Numbers 14:13-20
But Moses said to the LORD, "Then the
Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from
among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard
that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen
face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a
pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill this
people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, 'It is
because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore
to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.' And now, please let
the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, 'The LORD is slow
to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression,
but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.' Please pardon the
iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love,
just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now." Then the
LORD said, "I have pardoned, according to your word.
Here we have a case of interceding for a rebel people. Have you ever
sought to pray for a person who gloats at iniquity? I was faced with a
situation of praying for a rebellious pastor for over a year. Every time I
opened up my mouth to pray for his good, I found it so hard, yet I had no
choice but to plead for his welfare. Over two years down the line – I still
wait for an answer from God. He is still at large in his gloating in his
obstinacy, and gloating about his divisiveness.
Do you pray for people who are openly rebellious to God (even more than
to men?) This is the task that Moses is faced with in this passage. What are
the lessons for us when we are interceding for such people in open rebellion
against God? Since it is so difficult to know exactly what to pray for, why
don’t you bear these three invaluable lessons in mind?
1.
Be wholly consumed with God’s glory
Why
was God so enraged with these people? Because
of their sins. They provoked or rejected and, reproached the Sovereign God.
Their conduct despised God. They disbelieved God’s promises and so accused
God of, not being good enough, not powerful enough, and not dependable enough –
here is a display of disbelief of the faithfulness and benevolence of God. Yes,
it was their unbelief that made this a day of great provocation in the
wilderness, (Heb. 3:8).
But further on, we see here that the
Lord’s wrath was kindled against them for their continuance in their terrible
sin. The Lord asked Moses, "How long
will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite
of all the signs that I have done among them?” (v.11) In these two things
they marred the glory of God with their own iniquity.
Their intercessor has to come with a great
priority on seeking to display the excellency of God’s glory. This is what
Moses did for he knew that distrust is not only a great sin (1John 5:10), but
even worse it is a root sin, (Heb. 3:12). Moses understood that the God of
heaven keeps an account how long sinners persist in their provocations; and the
longer they persist the more he is displeased.
So Moses’ priority is not just the pardon for the sins of the people,
but to plead with God about His own glory and so he prayed – “No God, please do not annihilate them for the sake of your name and
your glory. The heathen will hear and they will think that you became so
powerless that you failed to deliver on your own promises. The onus is on you
to deliver these people, as rebellious as they are to the land that you
promised them.” (Moses’ prayer paraphrased)
Three things that show Moses’ priority is God’s glory:
Ø
He argues from what heathens like the Egyptians
would say disdainfully of God - "Then
the Egyptians will hear of it…”
Ø
He argues from what they Egyptians are to gossip
to the inhabitants of the land, giving occasion to more sin for Egyptians – “…the Egyptians will hear of it … and they
will tell the inhabitants of this land.”
Ø
He argues from the fact of God’s presence with
His people – “… for you brought
up this people in your might from among them … They have heard that you, O
LORD, are in the midst of this people…”
Ø
He argues from what the nations who have heard
of him are likely to say (these are potential people for evangelism) – “Now if you kill this people as one man,
then the nations who have heard your fame will say…”
Ø
He requests for God to display His power – “… And now, please let the power of the Lord
be great as you have promised…”
Ø
He refused to have God propagate His name
through Mosaic lineage – he did not even make reference to such a possibility. His
primary concern was the glory of God.
Ø
He argued from God’s word – not experience. He quoted
promise upon promise, precept upon precept!
Ø
He argued from the understanding of who God is,
as He had revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 34 – “'The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving
iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth
generation.'”
The
best prayers are those that seek God's glory and honour. Such prayers are in
accordance with the first petition of the Lord's Prayer, Hallowed be thy
name. God’s glory is our prime
business on earth because God created us so that we may glorify and serve Him
forever. Pleading with Him to display His glory is our priority. In fact
believers are like the beautiful feather of a peacock displaying its beauty
when they are upon their knees pleading with the Lord God to show His glory.
We must
therefore evaluate our intercessory prayers and find out whether our prayer for
others is simply so that their welfare may come or God’s glory to be manifest,
even in the midst of their obstinate rebellion and lawlessness. We are to
understand that God being sovereignly in control of even the evil actions of
men is capable of turning everything for His eternal glory and good of His
people. While we are praying for them, we are seeking an occasion for God’s name
to be glorified as He answers prayers and vindicates His purposes.
2.
Be completely saturated with God’s
promises
From Moses’ intercession we see
that he is standing on the promises of God as He has revealed them in His Word.
He prayed, “And
now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying…” Moses in this is not
asking God to do what He has not said. His prayers are advised and informed by
the promises of God. There is no wisdom in asking God to do what He has not
promised, if we are concerned to pray according to the will of God. Moses knew
that God will do what He has promised and we so we would be wise to emulate
this great example.
What is the specific
promise that Moses had in mind? He quoted from God’s promise in a time of
rebellion over the golden calf in Mt. Sinai… the Lord revealed Himself in this
promise:
'The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity
and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth
generation.'
Moses in strengthening
His arguments in prayer clings on three things God had solemnly promised:
Ø The nature of God as good: God
is slow to anger or patient – meaning that His person and nature is that He is not
easily provoked; God abounds in great mercy; He is compassionate towards
offenders. God is good and we can fully stand on the promise of His nature as a
good God, dependable and absolutely trustworthy God.
Ø His inclination, even eagerness
to forgive sins: Forgiving
iniquity and transgression, sins of all sorts to all who ask, not
counting the sins of parents on their children. This is a specific promise to
cling to when faced with lawlessness and wickedness of men.
Ø His unwillingness to proceed to
extremity: Of either clearing the guilty or punishing to
annihilate. This is a promise anchored on God’s holiness and justice. He is God
who will in His own wisdom and grace punish so as to correct and not to
destroy. We must never think it is to a sinner’s good to go unpunished – as it
is not in accordance to the character of an infinitely holy God. It is for their
good, as a demonstration of God’s love to discipline those He loves (Heb.12:6)
In the 2nd commandment God had said that
He would visit the iniquity of fathers on
the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me (EX. 34:6).
So is this then according to the promise and will of God? Clearly this petition
is very applicable here and it just shows how Moses knew God’s Word.
Two things here:
1) Moses is not asking God not to punish
sins. He is requesting that God does not obliterate the whole nation as one
man. He is begging that God does not punish the righteous with the wicked just
his father Abraham had prayed for the people of Sodom. This is just like Christ
prayed, “Please forgive them Father for
they do not know what they are doing”. He is asking that they should not be
disinherited of their earlier promises.
2)
Although the Israelites had fallen in all sorts of sins and transgression
on this day, yet this was not the sin of idolatry that required capital
punishment by stoning – the contest of Exodus 34.
Here is a clear
encouragement to pray from the word of God, standing on divine promises. The
prayer that is according to the sovereign will of God is a prayer that stands
upon God’s Word. We have to pray with our Bibles open. We have to have the
promises expressed in God’s Word close to our chests and lips so that we can
make them the podium upon which we stand when in intercession.
3.
Plead God’s mercy as the true welfare
of the people
We see here that Moses is truly concerned for the welfare of the people
in the twofold requests that are made. He prayed,
“Please pardon the iniquity of this people,
according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven
this people, from Egypt until now."
1)
He pleaded the mercy of God for he knew that
such a dire situation could only be remedied by God, against whom they had
sinned. In this petition we see a sure trust in the pardoning mercy of God. It
is also called steadfast love for it is an enduring love. Agape love that bears
with the failings of sinners.
2)
He also pleaded with historical mercies of God
in forgiveness. The mercy upon which Moses was depending upon had worked in the
past and it will certainly work for now. He is calling God to display the same
forgiveness again (not just once more because he knew that the failings of men
are numerous). I wonder why Moses did not think that having been forgiven in
the past is something that could work against them. For why should they be
forgiven again? Did they not learn after the forgiveness was extended in the
past? God is indeed, 'The
LORD slow to anger and abounding in
steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means
clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the
third and the fourth generation.'
Moses knew the Lord well enough to know that another extension of
divine mercy and forgiveness to the rebels was not an assault at God’s mercy to
forgive again. Did not Christ preach that if your brother sins against you
seventy times seven times you forgive? And is God’s mercy not bigger than that?
Sin is an assault at the holiness of God, but a reproach to God’s
justice. Where sin is acknowledged and repented, there is a wealth of God’s
mercy, an eager willingness on God’s part to forgive and cleanse from all
unrighteousness. Therefore you can pray for your unbelieving husband, your
rebellious son and wild daughter with the knowledge that God’s mercy in
forgiveness cannot be so abused that anyone falls short when requests are made.
You can trust the Lord to ask for forgives of the worst sins committed in
rebellion against Him. His mercy and grace are inexhaustible!
In this passage we see Moses dimly placed on the intercessory position of
the Lord Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest whose throne is on high –
whoever lives and pleads for us. When the Israelites were displeased with God
they came to Moses and vented their anger against God to Moses. When God was
displeased with the sins of the people, He came to Moses and clearly Moses was
a type of Christ in interceding for us. Thankfully we have a better Priest for
we read from God’s word,
“Since then we have a great high priest who has
passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet
without sin” (Heb 4:14-15).
And again, “… For it was indeed fitting that we should
have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and
exalted above the heavens” (Heb
7:26).
And again, “…Now the point in what we are saying
is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty in heaven,” (Heb
8:1)
The
Lord Jesus Christ who intercedes for us is better placed to help us having gone
through the same temptations as we have, and being without sin. Moses fell
short because he sinned in the matter of the rock of Meribbah so that he was
not allowed to enter the promised land. Our Lord has entered not just the
earthly holy of holies, but has gone up and is now seated at the right hand of
throne of the Majesty in heaven. This shows how dependable is His intercession
for sinners.
If you live in rebellion against God and His revealed will – the only
hope for you is not a man like Moses. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who does not
only intercede but will indeed give you true pardon and cleanse you by His
blood from all sins and transgression making you to be as white as snow. May
you plead with you to be your Advocate before the Father, if you hope for a
certain acquittal.
Furthermore,
He has left us the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit who is the Helper, the Advocate,
the Counsellor so that although we do not know how to pray, He helps us for we
read,
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what
to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with
groanings too deep for words”
(Rom 8:26).
With such help in prayer, how can we be so negligent of prayer? How can
we not pray more and better? In this passage is encouragement for us to pray
more and better. Therefore, John Owen said,
I believe that no man can have any
evidence in his own soul that he doth
conscientiously perform any ministerial duty toward his flock, who doth not
continually pray for them. Let him preach as much as he will, visit as much as he
will, speak as much as he will, unless God doth keep up in him a spirit of prayer
in his closet and family for them, he can have no evidence that he doth perform
any other ministerial duty in a due manner, or that what he doth is accepted with
God. —John Owen
conscientiously perform any ministerial duty toward his flock, who doth not
continually pray for them. Let him preach as much as he will, visit as much as he
will, speak as much as he will, unless God doth keep up in him a spirit of prayer
in his closet and family for them, he can have no evidence that he doth perform
any other ministerial duty in a due manner, or that what he doth is accepted with
God. —John Owen
This is what is expected of me as your pastor – to preach and pray for
you. Please pray for me to more keen to be pray for you. I believe that prayer
is one thing that I am not as faithful as I ought – so pray that I may be more
fervent in prayer for you!
Yet remember that you have a duty to pray for yourself – wait not for
Moses, wait not for me, because the Spirit of God who dwells in you helps you
so that,
Every true Christian ought to be a
man of prayer. All his views, all his affections,
all his desires, hopes, and joys, ought to be constantly mounting on the wings of
devotions and flying before him into heaven. Every rub that he meets with in this
thorny wilderness, every outward combat, every inward struggle ought to make
his groans and prayers rise incessantly, as memorials before that throne from
which he expects aid and deliverance. Without this, he is only a nominal, not a
real Christian…If [he is] not addicted to prayer, [he] is a man without any interest
in Christ, without hope, and without God in the world. —John Smith
all his desires, hopes, and joys, ought to be constantly mounting on the wings of
devotions and flying before him into heaven. Every rub that he meets with in this
thorny wilderness, every outward combat, every inward struggle ought to make
his groans and prayers rise incessantly, as memorials before that throne from
which he expects aid and deliverance. Without this, he is only a nominal, not a
real Christian…If [he is] not addicted to prayer, [he] is a man without any interest
in Christ, without hope, and without God in the world. —John Smith
If you must have one single addiction, let it be to one thing – to be
spiritually minded and addicted to things that add an eternal value to your
life. What could be better than to be addicted to prayer? Pray because the Lord
answers prayer as we read in verse 20 that the Lord came to Moses after the
intercession and said, "I
have pardoned, according to your word!”
This is the great joy we have when we pray that the Lord hears our
prayers and will in due time show His grace to us and answer in accordance to
His divine wisdom and will.
Isaac Watts so beautifully captures this prayer in this song:
Isaac Watts so beautifully captures this prayer in this song:
Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive,
Let a repenting rebel live:
Are not Thy mercies large and free?
May not a sinner trust in Thee?
My crimes are great, but not surpass
The power and glory of Thy grace:
Great God, Thy nature hath no bound,
So let Thy pardoning love be found.
O wash my soul from every sin,
And make my guilty conscience clean;
Here on my heart the burden lies,
And past offenses pain my eyes.
My lips with shame my sins confess
Against Thy law, against Thy grace:
Lord, should Thy judgment grow severe,
I am condemned, but Thou art clear.
Should sudden vengeance seize my breath,
I must pronounce Thee just in death;
And if my soul were sent to hell,
Thy righteous law approves it well.
Yet save a trembling sinner, Lord,
Whose hope, still hovering round Thy Word,
Would light on some sweet promise there,
Some sure support against despair.
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