The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 185

Abrnham in Gen. xviii. It ie a.n intercession for Sodom. It would seem that, while prayer of every kind ie made welcome in heaven, a. peculiarly gracious welcome ie prepared for the prayers in which the petitioner forgets himself for the time, in the ardour of hie desire for the good of others. It is in connection with the command to •• pray one for another" that the assurance is given," the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous ma.n a.va.ileth much" (Ja.mes v. 16). And one ca.n perceive that the intercessory prayers of the Bible saints have been recorded in Scripture by the Holy 'Spirit with a peculiarly a.ffectiona.te ea.re. In this highest kind of prayer Moses ex- -celled. During his long leadership of the people, dangers from without a.nd murmurings from amongst the people themselves gave frequent occasion for depre- cating God's wrath and invoking his help ; a.nd Moses never failed to rise to such occasions. Hie intercessions are amongst the most instructive of any on record. I. THE OOCASION Oll' THE PRESENT PRAYER. The people have at length reached the threshold of the promised land; but beyond the threshold they will not advance. Disbelieving the promise, they first insisted on sending spies ; and then, when the spies returned, they would hear only the bad report. They even proposed to stone Moses choose a new leader, a.nd go back to Egypt. They would not listen to Joshua. and C~leb a.nd were only restrained by a. threatening a.ppeara.nce of the Lord in the cloud abo~e the tabernacle. So greatly was the wrath of God kindled, that he threatened to consume the congregation utterly, a.nd raise up a. more faithful people in their atea.d, "I will smite them ; I will disinherit them ; I will make of thee a .greater nation a.nd mightier than they." Moses may have been-I believe he was- unprepared for the incredible perversity of the present outbreak of rebellion ; but he was not unprepared for the threatening which it provoked. A similar outbreak had been followed with the same threatening a.t Sinai. And Moses did not fail to remember ·how, on that occasion, the threatened destruction had been averted by his intercession (Exod. mii. 7-14). So, now also, he with reverent boldness" stood before the Lord in the breach, to tum a.way hie wrath, lest he should destroy them" (Pa. cvi 23). II. THE PRAYER. It is summed up in one word," Pardon I" (ver. 19). "Pardon, 1 beseech thee, the iniquity of this people." Forgive, yet this once, their perverse <disobedience ; revoke the sentence pronounced against them ; fulfil thy promise by granting them the la.nd.--I need not sa.y more about this petition. The remarkable thing in the prayer is not what Moses asks, but THE ARGUMENT WITH WHICH HE ENFORCES BIS REQUEST. First, M pleads that tM M11,0'1/,T of God's great name is at stake. The Lord had been pleased to put hie name on the children of Israel. He had -chosen them to be his specie.I possession, ma.king them the deposita.ries of hie oracles and ordinances, a.nd the witnesses for his truth. All this wa.s now become matter of notoriety. In the mind of the nations round about the name of the Lord was identified with the seed of Abraham. Vera. 13-16, q. d., "If the tribes perish here, the Egyptians will hear of it, and what will they thinli:? The signs wrought in their sight, both in Egypt a.nd at the Red Sea, have taught them that thou, the God of -Ja.cob, art the Most High, and that thou hast chosen Israel for thy people; a.nd the report of thy doings in Horeb, and by the way, have deepened the impression made by the Egyptian signs. Let not this salutary impression be effaced by dis- -comfiture now. Let not Egypt from behind, and the Cana.anites in front, about in derision of thy great name.' - I much fear that this argument does not usually find the place of prominence in our prayers that it finds here in Moses' prayer. The 'interest of God's name-his truth and cause-in the earth does not lie so near our 'hearts. Yet it certainly ought,, "Hallowed be thy name" should get the pince of honour in our prayers. More particularly, we ought to guard against everything -which would bring reproach on true religion in the view of the outside world. 'Chrietiane a.re to "walk in wisdom toward them that are without." There a.re still Egyptians a.nd Canaanites watching to henr, and eager to spread, any report regard- ing the professed people of Christ which they think can be made use of to the -disparagement of Divine truth a.nd the Christian ea.use. Secondly, Moses pleads the L,mfs promise. Along with vers. 17, 18 read Exod. xxxiv. 5-7. The refer- -ence cannot be mistaken. Q. d,, "Didst not thou show me thy glory in Horeb, a.nd was not thy glory this, viz., that thou hast mercy? Di,lst not thou declare to me -that thy name is the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity 166 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [CHB. xm., XIV.