Devotion Of The Day

Numbers 14:18-19 (NIV)
18
'The LORD is slow
to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin
and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty...
unpunished; he punishes the children for the
sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation.'
19
In accordance with your great
love, forgive the sin of these people, just as
you have pardoned them from the time they
left Egypt until now."

The LORD was ready to exterminate these
whining people when Moses interceded for
them. Because of the fact that God knows the
future, I think He was not as desirous to
destroy them as much as He was to bring out
the heart of intercession in Moses. Moses
interceded with God according to the
character of God that had been revealed to
him. He's saying, "Wait a minute. You told me
You were abounding in love and forgiveness.
You are just, but then there is that wonderful
side of You that is so great in Love. Exercise
that love now, and forgive these people."
When we plead with God according to His
wonderful attributes, we are standing on a
sure footing from which to plead. We can
make a case that is legitimate. The people
would be punished, but at the same time,
God would exercise His great love. God
answered Moses prayer because He was
pleading according to the attributes of God.
That is how we should pray too.
Do you know God is abounding in love? You
can count on that. Just as He forgave them
all the way from Egypt to the entrance of the
Promised Land (a picture of our journey from
the world to heaven), so will He forgive you
when you look to His wonderful attributes.
He forgives us not because of what we do
but because of who He is. Yet, there is a
warning here. We may not arrive at all He had
for us because of our insistence on sin. That
sin will affect generations to follow. Learn
from these rebels who are so like us, and
cast yourself upon the LORD.
Meditation: How can I follow Moses example
of intercession?

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