Moses Intercedes

Background Scripture: Numbers 14
Lesson Scripture: Numbers 14:11-24

Introduction

God’s bountiful blessings await the faithful. God gives us peace in our hearts, joy that the world cannot give, and the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence. After this life, He has promised us eternal life in heaven’s splendor.

The promised land is glorious beyond human comprehension, but how will we ever reach this eternal land of paradise? Have we perfectly followed his leading? Have we always possessed absolute faith and never questioned God’s direction? Have we never turned back in our hearts, doubting his providence?

We cannot obtain these promised blessings through our own merit or expert performance, but we have a great High Priest, Jesus Christ, who loves us deeply and provides and intercedes for us.

Key Verse

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Rom. 8:27).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

The Israelites have been delivered from Egypt’s bondage by the mighty hand of God. They have walked through the Red Sea on dry land and have seen God’s power and care for them displayed in miraculous ways. They also have been quick to complain against Moses and have doubted God’s guidance; ten times they have provoked the Lord.

The twelve spies have just spent forty days scouting out the land of Canaan. Starting at the southern border of this promised land and traveling northward, they have covered much territory. The men who searched out the northern border have traveled approximately five hundred miles in their quest to understand the wealth of this land, the people who live here, and the cities with their fortifications.

Now they report to Israel. Two spies say that it is a rich and fertile land. They extol the beauties and glories of the land and say, “Let us go and possess it!” Ten spies argue against this view. They say that this land consumes the inhabitants, and only giants can subsist in this land. They conclude that they are not able to conquer it (Num. 13:32-33).

As this word comes to the people of Israel, they show their hearts’ true contents. Falling into despair, they cry all night wishing they had died in Egypt or in the wilderness and even suggest procuring a captain who will lead them back to Egypt. They turn against Moses and Aaron, who fall on their faces before all the congregation. Caleb and Joshua testify of their faith in God and plead with the people to change their attitude. As the cry goes out to stone the faithful men, the glory of the Lord appears in the tabernacle.

God desired a people who would honor Him—a people on whom He could pour out his blessings. These people are not only fearful of the giants in the land but also rebel against God. They do not believe God will fulfill his promises. God is ready to exterminate them and to start over by making a nation of Moses’s descendants.

Moses now pleads with God to forgive. He uses God’s own character as a springboard for his plea and applies directly to the heart of God. Is there a place for these people in God’s providential plan? Is there yet mercy for their self-willed foolishness? Moses does not gloss over the sin as he acknowledges their iniquity. He places them before the Lord as a sinful people in need of forgiveness. Inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, Moses’s plea touches the heart of God, and He pardons their transgression.

God’s promises are given upon conditions. The Israelites’ unbelief in the promises God made to them has canceled those rewards. A blessing for faithfulness will not be received where faith has been cast away. At Moses’s intercession, God extends those beautiful promises to their children. The faithful shall obtain the promises.

Practical Truths for Today

“For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass” (Deut. 8:7-9).

Moses spoke these eloquent words to the children of Israel shortly before departing from the plains of Moab and climbing up Mount Nebo to view the promised land. Forty years earlier, Moses had earnestly interceded for their rebellious fathers on the borderland of Canaan. Now the next generation would be receiving the blessing God extended to them through his mercy.

As we look at Moses’s life and leadership, we see a man of integrity. Although he carried human weaknesses, there is something of deeper significance. In Moses we catch a glimpse of a portrait of Christ and an example for us toward others. Moses was not only a great leader but also a devoted shepherd, a man who gave his very heart and life to care for God’s flock. Pouring out his soul in prayer, he cried to the Lord for the people many times. Moses invested his whole being in guiding these people safely through the wilderness to the promised land.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, gave his life for us so that we could someday reach the paradise of God. Even now, He is at the Father’s right hand interceding for us. We are given a beautiful rendition of the work of Christ in Isaiah 53: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6).

The Holy Spirit moved Moses’s heart to cry for the people. Would the children of Israel ever have inherited the land of Canaan if Moses had not interceded for them? Where would we be without the intercessory work of our Savior? We would have no hope of obtaining the promises. “Only thru Thy grace dear Lord, I am saved from sin” 1 is the realization of the believer who has caught an understanding of what our advocate, Jesus Christ, does for him. Should we not also be pleading the cause of someone else in need as well? An advocate is one who supports or promotes the cause of someone else. Though we cannot save another person, we can make their spiritual welfare a matter of our utmost concern.

Questions

1. Does Jesus’s intercession for us reach into physical areas of our lives, or is his intercession solely concerned with our salvation?
2. Do we know when Jesus is interceding for us?
3. For whom should we intercede? Should we focus mostly on those we are closely acquainted with, or should these prayers be for a wide range of people?
4. 1 “Only Thru Thy Grace,” R. H. Cunningham, Christian Endeavor Songs No. 2
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).