As we learn from today's reading, God told Moses to identify seventy of Israel's elders to share the burden of leadership. God followed this up with a promise to equip those seventy leaders with a portion of the Spirit that God had given to Moses.

In this way God again provided for peace in the camp of Israel, this time through the gift of the Holy Spirit to a select group of people.

Through events like this in the life of Moses and the children of Israel we gain a clear indication that God equipped Moses not just through his personal daily experiences, but also through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The many lessons of Moses' training program are not merely a collection of facts and insights. They reveal a supernatural equipping from God for leadership.

So it is with all who have been trained by God to preach and teach and prophesy and encourage today. These people include not only pastors and teachers, but also you and me.

Whatever our education has been, it is enhanced and enlivened by the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the gifts he gives. Because of the Holy Spirit's life in us, we are equipped and empowered.