OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS

Pentecost Sunday provides a fitting conclusion to the Easter Season because it shifts our focus from Christ to the Holy Spirit, from the event of salvation to the breaking in of a new creation. The linking of Easter and Pentecost is a strong affirmation of how salvation and creation are inextricably related. The Old Testament texts provide important commentary on the central relationship of salvation and creation.  Numbers 11:24-30 explores how the people of God structure community, while Psalm 104:1 a, 24-34, 35b  is a celebration of this fact.

Numbers 11:24-30 - "Authority in the Christian Community"
Setting.   Numbers 11:24-30 is a story about prophetic authority. As is frequently the case when the power of God's spirit becomes the point of focus in scripture, ther…