Prayer for the People

Prayer for the People
Words of Faith 3-8-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 32
[7] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. [8] They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' [9] "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. [10] Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." [11] But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "O LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? [12] Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. [13] Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.'" [14] Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Of course, the Lord knew everything happening at the bottom of the mountain. After having given extensive instruction regarding the Tabernacle, the Lord suddenly changed the subject.
You need to go down because your people have become corrupt. They have turned away from what I commanded and done the worst of things. They are a stiff-necked people. We don't want to miss that the Lord has changed his reference from "my people" to "your people." On the list of things we don't want to be called by the Lord, "corrupt" and "stiff-necked" would have to be high.
The Lord was angry. He told Moses to leave so that his anger could burn. The intention of the Lord was to destroy the people and start over.
We see here an amazing moment in the relationship between God and humanity. Moses was indeed a shepherd at heart. He began to plead on behalf of the people. It is an excellent quality that a leader will not abandon hope for his people. We also must realize that Moses had not seen any of this revelry firsthand, but God had seen it. Moses may have even thought it could not be all that bad, but he would eventually see just how bad it was.
In an amazing moment of prayer, Moses did not seek to justify the people's actions. He called upon the Lord to consider what the Egyptians might say about God. It is a peculiar argument we hear in other parts of Scripture. Moses also called upon the Lord to remember his promise to Abraham to make the Hebrews as numerous as the stars in the sky.
The fantastic thing is that the Lord relented. This is not the same as "repented." The word "relented" does not mean that God changed His mind but that He embarked on a different course of action. His anger and grief over the situation was unchanged. The Hebrew word suggests relief or comfort from a planned, undesirable course of action. God is not inflexible. He responds to individuals' needs, attitudes, and actions.
Of course, we can get into a lengthy and unresolvable discussion about whether the Lord knew he would "relent" in advance of these things. We get into discussions about foreknowledge and Omniscience. There can be no doubt that the Lord knows the end from the beginning. But we also don't want to miss that God invites us into a dialogue called prayer. Sometimes this life of prayer involves pleading on behalf of people and situations that are very desperate. We should never assume that such prayers are not heard or do not make a difference.

Heavenly Father, teach me the life of prayer. Show me the ways of intercession. Build in me a deep trust for Your ways. But also show me how I am to plead before Your throne of grace the needs of my family and those around me. In Jesus' Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.