46.s. “Wilderness” – 10.y. “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them”

 

Num 11:17  And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

 2 Kings 2:9    When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”

 Nehemiah 9:20   You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.

 Isaiah 44:3   For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

 Isaiah 59:20-21    “And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD.  “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

 John 7:39    Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 Romans 8:9     You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

 1 Corinthians 2:12    Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

 Jude 1:19   It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

And I will take of the spirit which is upon thee; the spirit of government, and the spirit of prophecy, the gifts of the spirit qualifying for these things, of which Moses had a large measure. and will put it upon them; that is, gifts of the same kind with his; not that his gifts were diminished, or that properly speaking anything was taken from Moses and given to the seventy elders; but from the same fountain and fulness of the spirit Moses partook of, they were furnished with like gifts and qualifications, he having not at all the less for what was communicated to them. (Gill)

Will put it upon them, i.e. I will give the same Spirit to them which I have given to thee. But as the Spirit was not conveyed to them from or through Moses, but immediately from God, so the Spirit or its gifts were not by this means impaired in Moses. (Poole)

By “taking the spirit of Moses, and putting it upon them,” is not to be understood that the qualities of the great leader were to be in any degree impaired but that the elders would be endowed with a portion of the same gifts. (Brown)

The elders must have the same heart, the same vision, and same Spirit that was on Moses. If not, there would be no agreement among the leadership of the nation and disaster could come to Israel. (Guzik)

There is but one Holy Spirit of God. God gives the Holy Spirit to all who believe and in this gift of the Holy Spirit we are given gifts (attributes) of the Holy Spirit that will edify , teach, guide, inform, cultivate, improve, encourage, instruct, and uplift believers. Not everyone is give the same gift(s). It is not up to us to pick the gift we wish we had or hoped for but rather to trust and rely on God’s sovereignty and perfect plans and purposes. 

Why then is their division, grumbling, and unrest in bodies of believers? Is it because the Holy Spirit of God has lead them into these acts? No, it is because there is an overwhelming neglect of God’s Word in the lives of the believers that quenches the Holy Spirit in their lives.  How is the Holy Spirit to grow and deepen your understanding of the things of God when there is no desire for the Word of God in your heart and mind?

22.c. “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom”

1 Corinthians 2:6  Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Do you ever wonder who the “among the mature” is referring to?  Some may argue that it is related to age.  Others would say saved and unsaved or mature and immature believers. Paul did use mature in Ephesians and Philippians as believers who had grown from the elementary concepts of salvation, redemption, and forgiveness to personal application and food for everyday growth, understanding, and knowledge in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  These mature would grow in discernment (wisdom) and understanding.  In this, the mature would understand the world and culture they lived in and how it was always trying to draw them away from honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ.  They would clearly see the separation from things of God and things of this world.  They would discern what was proper and right for their soul.  The immature (baby) Christian would put anything into its mouth and would follow after anything that was pleasing to the flesh.  The immature would be easily swayed toward things that were not God-honoring. Ignorance does not exempt them from the expectation of growth in their life.  

The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not the end of wisdom but rather the beginning of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, power, grace, love, mercy, courage, strength, joy, and peace.  

18.l. “You are not your own”

John 14:25  “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

 1 Corinthians 2:10-13   Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

 2 Timothy 1:14    By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

 1 Corinthians 6:19   Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

 Ephesians 4:30    And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

 Acts 7:51    “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

The Holy Spirit is given by God to those who have believed in Jesus Christ for salvation, redemption, and forgiveness.  The Holy Spirit is given to us by God to lead us, to help us understand, to help us remember, and to teach us.  The Holy Spirit of God indwells those who believe and this is why Paul says to be mindful that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you.  In this simple statement Paul is saying; would you expose or allow into the temple to hate, greed, and anger when the temple is to be a place of love, joy, and generosity?  Would you expose or allow into the temple pornography, lust, and adultery when it is to be a place of purity, holiness, and righteousness?  Would you expose the temple to pride, self-reliance, and self-worth when it is to be a place of humbleness, surrender, and reliance in Jesus Christ alone?  Would you expose or allow into the temple drunkenness when it is to be a place of sober-minded holiness?  Would you expose or allow into the temple homosexuality and abortion when it is to be a place of purity and protector of life?  

When you imagine allowing these into the temple surely you see this is more than foolish it is a direct rejection of God’s plan for the temple.  We were redeemed at a great price.  God’s only Son suffered and died so that he could redeem us from eternal hell.  He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within each believer, making each of our bodies a temple of the Holy Spirit.  How then must we think, do, and act?  Should we not protect this temple from invaders, robbers, liars, haters, and false promises?  

The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth but surely we must spend time in holy reverence cultivating God’s Word and deeply desire and seek this leading.

Mystery Revealed

Thank you Lord for opening our eyes to see the mystery that had been hidden for ages past.  You have blessed us with knowledge of Christ and of Your grace, mercy, and love.  Strengthen our hearts and mind in finding our purpose serving you every day this side of eternity.

Matthew 13:35
This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world

Romans 16:25
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen

1 Corinthians 2:12
For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned

Ephesians 3:9
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God

Colossians 1:25
the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory