Numbers 14:11-24 – Moses Prays for Mercy

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

IF and when you pray, how often do you make intercession for all of those around you? Numbers 14 shows us how integral intercessory prayer is.

Introduction

What is the easiest and greatest thing that we can do for one another, and all of those around us, as Christians, yet many are slow to do it?  Make intercession.

If there is anything we need more of today, it is believers interceding on behalf of others.  In our lesson this week, we are going to look at Moses’ intercession on behalf of the children of Israel to see what comes from a child of God interceding on behalf of others.  This week’s Sunday School commentary will cover scripture from Numbers 14:11-24. 

What we will focus on learning in this week’s Sunday School commentary:

1. The importance of intercesion.
2. How and why we should intercede on behalf of others.
3. God’s response to our intercession.

Israel Rejects God’s Blessing

This week’s lesson opens with the Lord speaking to Moses about the children of Israel.  In Numbers 14:11, God asked Moses two questions about the children of Israel.  God asked:  “How long will these people reject Me?  And how long will they not believe Me?”  

Essentially, God asked Moses the same question because the people weren’t willingly following Him.  These were questions that God asked Moses on the heels of the children of Israel refusing to enter the Promised Land, as shown in Numbers 13-14:10.  

You see, the children of Israel had reached a point where they could enter the Promised Land two years after they had been freed from bondage in Egypt.  However, rather than immediately entering the land, God permitted them to send twelve spies into the land. 

After spending forty days in the land, the twelve spies returned with the reports.  After initially saying the land was good, ten of the spies would go on to talk of the people living in the land with great fear.  Their fear stirred up fear in the people and led them to reject what God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, tried to encourage the people with faith, but the people turned them away.

God had shown Himself to be faithful to what He promised, but the people rejected Him.  In Numbers 14:11, we will see that God mentioned to Moses the “signs” that He had performed for them, but they still rejected Him.  The “signs” are a reference to the plagues that God plagued Egypt with, the manna that He provided for them, and all of the quail the Lord provided them when they complained, as shown in Numbers 11.

The two questions the Lord asked Moses were asked with the thought that the people ought to have trusted that God would make a way for them in the Promised Land, since He had already done for them while they were in Egypt.  Yet, as I have often said over the years, believing isn’t seeing for everyone.

God has done much for me in my life, and I walk in the faith that what God has done for me before, He will do it for me again.  God has proven such faith and confidence in Him to be right.  As Paul said in Romans 10:10, belief takes place in the heart.  

This is also the teaching of Christ, who said that the word of God is sown as a seed, and upon some, it falls on fertile soil where it takes root.  However, some are as the wayside, thorny, or stony surfaces; they receive the same word, can see the same works, but it does not take root in their heart.

 After all of the effort, God’s work had not taken root in the heart of the children of Israel, and they did not trust that He would deliver them from the people who dwelt in the Promised Land.  Numbers 14:12 shows the anger of the Lord because the children of Israel had not learned to walk by faith.

Israel’s Sin Angers God

In His anger, the Lord said to Moses, “I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”  

This is a statement that reminds us of what the Lord said to Moses when the children of Israel worshiped the molded calf of gold at Mount Sinai.  In Exodus 32:10, God said to Moses, “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.”

In the account of Numbers 14:12, when the Lord spoke of disinheriting the children of Israel, He was talking about taking away the blessing of them inheriting the Promised Land.  Now, you may not understand how serious this statement is, but you should understand that God is not the kind of God who goes back on His promises.  When God makes a promise, He can swear by no one greater, so He has to swear to Himself (Heb. 6:13).  If God were to take away a promise, He would prove to be unfaithful to Himself.

Now, in this case, when the Lord spoke of making Moses a great nation, He would still prove faithful to His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, since Moses was of their seed.  Yet, just speaking of disinheriting the rest of the people shows how great a crime it was for the children of Israel to reject the Promised Land.  

I want you to understand that God takes His promises and His blessings incredibly seriously!  Don’t you make light of what God has promised, nor what He has, or will, give to you.

Moses’ Intercession for Israel

Now, let’s dive into Numbers 14:13-19, which shows us Moses’ intercession for the children of Israel.

Concern about God’s perception

Moses’ intercession, from Numbers 14:13-16, began with him speaking of how others would perceive God should He have struck down the children of Israel.  Now, I find it really interesting that Moses began with the outward perception, and let me explain why.

Many of us don’t care too much about what others may think about us.  We have learned over time to value the opinions of those who are closest to us, especially those who desire to see us flourish and prosper.  Those who hate and look down on us for whatever reason, we learn to disregard their opinions so that we may move forward positively, rather than get hung up on the negative.

God cares what we, mankind, think of Him.  Now, this might be something that you have never considered, or don’t buy into, but God does care about how He is perceived.  If you don’t believe me, scripture is filled with proof that shows that God works to earn our love so that we may come to Him in faith.

So, for example, in Numbers 14:11, the Lord had referenced the signs that He had shown Israel – the plagues in Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the wonders at Mount Sinai.  Why do you suppose God performed such wonders?  

God didn’t have to plague the Egyptians, right?  God could have simply moved Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land in the blink of an eye.  God didn’t have to part the Red Sea; He could have lifted the Israelites over it.  God didn’t have to provide manna to the children of Israel; He could have just made their stomachs never grow hungry.  

God plagued the Egyptians so that Pharaoh and the Egyptians would recognize that man is not God, and that the one true God is all-powerful (Ex. 7:5; 8:10; 9:14; 12:12)!  God plagued the Egyptians and parted the Red Sea so that the children of Israel could see how powerful the one true God is.  God gave His law to the children of Israel to give them the opportunity to choose whether or not they would live in obedience.  

To this present day, everything that God does for mankind boils down to this choice:  Will one believe in Him or not?  

Why do you suppose God gave mankind His only begotten Son?  Yes, Christ was given for the salvation of those who choose to believe in Him.  Yet, there is another important reason why God gave His only begotten Son that both Paul and John pointed out in their letters.

In Romans 5:8, Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In 1 John 4:9, John wrote, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

For those who deny Christ, in Matthew 5:45, Jesus spoke about how the Father causes the sun to rise and set upon the evil and the good, while at the same time, He sends His rain to fall and water the earth for both the just and the unjust.  God does these things to earn the love of mankind so that one will make the choice to turn to Him and trust in Him.

Moses, starting his intercession by speaking about the outward perception of the Lord, showed how attuned he was with God’s greater plan.  In Exodus 19:5-6, the Lord revealed His greater plan to Moses, in that God desired Israel to be to Him a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Priests serve the Lord by being of service to the people.  Priests are supposed to be examples, spiritual leaders, for others to look to so that they may also walk in an upright manner.  What this means is that Israel, as a holy nation, were to be the example for all other nations to follow in so that they may also live in a manner that pleases the Lord.

Had God struck down the children of Israel, as Moses said, the Egyptians would have mocked them and God.  As Moses said, the Egyptians would have taken that message to those living in the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants of the land would have also ridiculed the Lord.

The day would have never come for someone like Rehab, who was saved from the destruction of Jericho.  The day would have never come for someone like Ruth, who followed in Naomi’s faith.  The Queen of Sheba would have never been able to marvel at Solomon’s temple and return to her people speaking about the God of Israel.

The perception of God would have been that God was too weak to bring the children of Israel to His blessing.  Moses essentially posed the question:  Who would turn to a God that gave up on His chosen people?

A plea from great faith

In Numbers 14:17-19, we will see Moses’ plea and prayer, where he asks the Lord to show mercy on the people.  In this petition, Moses quoted what the Lord proclaimed when He passed before Him, as shown in Exodus 34:5-7.

Let’s notice that while Moses prayed for God to be merciful, he did not ask God to ignore the sins of sinners.  Before the Lord spoke a word to Moses, he knew that what the children of Israel were doing would displease God.  We can see this in Numbers 14:5 when both Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in grief as the children of Israel began speaking against God’s promise.

Now, by quoting God’s proclamation, Moses didn’t simply show that he remembered what God said, but that he had faith in God’s proclamation.  Moses had not given up on God, nor had he given up on the people, though their sin truly was great.  The fact that Moses had not given up in such a dire situation speaks of the great depth of faith that Moses had.

For one to intercede on behalf of the sins of others is a show of the greatest faith that one can possess.  Intercession should be something that is now natural for the believer to do.  As believers, we should live in consideration of the intercession Christ made for all of us by laying down His life so that we may have life eternal.  

Let us always keep in mind that Christ laid down His life out of love to fulfill the Father’s will.  If we live in consideration of the intercession that Christ made for us, then we who have benefited from such great love ought to share that love with others.

Let me remind you that Moses had benefited from the same grace and mercy from the Lord.  You see, Moses had killed an Egyptian before he fled from Egypt to dwell with Jethro and the Midianites.  God did not condemn nor destroy Moses; He turned to Moses and sent him to Egypt to free His people.

It would have been awfully selfish of Moses to give up on the people so that God would make a nation through him, right?  It is awfully selfish of a Christian to be so uncaring that they will not intercede on behalf of others.  Are not others worthy of God’s mercy and forgiveness?  Who are we to judge and to condemn others of not being worthy of God’s mercy and forgiveness?

Not to mince any words, but I believe more intercession is needed out of believers today rather than condemnation.  Many who say that they believe in the Lord seem to be quicker to judge and condemn, rather than to love and intercede. 

God’s Response to Intercession 

God’s response to Moses intercession is shown to us in Numbers 14:20-24.  We will note that God showed mercy to the Israelites in that He did not destroy them, but rather He let them live.  

However, while the Lord did show Israel mercy, He did not permit this generation of Israel to inherit the Promised Land.  In Numbers 14:29, God made it clear that those twenty and above, aside from Joshua and Caleb, would not be permitted to inherit the Promised Land.  The younger generation would cross the Jordan, being led by Joshua, to conquer the land of Canaan.  So, God was faithful to His proclamation in that He did show mercy.

Let me ask you this question:  Do you believe there is a consequence to your sin even when God has shown you mercy?  

I believe that sometimes, some of us live in a way where we will live sinfully and try to use God as an escape from the consequences of sinful choices.  Something that should be made very clear about God’s mercy and forgiveness is that the benefit is a spiritual benefit.  Mercy gives us an opportunity to make correction, and forgiveness lifts the burden and guilt of sin from the soul.

Yet, the consequences for our day-to-day choices remain, don’t they?  There is a price to pay for one who habitually lies, right?  There is a consequence for mistreating others.  There is a consequence for abusing others.  There is a consequence for abusing and mistreating yourself.  I’ll tell anyone that I brought on my renal failure for foolish choices I made years and years ago.

Some people often wonder why there is hunger and homelessness if God is real.  Some often wonder why there is war and violence if God is real.  The answer is that God permits life to play out; He lets the choice we make play out.  Will God permit His children to be destroyed?  Absolutely not!

Yet, the Lord lets life play itself out while still being sovereign over it.  What this means for all of us is that we have to take into consideration the choices that we make.  We must consider the choices we make because every choice has a consequence, and to add on to that, God is going to judge us for how we choose to live.  

How will you choose to live?  Will it be in a manner that pleases the Lord?  The word of God makes it clear that intercession truly pleases the Lord more than anything else.  In John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”  

Do you know what displeases the Lord?  In Isaiah 59:15-16, the Lord made it clear through the prophet Isaiah that it displeased Him that no one would stand in the gap for those who turned from evil.  In fact, Jesus shared the Parable of the Unforgiven Servant to speak against one being so ungrateful as to share the same love that God has shown us through His only begotten Son.