Moses' Intercession: Prayer That Turns Away Divine Judgment

"Then the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people" (Exodus 32:14). What man could expect by prayer to make Elohim alter His decree? Yet when Israel neglected to pray for deliverance from impending judgment, Moses positioned himself among the sinners. The moment he ventured his intercession, Yahweh granted pardon to the entire nation.

Moses understood that grace does not always mean impunity. Though he obtained God's pardon, the nation must still atone for its sins. As the Psalmist wrote, "Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though Thou tookest vengeance of their inventions." When Elohim removed hundreds from Israel, He acted as a surgeon—sparing not the knife though it inflicted pain, removing precious members that the body itself might be saved from inevitable death.

What power resides in humble, believing, fervent, persevering prayer? It opens the treasures hidden in God's paternal heart and shuts the floodgates of His penal judgments. It brings blessings upon heads laden with the curse of sin. This truth extends to the New Covenant. When James was martyred, what kept the sword from Peter's head? The Church's constant prayer. What preserved Augustine? The prayers of his mother Monica—because a child for whom so many tears were shed could not possibly be lost.

Christians, if you truly seek your brother's salvation and your own, persevere in prayer.