Interceding in prayer

Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation." Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: "LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.' " So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. – Exodus 32.10-14

The communication between God and Moses is a special blessing. God allows us to be a part of a very private conversation.

In our feeble human terms God had had enough. He was ready to wipe out the nation for their rebellion. He told Moses what He was going to do ‘let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.’

Moses had a chance here to become the new Abraham. God was going to wipe out the seed of Abraham and start over with a ‘seed of Moses.’

But Moses’ nature shines through here. Instead of personal gain Moses intercedes in prayer for the nation. Instead of becoming the new Abraham he ‘reminds’ God of His promises to the first Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.

There are a few things we could talk about here, but I think the thing that sticks out for us is Moses’ prayer of intercession.

Like Moses we too are surrounded by a world in rebellion to God. Like Moses we ought to be concerned enough for them that we forget about ourselves and be interceding for them in prayer as well. Our burden ought not to be for us and our self-promotion but for a world which is facing God’s wrath.

May I be a Moses like interceder in my prayer life.