Because He Prayed

“And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.” (De 9:20 AV)

It may be the only thing standing between us and the chastening hand of God is the prayer of a man of God.  At least twice, for both Israel and Aaron, it was the intercession of Moses that stayed the hand of God.  Specially in the matter of the molten calf, Aaron’s life was in jeopardy.  Moses could have chosen to not intercede for Aaron and would have been fully justified in doing so.  Herein is the heart of Moses!  He loved the people whom God had given him to the point of interceding for them at the very times they deserved it the least.

When I was a kid, my sister and I were at a local department store and my sister dared me to shoplift.  Always trying to impress her, (and to this day I have no idea why) I attempted that very thing.  Asking her to be the lookout, she failed miserably in her assigned task.  I was caught.  Taken to the office of the loss prevention officer, I sat there terrified of what my future life of a convicted criminal might be like.  I was too young to go off to prison over a whistle that cost a penny.  But I had heard horror stories of hardened eight-year-olds becoming career criminals after they had left their prison experience.  There I sat, waiting to be loaded into a squad car and hauled off to a maximum-security prison.  I sat there for two hours.  Not a peep from me or the officer.  I sat there, staring at the floor.  He sat there, starring at me.  Then in walked my father.  I was told to wait outside the office.  A few minutes later, my father, came out and headed towards the car.  Without saying a word, I followed.  The ride home was silent.  We got home and we both exited the car.  He went back to work in my office and I sat outside waiting to be called to his office and chastened for my hideous criminal activity.  Hours went by.  Nothing.  Diner came and we all sat at the table.  My father carried on his usual conversations with the family.  I sat in silence.  The next day, it was silence all over again.  It wasn’t until later that afternoon that I realized my father was not going to bring it up.  What I realized was that in those few moments with the loss prevention officer, my father bore my shame and interceded on my behalf.  It was this love that spoke volumes.  Never again did I ever cause my father problems.  He loved me.  He loved me enough to stand for me when I deserved it the least.

Many a preacher bears the shame of disobedient sheep.  When the make choices that are worthy of God’s chastening hand, they also bear the shame and reproach the sheep’s choice brings upon the house of God and even the preacher.  Yet, they love the sheep.  They will pray for the sheep.  There are times when God’s hand is determined to come, yet the prayers of the man of God stays that hand.  He bears the reproach of the people of God whom he is leading and begs God’s mercy for them.  It could very well be that there are churches and saints that are alive today because there was a preacher who stood for them and prayed for them.