Numbers 11:26
“But two men remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the Spirit rested on them; and they were of those who were written, but had not gone out to the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.”
What does Numbers 11:26 mean?
When Moses appointed seventy elders to help lead Israel, two of them named Eldad and Medad didn't show up at the designated tent where God's Spirit was meant to rest on the leaders. Yet something unexpected happened: God's Spirit came upon them anyway, right there in the camp where they were. They began prophesying, speaking God's words without having followed the official procedure. This moment reveals something beautiful about how God works. The Spirit isn't confined by our systems or our expectations of how things should happen. God can and does move beyond the boundaries we set, sometimes including people we might have overlooked or excluded. What matters isn't perfect compliance with the process, but whether someone's heart is open to God's calling and God's work. For those of us who sometimes feel sidelined or wonder if we're "doing it right," this story reminds us that God sees us and can use us, even when we're not in the official spotlight.