May 9 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

These readings focus on the Holy Spirit. In the Old Covenant (or Testament), the Spirit "anoints" one person here and one there to perform a special work for God. In the New Covenant, the Spirit is "poured out" like rain on the whole church of Christ.

Bible Reading:

Numbers 11:16–17, 24–30

Bible Text:

"I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" (Num. 11:29).

Devotional:

Seventy elders helped Moses govern the people of Israel when they lived and traveled in the wilderness. God gave the Spirit to all seventy elders to enable them to fulfill their assignments. No one can work for God without the help of God's Spirit. In fact, without the Spirit, we are a hindrance rather than a help in trying to do the Lord's work.

To show that the seventy elders were God-appointed and God-anointed, the LORD made them prophesy. They spoke words that were not their own but God's. They did so in great ecstasy, but they did it only once. It was not an abiding gift.

We don't know why two men did not show up at the meeting, though their names were on the list. When these men prophesied in the camp, Joshua, who was Moses' great helper, thought they were unauthorized to preach and wanted to stop them. But Moses said, "No, I don't feel threatened by them; in fact, I wish all the people had the Spirit and could prophesy."

Moses' wish later became God's promise. New Testament Christians all receive the Holy Spirit in their hearts. And each receives a special gift from the Spirit for the benefit of all. To that extent Moses' wish has been fulfilled.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.