Day 9/18 – Moses’s Intercession

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Moses’s Intercession
Day Two Hundred Sixty-one

“And the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do to His people.” Exodus 32:14

God gave Moses an opportunity to get out of a nasty job. While receiving the Law on Mount Sinai, Aaron led the people in sinning against God by making a golden calf. God told Moses that He would destroy the Hebrews, and start over making a new nation out of Moses’ descendents. God made him a great offer and an opportunity to exit.

Moses rejected God’s offer, giving two reasons: First, he said, “Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’?”343 If God destroyed Israel, His reputation would be damaged. Nations such as Egypt would conclude that God does “evil.” Second, Moses said, “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou didst swear by thine own self.”344 God made an unconditional promise to the Patriarchs; He cannot go back on what He promised. “And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.”

When you intercede before God, remember that He will always respond in accordance with what is best for Himself. Moses understood this, reminding God that His reputation and His promise precluded His doing what He said. As you approach the Throne of Grace, don’t think in terms of what you want, but what best serves the interests of God. Your best will always flow from this.

343 Exodus 32:12
344 Exodus 32:13

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Proverbs 30-31 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 (New King James Version)

Proverbs 30-31
The Wisdom of Agur
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:
2
Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
3
I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.
4
Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?
5
Every word of God is [a]pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6
Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
7
Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
8
Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9
Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.
10
Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.
11
There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
12
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13
There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are [b]lifted up.
14
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.
15
The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:
16
The[c] grave,
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”
17
The eye that mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.
18
There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:
19
The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the [d]midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.
20
This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”
21
For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:
22
For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,
23
A [e]hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.
24
There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25
The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26
The [f]rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
27
The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
28
The [g]spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.
29
There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:
30
A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;
31
A [h]greyhound,
A male goat also,
And [i]a king whose troops are with him.
32
If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.
33
For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.
The Words of King Lemuel’s Mother
31 The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:
2
What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?
3
Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
4
It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
5
Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all [j]the afflicted.
6
Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
7
Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.
8
Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are [k]appointed to die.
9
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
The Virtuous Wife
10
Who[l] can find a [m]virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13
She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14
She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15
She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16
She considers a field and buys it;
From [n]her profits she plants a vineyard.
17
She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18
She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19
She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20
She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22
She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23
Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24
She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25
Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27
She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29
“Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
Footnotes:
• Proverbs 30:5 tested, refined, found pure
• Proverbs 30:13 In arrogance
• Proverbs 30:16 Or Sheol
• Proverbs 30:19 Lit. heart
• Proverbs 30:23 Or hated
• Proverbs 30:26 rock hyraxes
• Proverbs 30:28 Or lizard
• Proverbs 30:31 Or perhaps strutting rooster, lit. girded of waist
• Proverbs 30:31 A Jewish tradition a king against whom there is no uprising
• Proverbs 31:5 Lit. sons of affliction
• Proverbs 31:8 Lit. sons of passing away
• Proverbs 31:10 Vv. 10–31 are an alphabetic acrostic in Hebrew; cf. Ps. 119
• Proverbs 31:10 Lit. a wife of valor, in the sense of all forms of excellence
• Proverbs 31:16 Lit. the fruit of her hands

2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Concern for Their Faithfulness
11 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the [a]simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
Paul and False Apostles
5 For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6 Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have [b]been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.
7 Did I commit sin in [c]humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. 9 And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows!
12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
Footnotes:
• 2 Corinthians 11:3 NU adds and purity
• 2 Corinthians 11:6 NU omits been
• 2 Corinthians 11:7 putting myself down