Numbers 14:13-19

MOISE PRAYS BEFORE THE ETERNAL GOD

Moses was confronted with a great difficulty, so he prayed before God. In the same way, when we are confronted with trouble, instead of being afraid or wracking our brains for human wisdom, we must above all come to the feet of God to pray. Let's learn about the content of Moses' prayer.

1. Moses prayed for the honor of the Eternal God

Moses remembered how the Eternal God had guided the people of Israel up to this moment (13,14). After that, he invokes the honor of the Eternal God, saying that if God kills his rebellious people in the desert, that would be a great dishonor for God. Thus, Moses begs the Lord to hold back. We can see here that Moses doesn't pray for his people, for the future of his people, or for himself, but that he prays that the name of the Eternal God would not be dishonored. We should not pray for our church or our people independently of God's will and glory. Many people pray in this way, but we must stop. Instead, let's pray that the glory of God would be revealed beyond our family, our sheep or our church.

2. Moses prayed while believing in the love of God

If we look at Moses' prayer, we see that he first recognized himself as a sinner deserving eternal condemnation (19). He also acknowledged that the Lord visits the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation, but in the bottom of his heart, Moses also believed that God is a God of love. Therefore, he was able to come before God and beg for mercy, forgiveness and that God would continue to love his rebellious people. We must pray while believing in the love of God ; we must also pray for the glory of God as our primary subject.

Prayer : Lord, help us to live for your glory and to believe in your love, so that people around us will believe in your love. Correct the prayer of this people.

Bottom line : Forgive this people, just as you forgave your people whom you brought out of Egypt and sustained until now (19b)