Incensed!

“When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf; you had quickly turned aside from the way He had commanded you! I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, and shattered them before your very eyes. Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger that threatened to destroy you. But He listened to me this time as well. The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too.” (Deuteronomy 9:16-20)

Moses gives us an incredible example of the power of intercessory prayer. After God makes an offer to “pull a Noah” by obliterating the nation of Israel and starting over with Moses as the father of a new nation (see Deuteronomy 9:13-14), Moses appeals to God on behalf of the people. And Moses is not casual in his prayer effort: he spends forty days and nights laid out before the LORD in prayer and fasting.

What an encouragement to know that, even in the face of gross sin and evil, God allows men to stand in the gap (see Ezekiel 22:30-31) and plead for the mercy of God to override the mean state of our culture, our colleagues, and ourselves.

But, are we willing to go beyond words? Moses involved his entire being. He prayed; he laid prostrate on the ground; he denied himself the basic needs of food and water. And, he did this for a people that regularly complained about his leadership and about God’s vision and provision. What a profound demonstration of the love of God.

Let us take warning and encouragement from Matthew Henry's commentary:

"Those that know how to value God's gracious presence, will be the more fervent in their prayers. When presented through the sacrifice and intercession of the Saviour, they will be as acceptable to God as the daily sacrifices and burnings of incense were of old. Prayer is a spiritual sacrifice, it is the offering up the soul and its best affections. Good men know the evil of tongue sins. When enemies are provoking, we are in danger of speaking unadvisedly. While we live in an evil world, and have such evil hearts, we have need to pray that we may neither be drawn nor driven to do any thing sinful. Sinners pretend to find dainties in sin; but those that consider how soon sin will turn into bitterness, will dread such dainties, and pray to God to take them out of their sight, and by his grace to turn their hearts against them. Good men pray against the sweets of sin."

O LORD, my body is Your temple: worship happens here. Let my prayers for Your people be accepted and received as a sweet-smelling incense in Your Presence. O LORD, my soul is completely surrendered to Your desires. Let my lifted hands be accepted and received as the evening thanks-giving oblation. (see Psalm 141:2)