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Children’s Question: What is your favorite thing you do with your Mom and Dad?
Scripture Reading
What does a good Father do?
ILLUSTRATION
The story is told of the sharecropper who was charged with stealing his landlord’s mule.
The landlord was a rich and domineering man who had few friends among the common people, but the evidence against the defendant was overwhelming.
When the jury retired to consider the verdict, they were out only 5 minutes.
"Have you reached a verdict, Mr. Foreman?" asked the judge.
"We have, Your Honor," the foreman replied, and handed a paper to the clerk.
The clerk read: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty, provided that he returns the mule."
The judge brought the gavel down sharply, saying, "Folks that’s not a proper verdict.
The defendant is either guilty or not guilty."
He told the jury to retire and come back with a lawful verdict.
So they left the room and returned again in another five minutes.
The verdict was handed to the clerk who unfolded the paper, and read the following: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty.
He can keep the mule."
APPLICATION: You might say that jury was engaged in some creative decision making.
They were not comfortable with the options they had, so they came up a verdict that was new and unique.
Today, we’re going to take a look at how Moses pleaded with God during a difficult time…
It’s a teaching from scripture that seems to go against everything we’ve ever been taught about God.
But a teaching might just help us understand prayer in a way that is entirely new.
Let’s look at the setting for Moses’ prayer in
About 4 months previously, Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, and from the moment they were released they just complained!
They complained at the waters of the Red Sea because they were afraid of the Egyptians
Egyptians
They complained in the desert because they didn’t think they had enough to eat ... and then, they didn’t think they had enough to drink!
When they got to Mt. Sinai, their kept them from experiencing God’s presence...
Exo 20:18-20
Throughout the OT all the Israelites ever did was complain and grumble!
Chapter 31 emphasizes this, by reviewing the Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.
And when Moses went back up the mountain to talk to God, the people got restless, and they talk Aaron into making a golden calf for them to worship.
The Israelites were nothing but trouble from the time God freed them from their chains—and God finally had enough!
chains... and now – it appears – God has had... enough.
Let’s read VERSES 7-10 ()
God tells Moses “I’m going to wipe them off the face of the earth and build a new nation around you.”
God tells Moses “I’m going to wipe them off the face of the earth and build a new nation around you.”
Was God serious?
Did He really intend to annihilate the entire nation & rebuild a new nation from Moses’ offspring?
The answer is clearly, “Yes!”
Moses certainly took God seriously!
Moses was SO convinced God intended to do what He threatened, that he offered up an immediate and extremely intense plea.
Now understand, when I say “plea” I’m talking about prayer!
(Dialogue with God)
Exo 32:11-
WHAT A SHOCKING PASSAGE!
DID YOU CATCH IT?
AND as a result of Moses’ conversation, God changes His mind and decides NOT to destroy the Israelites.
It says, as a result of Moses’ conversation, God changes His mind and decides NOT to destroy the Israelites.
[PAUSE] He did WHAT?
God changed His mind?
He’s not supposed to do that!
In Numbers, God Himself tells us:
[EXPLAIN: This can be a difficult passage]
[EXPLAIN: This can be a difficult passage]
EXPLAIN: This can be a difficult passage.
You may be thinking, “I’ve always heard God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.
God is supposed to know all things.
But if He knows all things, why make this threat if He knows He’ll not do what He’s threatened?”
You may be thinking, “I’ve always heard God knows all things.
But if He knows all things, why make this threat if He knows He’ll not do what He’s threatened?”
[PAUSE] The passage has been a point of controversy for hundreds of years!
HOWEVER, there is a clear biblical answer...
The passage has been a point of controversy for hundreds of years!
HOWEVER, there is a clear biblical answer
And the answer is found when we UNDERSTAND prayer!
We’re taught that prayer is a powerful force.
Jesus said:
Jesus said...
He tells us: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
In He tells us: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
James tells us:
In Jesus declares: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”
Or as James puts it: “...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16
“...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
IN FACT, Verse 16 is more accurately translated, “The fervent prayer of a righteous person, is the ONLY prayer heard at all!”
All our lives, we’ve been told that we can change things through prayer.
But in the back of our minds, there’s this nagging suspicion that prayer doesn’t really do all that much.
We think, God is God and God’s gonna do what God’s gonna do!
I mean, if God’s going to do what He wants to do anyway – why bother?
SO why pray?
What difference will it make?
If God’s going to do what He wants to do anyway—why bother?
TELLS US WHY WE SHOULD BOTHER!
And the text also reveals why God changed His mind, and the shocking reason why people find prayer so INEFFECTIVE!
FIRST, ask WHY did God tell Moses to “leave Me alone?”
“Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them.
Then I will make you into a great nation."
Why bother to tell Moses to leave Him alone?
Why not simply stretch forth His arm and wipe Israelites off the face of map... and then tell Moses what was going to happen next?
He’s God after all?
What difference would it make whether or not Moses approved of this plan?
Why not simply stretch forth His arm and wipe Israelites off the face of map... and then tell Moses what was going to happen next?
He’s God after all?
What difference would it make whether or not Moses approved of this plan?
[PAUSE] It seems it made ALL the difference in the world!
In fact, IT LOOKS LIKE GOD IS ASKING FOR MOSES’ PERMISSION to do what He has decided!
WHY WOULD GOD DO THAT?
Because, GOD GAVE MOSES AUTHORITY over the people of Israel.
Notice how God describes the Israelites in verse 7:
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