Exodus Chapter 32 is one of the most powerful examples of the necessity, power and potential of intercessory prayer in all of Scripture. Note that in vv. 7-10 God tells Moses that He is ready to judge and destroy all the Israelites, His chosen people, for their rebellion. He tells Moses that He will start over with him and make Himself a great nation.
Upon hearing God’s plan and judgment, (vv. 11-13) Moses intercedes and prays. This one prayer actually moved the Lord to change His mind, turn away from His wrath and to have compassion instead. The people were spared. This one prayer saved over 600,000 men plus women and children.
Commemorating the event, Ps. 106:23 reads, “Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.” 1
People often have the wrong idea of God’s sovereignty & the power of prayer He has granted His children. Some people have a theological view of God that sees Him more of a script writer in which nothing humans do matter. This is not the God we see in Scripture.
OUR TAKE-AWAYS
God wants you and I to get involved in His work. We can see this truth in the following verses, just to name a few:
- 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.”
- Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
- Ezekiel 22:30 “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
- Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
In His sovereignty, God has chosen to work through ‘second causes.’ This means that rather than just doing everything Himself through sovereign, miraculous acts, He has instead invited you and I to get involved in doing His Kingdom work. He works through one person in order to reach another. This goes for salvation, encouragement, rebuke, correction, financial and material help, etc.
Moses’ one prayer immediately saved roughly 1,000,000 lives in all and their future descendants! That is 1,000,000+ people that would have died had not Moses stood in the gap and made intercessory prayer.
What has God created us for? What gap is He calling us to stand in? Who are we failing by not seeking the Lord and doing His will? What or who could possibly be a casualty because of our unfaithfulness?
Article Footnotes- unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the King James Version[↩]