he thought he'd been a man of God before but God didn't listen to him he used to go out to his work every day he lived alone he was a bachelor and he used to, he said God used to meet me at my door every night when I came home and I would go in he said perhaps I'd have a meal perhaps I wouldn't and there I'd be alone with the Lord he said and he said one night the Lord came so powerfully he said when I didn't know that I could go any further I said enough Lord stay thy hand and he did when you get on intimate terms with the Lord as a Moses got on intimate terms you can talk to the Lord in a wonderful way that others can't I hope you know that this was one of the secrets of this man Moses God allowed him to say things to him that nobody else could say and God did what Moses did twice Moses stopped God from wiping out the children of Israel twice he said I'll start again with you Moses every time or both times Moses said to God no and God didn't because Moses said no I shouldn't try it unless you know what it is to go up the mountain with God don't try experiments you'll disappoint your heart the Bible is not to be used as a sort of a book in which you can go and think you can have a dip and try this and try that what a glorious truth though is here alright Moses do you really want me to take the spirit that's on you and put it on others now you could say well Moses look at him he's distressed he's broken he's down he's talking about his wretchedness but I'll tell you when a man like Moses talks about his wretchedness he's probably talking about something far greater than what you talk about when you're in your height so God said alright and he showed what was in Moses he took the spirit that was on Moses and put it on these other 70 and away crawling into the room you'd think it was marvellous they were prophesying they were moving but let me ask myself a question when everybody in the room asked you this God took the spirit that's on you and put it on other people what would they be when you began to see what's your real love and you know you are impressing others you know that don't you your spirit is affecting others you do know that if God should say to me I'll take the spirit that's on you and put it on all these others will I say oh Lord no don't don't Lord don't but Moses could stand there and say yes Lord alright and you'll know he was just a man like you but he'd gone through with God so humble and you know what happened two of these 70 hadn't come out from the tavern I thought and the spirit of the Lord came on them in the camp the spirit of Moses came on them in the camp I know it's the spirit of the Lord not Moses and came on them in the camp and they started to prophesy somebody ran up well let's read it ourselves shall we it's here oh it was Joshua no there ran a young man verse 27 and told Moses and said oh dad and me dad to prophesy in the camp Joshua the son of Nun the son of Moses one of his young men answered and said my Lord Moses forbid him Moses said unto him envious God for thy sake would God that all the Lord's people were prophet and the Lord would put his spirit upon them yes he had no envy in his heart what a man he was oh he said I want everybody to be like this and that really is what every true man of God wants want everybody to be like this wouldn't it be wonderful if God had a company of people like this I think it would what does it do in you to weave these things what work starts in your heart and mind Lord show me I want to go on well I think that wasn't bad enough and I think I'm going to finish with this next chapter for tonight better do that because I've been already scolded once today that I didn't preach long enough last night and as this is the last occasion I'm going to steal a little more of your time because this is as far as I thought I would go upon this occasion in chapter 12 as though what had happened wasn't bad enough in chapter 12 when all the chapter 11 all the people had turned against him his own brothers and sisters did in the next chapter this is the thing a man of God's got to put up to Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married for he had married an Ethiopian woman and they said hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses hath he not spoken also by us and the Lord heard it now the man Moses was fairly meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth do you know that's the verse that convinces me Moses was very meek only a meek man could have written that about himself he just had to be to put that in if not he was as proud as anything he was the meekest man on all the earth he wouldn't have put that in except the hand of God had been on him go on Moses write it down it's true and the Lord spoke suddenly unto Moses and unto Aaron and unto Miriam come out you three unto the tabernacle of the congregation and they three came out and the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle and called Aaron and Miriam and they both came forth and he said hear now my words if there be a prophet among you I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a dream my servant Moses is not so he is faithful in all mine house with him will I speak mouth to mouth even apparently not in dark speeches and the similitude or form of the Lord shall he behold wherefore then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses and the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and he departed and the cloud departed from off the tabernacle and behold Miriam became leprous white as snow and Aaron looked upon Miriam and behold she was leprous and Aaron said unto Moses alas my Lord I beseech thee lay not the sin upon us wherein we have done foolishly and wherein we have sinned let her not be as one dead of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb and Moses cried unto the Lord saying heal her now O God I beseech thee and the Lord said unto Moses if her father had but fit in her faith should she not be ashamed seven days let her be shut out from the camp seven days and after that let her be received in again and Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again pretty bad when your own flesh and blood turn against you isn't it hasn't the Lord spoken by us too jealousy now listen when God raises up a leader forbear to speak against him that's true that isn't to say he isn't to be loving and prepared to talk and all that sort of thing but when God and you know that God has raised a man up put his spirit upon him and when he has known something of this passage into God and when he does know the glory of the Lord and when God has used him and you know God has used him you be careful you be very careful touch not mine anointed do my prophets no harm Moses didn't say a word he didn't say no God hasn't spoken to you God's raising up no he didn't go into bed God came down suddenly Miriam Aaron come over here hmm hmm Miriam Miriam she was a leper in her heart a leper inside and God brought it all out on her skin what a human Moses look I'll take the spirit that's on you and put it on them and I'll show you the spirit that's in Miriam look at her look at her I'll show you the state of her heart look at it what does a real man of God do he says Lord heal her heal her Lord heal her now and God said no Moses could say no to God and God did what Moses said and God said I want to do this but Moses said no Moses said do that Lord that's what I will do I'd like to heal her now God said no put her out of the camp for seven days let her come in after that I'm not going to heal her instantly I'm not going to do it Moses for this is terrible seven days seven days she didn't die she wasn't excommunicated God didn't do anything terrible to her but he let everybody see that he wasn't going to let anybody interfere with his man that's right I raised up Moses I called him at the bush I kept him he knows me I know him don't let your evil heart grasp after the things that I've given him don't let your jealousy and envy and pride rise let's all walk humbly with God shall we I thank God that this man Moses was the meekest man on all the earth that's one of the great signs of a true man of God he's meek absolutely meek humble meek he's as human as everybody else but oh God loves him shouldn't we all be moving into that shouldn't we all be longing after that this great and marvelous thing I wish some of you young men in this room thinking of the days when I was young I used to read these things in the scripture my heart went off sure you've got a wise heart woman won't it make you do something how foolish you are if you don't get involved in the work of God there's no wisdom in you how foolish if you don't give yourself give, give, give got the wrong spirit got the wrong heart I pray that it isn't leprosy in his sight lest he should make it burst out all over your skin her skin was white Moses' skin was glowing behind the veil glowing, glowing glowing the glory of God Amen alright, I think I better leave it there don't you may the Lord take us on and into the wonderful fulfillment of all this you'll never be a Moses never be a Moses whatever you do don't be a Miriam and let the Lord take us right on into all his glory and wonder Amen shall we pray Father thank you for every heart that is already abandoned under thee oh Lord and we would not rest in anything less than the highest and the best here before thee this night we pray one for another Lord God of all grace all power thank you for being so merciful so thou didst proclaim thy name before us tonight as though we were on the mountaintop the Lord the Lord God gracious merciful Lord we love thee let us see thy glory more and more so that we, oh Lord can be filled with it suffused with it hallelujah hallelujah blessed Lord Lord we come very humbly and lowly unto thee tonight full of thankfulness gratitude Lord for all that thou art doing for us can it help but think oh Lord that thou has kind this whole occasion Lord when we have been facing great needs then Lord thou has come again spoken to us again from thy precious words thank you Lord stir up every heart make everybody willing lest this night's thinking should stand up before us as a condemnation in that day and that we heard but never did we listened but never responded we heard thy commandment but excused ourselves now Lord because thou art gracious merciful full of kindness because thou didst give us better the manner every day of our lives because we are thy people by thine own sovereign choice and because we are what we are we come to thee hallelujah hallelujah now Lord put thy wisdom into every heart bless Lord that in which we have been existing be found folly and that we may move on in thy great and wonderful will hallelujah we want the Lord so Father with gratitude we thank thee that thou has come to talk to us and let that marvelous spirit that's upon our blessed Jesus be upon us as when he was in all his wretchedness hanging on that cross you could still take of that spirit and put it on us the spirit of the unbreakable the spirit of the undefeatable