Intercession: September 2012
Table of Contents
Intercession
Last night a young man in a detention center said to me, “I see the judge tomorrow. Please pray for me that I will get out.” This morning someone said to me, “I was asked to ask you if they could borrow the van to help them move.” In the first case I was being asked to intercede with God for someone, and in the second someone came to me to intercede for another. Life is full of the need and desire for intercession. In this issue we look briefly at our two perfect intercessors with God — the Lord Jesus in heaven and the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Both perfectly understand us, our needs, and God to whom they go on our behalf. We now know God, and the more we have fellowship with Him and get to know His heart and ways, the more we, too, are to be occupied in the service of intercession for one another and for all men. We are humbled as we see how Abraham and Moses interceded with God and as we see what is needed to be an intercessor, but love for others will motivate us to this important work. Intercession is the exercise of a heart in communion with God’s heart — a heart that is holy, harmless and undefiled.
Two Perfect Intercessors
In Romans 8:26-34 we learn that God has provided us with two perfect intercessors — one in heaven and one on earth. We have the intercession of the Holy Spirit in us, and we have the intercession of Christ for us. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (vs. 26). Here we have the intercession of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us to help our infirmities and carry on His intercessory work. He creates desires in the soul which are too profound for utterance and cannot be clothed in human language.
There is more than this. We have not only the Holy Spirit dwelling and acting in us down here, but we have also the Lord Jesus Christ living and acting for us up in heaven. “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (vs. 34). What full provision! What abounding consolation! What precious encouragement! What a mercy to know that even in our coldest, darkest and most barren seasons, when we seem hardly able to utter a single syllable, at such times, the Holy Spirit is groaning in us and that Christ takes those unintelligible groans and presents them to the Father, in all the preciousness and acceptableness of the One who produces them and the One who presents them! The double intercession is continually going on — morning, noon, evening and midnight, the Holy Spirit is acting in us and Christ is acting for us. “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). “Wherefore He [Jesus] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).
The Spirit in Us and Christ for Us
This double action can never be interrupted for a single moment. The very weakest believer is maintained before God in the divine power of this double intercession — the intercession of the Spirit in him and the intercession of Christ for him. What comfort for the heart is in this! It frequently happens that the Christian finds himself afflicted, in his seasons of retirement, with excessive barrenness and wandering. He tries to pray, but cannot. He finds it impossible to put his desires into an intelligible form. He groans, and that groan is the fruit of the Spirit’s mighty operation; it ascends, as such, to the throne of God and is presented there by that blessed One who ever lives to make intercession for us. Nothing goes up save that which is of the Spirit. The unutterable groan is produced in us by God the Spirit; it passes up through the priestly hands of God the Son and is thus presented to God the Father.
The Lord Jesus knows how to separate the precious from the vile, in all our actions and exercises. He casts the vile away and presents the precious to God, in our behalf. We have an illustration of this at the close of Leviticus 1. There we see the offerer bringing an offering of fowls unto the priest. “The priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung at the side of the altar: and he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes. And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord” (Lev. 1:15-17). The priest’s eye discerned what parts of the offering were fit for God’s altar and what was for “the place of the ashes.” This was his business. The offerer brought the sacrifice to the priest, and the priest prepared it for the altar. He separated the precious from the vile. The priestly eye and the priestly knife were needed before the sacrifice was in a fit condition to be presented upon the altar of the God of Israel.
All this is full of meaning and comfort for the Christian. In our very best services and sacrifices, there is abundance answering to the “crop with his feathers.” But, blessed be God, we have “a great high priest” in whose hand we can place all our offerings, in the fullest assurance that He knows what to do with those offerings. When they have passed under His priestly eye and under the action of His priestly hand, they shall ascend to the throne of God in all the fragrance of His most excellent name. This is eminently calculated to impart confidence to our hearts while we seek, notwithstanding our felt weakness, to respond to the exhortation of the apostle, “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate, forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb. 13:15-16). We need not be afraid to bring the very smallest offering. If only the Holy Spirit originates the sacrifice, then Christ will assuredly present it, and God will be well pleased.
Adapted from
Things New and Old
Intercession for One Another
When we think of intercession, we are most apt to think of Christ and His intercession for us, both as our high priest and as our advocate. This is blessedly true, and how thankful we can be for His work in these two capacities. However, we must not stop here, for God surely shows us in His Word, both by command and example, that He wants us to intercede with Him for one another and also, in some cases, for unbelievers. We read in 1 Timothy 2:1, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.” Here we find clearly that supplications and prayers are distinguished from intercessions, and that we are given the responsibility of all three, as well as giving of thanks. Thus intercession involves prayer, but it is more than prayer; it is an entreaty with a view to the reconciliation of two parties who are at odds with one another. In spiritual terms, it is going to God on behalf of another, to plead for him.
Surely there are only two perfect intercessors, and they are clearly mentioned in Scripture — the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We read of Christ that “He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). Of the Holy Spirit we read, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). Thus we have Christ in heaven for us and the Holy Spirit down here, both interceding with God on our behalf. However, God would have us share His thoughts about His people and be able to intercede for each other. Because of our weakness and infirmities, we all need intercession; also, God calls all of us to be intercessors.
Characteristics of Intercession
The Word of God shows us several characteristics of true intercession, and it is important to remember these. First of all, since we ourselves have “a high priest over the house of God,” we are exhorted to “draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:21-22). We must be willing to draw near to the Lord about the individual; we cannot say, as is our tendency, “It is not my problem.”
Second, we must have the mind of God about the situation, and because of the right to draw near to God, we can have His mind about it. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for the saints “according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27), and if we are going to intercede effectively for others, we must be in communion with the Lord, in order to have His thoughts about His people.
Third, we read of Christ as our high priest (in Hebrews 7:26) that He is “holy.” We too must be holy in thought and practice, if we are going to function as intercessors with God. Connected with this is the word “harmless,” or guileless. We cannot misrepresent things to God and expect to gain His ear; He knows all things, and He knows if we are dealing deceitfully with Him. Christ was also “separate from sinners.” It is true that He was a friend of publicans and sinners, but never did He engage in anything sinful. To work for God, we too must separate from evil, although interceding for the evildoer.
Fourth, we must have common affections with God about His people. He loves them and wants their blessing; we must be animated with that same love. We cannot harbor unkind thoughts toward them, no matter how they may treat us. As another has said, “Never go to bed with an unkind thought toward anyone in the world, no matter how they treat you!”
Examples of Intercessors
There are many examples of intercessors in the Word of God — Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Job, the Apostle Paul, to name a few. Of these mentioned, Abraham and Moses were particularly characterized by intercession. Abraham interceded on behalf of Lot, as well as on behalf of Abimelech. Moses interceded on Pharaoh’s behalf during the plagues brought upon Egypt, and also for the children of Israel during their forty years in the wilderness. With both men we find an intimacy with God. When the Lord was about to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, He could say, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” (Gen. 18:17). Of Moses it is recorded, “The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Ex. 33:11). In Psalm 103:7 we read, “He [the Lord] made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.” An intercessor is one who walks in the presence of God, knows His mind, and thus has power with Him.
Synchronized Hearts
God tested Moses in his character of intercessor. On several occasions God referred to Israel as “thy people,” and in one situation He even offered to destroy them and make of Moses a great nation. In every case Moses, when he replied to the Lord, referred to them as “Thy people” and interceded on their behalf. Intercession always puts God in His place and puts us in our place. The intercessor wants his heart to be “synchronized” with God’s heart; then he sees a situation as God sees it.
We do see failure in Moses, however, as there is in all of us. There came a point where the burden became so heavy that Moses forgot that it was the Lord’s strength that enabled him to carry on. He complained, “I am not able to bear all this people alone” (Num. 11:14), and in being occupied with himself, he was not, for the moment, able to intercede. He forgot that it was God’s grace that was involved from beginning to end and that he was only an instrument. However, this attitude was temporary; Moses was restored and recovered his intercessory character.
Grace and Government
Finally, we must remember that while the intercessor draws on God’s grace in order to intercede, this does not abrogate God’s government. We cannot go to God in intercession for one who has done wrong and ask that there be no consequences. Grace and government are parallel truths; one does not cancel the other. The intercessor pleads the grace of God, but accepts His government.
Moses failed in a more serious way at the end of the wilderness journey, when there was no water and the people “provoked his spirit” (Psa. 106:33). Consequently he struck the rock with the rod, rather than speaking to it. Also, he called the people rebels, in the heat of his anger. The consequences were serious; both Aaron and Moses died and were not able to go into the land of Canaan. This might seem harsh, but it is a serious thing to misrepresent the grace of God. He loves intercession, and all intercession is based on grace.
D. F. Rule,
adapted from an address
God’s Communications and the Saint’s Intercession
In Genesis 18, we read how the Lord communicated the knowledge of what He was about to do concerning Sodom. The place in which the church stands is similar to that of Abraham with God, and this passage is a very descriptive display of the ground of intimacy on which the Lord sets His people. God has “made known to us the mystery of His will.”
The men rose up and looked towards Sodom. The Lord directed them as the executors of His judgment, and Abraham went with them to show them the way. The Lord makes His saints His companions, not invariably, but still it is their privilege. “Who hath known the mind of the Lord? ... But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Thus in the communications God has made to us, He has made us His companions in the best way, by communicating to us His thoughts and feelings. “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Gen. 5:24). So we are to walk with Christ until He comes to take us up to Himself. The exercise and path of faith is down here, but the church is not an object of judgment, although not above discipline for its good. Lot looked towards Sodom, but Abraham was out of it. Abraham, being the Lord’s companion, is not only delivered out of the judgment, but when the Lord is going to judge, He tells Abraham about it. “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? ... For I know him” (Gen. 18:17,19). So it is with us; the ground of this communication is the thought the Lord has about us; He has centered His love upon us, and therefore He lets us into His confidence. He has united the church to Christ — associated it with Christ. God has made known to us the mystery of His will because of the place in which He has put the church.
“I know him” — there is great blessing in this word. It is different for those under judgment. The Lord does not talk in this way about those He is going to judge. When He talks about judgment, He talks about enquiring, “I will go down and see,” and until He has fully investigated it, He will not touch them. The cry of Sodom had come up before God, but before going to execute judgment, He will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto Him. “The men went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord” (Gen. 18:22). That is blessed. Thus the Lord makes Himself known to Abraham, so that he is able to get the blessing, and Abraham stays with the Lord Himself. He is going to bring judgment on the world, but He will not smite until He cannot help it, but no judgment coming on the world can separate Abraham from God. God’s eye so rests upon Abraham that Abraham rests quietly in God. And so it is with us: Whatever trial may be coming on the world, our place is to abide with the Lord Himself, and then, like Abraham, the effect of having drunk into this grace will be to be calm, quiet and happy. Our place is not to go down to search out the depths of iniquity. There are many like Lot who vex their souls with these things, but let us be with God on the mountain, abiding in perfect peace with the Lord Himself. Abraham, being in perfect peace, had nothing to ask for himself, and he was therefore free to intercede for others. The possession of the Lord’s mind gives the power of intercession for others. Jacob sought to get the blessing for himself, and therefore he had not power to get it for others, but Abraham had the knowledge of that communion which produces great peace and joy. “The Lord went His way as soon as He had done communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place” (Gen. 18:33). Abraham’s position is with the Lord, in perfect peace, in unquestioning confidence, having no question to settle with God, but on that ground where he can enjoy perfect communion and thus can intercede for others.
Adapted from Bible Treasury
The Intercession of Moses
We are apt to suppose that the position of a ruler is easy and enviable, and so doubtless it would be, if one could accept its privileges without feeling its responsibilities. Generally those who covet such positions would feel but little of the obligations, and therefore they are unfit, and the obverse of this is true too. There is nothing that we know of Moses to indicate that he ever had the slightest personal ambition to rule Israel, but when he was obliged to take the post, there is much to show that he felt the responsibilities of a ruler as only such a large and noble nature could. The heartless ingratitude and wickedness of the people, however, were almost too much for him, and it appears as if he would gladly relinquish his post till he hears God threatening to destroy them. Then, when he sees them in sin and danger, he offers himself up altogether — even to the eternal obliteration of his existence — sooner than desert them. This is one of the phases of the mediator. He is the friend in need that loves at all times, that sticks closer than a brother — that says, call upon me when you are in trouble.
Denouncing the Evil
and Pleading for Mercy
Those who saw Moses down among the people denouncing their idolatry with flaming words of consuming wrath could have had no conception of the pity with which he had just pleaded their cause even to the offering up of himself in propitiation for them. “Let the righteous smite me: it shall be a kindness” (Psa. 141:5)! Man condones our faults to our faces and condemns them behind our backs. But the true Advocate reverses this; to men’s faces He said, “Ye generation of vipers,” but to God He groaned, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”!
Some have asked, What is the use of intercession with deity? If God’s disposition is merciful, what need is there that anyone should intercede for others? Is He likely to be swayed from His irrevocable decrees and inexorable purposes by any petitions from us? This is a kind of reasoning most quickly answered by this illustration. Here in Exodus 32 the great indignation of God with Israel for their gross insult and national treason is entirely reasonable. But so is the pleading of Moses for mercy to his sinful brethren. So also is the mercy that is at last granted in response to that impassioned intercession. It is quite reasonable, then, that a ruler should desire to grant mercy to a sinful people, and yet find it out of accord with the dignity of his throne and laws to do so unless someone pleads their cause. To spare them before anyone interceded may be perceived as weakness; afterward it is readily seen as grace.
The Reflexive Effect
Besides all this there is its reflex effect. No one can pray or intercede for another without receiving the answer in his own bosom, without becoming larger and stronger in soul (speaking now of ourselves). Let me put this question to the reader: Is your habit of mind that of intercession? Is it your tendency to condone, with that charity that covers a multitude of sins, the offenses of others, so far as justice permits, and to appeal to God and man for their favor? If so, that is Christ-like. Or is it the reverse?
The Daysman, for whom Job in the ancient darkness groaned, has three principal functions: He is the Interpreter, whence the name “Word,” because He expresses the thoughts of God, and the Interpreter of man too. Second, He is the mediator between God and man — that being broad and universal. Third, in God’s family of those whom He is not ashamed to call His brethren, He is the Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1).
There is far more honor in accomplishing great work with small and apparently inadequate means than with strong and suitable instruments, so we are not so much struck with the fact that Shamgar and Samson delivered Israel, as that the one did it with a common ox-goad, the other with the jawbone of an ass. God reveals the glory of His power and wisdom chiefly by accomplishing work vast and stupendous, by instrumentalities feeble and despised.
It was thus in Israel’s history. Those whom God took up to promulgate and preserve the knowledge of the true deity on the earth were not a band of angelic beings, but a nation of men quite as sinful as any that ever had existed. They were about the same as their fellow-men, not much better, nor much worse. Human nature is much the same wherever you find it. A very short time after Israel was delivered from Egypt they fall into the vilest orgies of idolatry. It has been with this kind of people that God has transformed the face of the earth, instruments that continually broke in His hand. Understanding this ought to be an encouragement for us to seek to go on faithfully for Him in spite of our weakness.
On the occasion when the children of Israel fell down before a golden calf, God first said He would cast them away, but He listened to the intercession of Moses and retained them. At that point the advocacy of Moses then takes another character. He makes their very wickedness a ground of appeal to Jehovah to go with them. He prays that Jehovah would go with him among Israel, “for it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance” (Ex. 34:9). It is not that we are so good that He cannot do without us, but we are so bad we cannot do without Him. If any consider this to be presumption, it is the presumption of faith, and I wish we had more of it.
In truth this is one of the finest examples of intercession in God’s records. He first carries his point on the grounds of the Judge’s goodness, when it was the people’s badness that was really in question, and then he turns around and makes the very badness of the people a fresh basis of appeal, this time for fresh clemency. Moses had said that he was not eloquent and, of course, he believed it, but that was only because of the innate modesty and diffidence of his great nature. He had indeed a massive and magnificent character. He was great in interceding.
From Types and Symbols
of Scripture
A Ministry of Intercession
In the days of the judges in Israel, the unfaithfulness of Eli and his sons brought about the forfeiture of the exalted position which the priesthood had enjoyed since the death of Moses, and the priesthood was never restored to its former position. When God’s rightful king came upon the scene in the person of David, it was he who became the link between the people and their God. But it was long after Eli’s failure before the new order was established. What was the divine provision meanwhile? Samuel. He, the man of God — “God’s emergency man” — filled the gap and became the link between the Lord and His desolate people. Truly our God is never without resource, for Samuel entered into the mind of God about the condition of things; the ruin of everything by the unfaithfulness of man gripped his soul, and he gave himself up to a ministry of intercession (1 Sam. 7:5,8; 12:23). This at all times is very precious in the eyes of God. Many centuries later, when the kingly order had grievously failed and was about to be set aside until the day of the Lord Jesus, the Lord made reference to Samuel thus: “Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be toward this people; cast them out of My sight” (Jer. 15:1). Notice the link with Moses. When the people ruined themselves by the worship of the golden calf, they were saved by Moses’ pleading (Ex. 32:33). Later, when the priestly order broke down and ruin once more ensued, the people were maintained before God by the intercession of Samuel.
The value of a ministry of intercession thus stands divinely emphasized. It is God’s delight. But this precious ministry can really be exercised only by those who enter into God’s thoughts concerning the times in which they live. Thus, those who today have before their souls the divine pattern of the church as the Holy Spirit established it at the beginning and who realize its utter failure as a witness for God in the world are alone able to deal intelligently with God about it. But this is open to all of us. May the Lord graciously increase the number of those who are spiritually able to fill Moses’ and Samuel’s part in these last days of the Christian era.
W. W. Fereday, adapted
Pleading for a Neighbor
“O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor!” (Job 16:21).
When interpersonal tensions and assembly issues arise that are outside of our immediate responsibility to impact, frequently the wise counsel is given, “Leave it with the Lord.” Indeed, Scripture warns us not to meddle with strife that does not belong to us, and one that does so is likened to a man that grabs a dog by its ears (Prov. 26:17). He will be bitten.
While recognizing the importance of not involving ourselves in areas that do not belong to us, we must bear in mind that there are times when a plea or challenge should be made on behalf of others, regardless of whether or not we know them. In such instances, we cannot remove ourselves from responsibility before God by hiding behind convenient clichés or pretending we were unaware of an injustice. “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? and He that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall not He render to every man according to his works?” (Prov. 24:11-12).
A lawyer once sought to deflect the directness of the Lord’s word to him, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” by questioning the Lord, “And who is my neighbor?” After unfolding the well-known story of the “certain Samaritan,” the Lord indicated that the one who was a neighbor to the wounded man was the one who showed him mercy.
We think of intercession primarily in terms of man’s interceding with God, through prayer, on behalf of another (1 Tim. 2:1). Job, in his severe trials, deeply felt the lack of this intercession from his three friends. They began well, sitting with him in quiet sympathy for seven days, even as Ezekiel who, at a later date, sat among the captives by the river Chebar (Ezek. 3:15). But then, in response to Job’s complaint, they turned against him, and instead of becoming his intercessors they became his accusers, wrongly assuming that God was dealing with Job in such a severe manner because he was leading a double life. In the intensity of suffering he exclaimed, “I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you” (Job 16:4). Little wonder he spoke of them as “miserable comforters.”
But Scripture also shows examples of those who interceded with their fellow-man on behalf of another. In these, we witness true friendship and moral courage.
Nicodemus
In John’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus is seen as rejected from the outset (John 1:11). Knowing the reproach of being identified with Him, Nicodemus first came to Jesus by night. Subsequently, when the officers did not bind and bring the Lord Jesus to the religious leaders, they scornfully questioned whether the officers had been deceived, as were, in their opinion, the ignorant common people. In the face of this hostility and condescending arrogance, Nicodemus raised the question, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” The Pharisees’ derisive response, “Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet” manifested their own lack of awareness of the Scriptures, for Jonah, the prophet whose message of judgment resulted in deliverance to a Gentile city, was from Galilee (compare 2 Kings 14:25; Josh. 19:10,13; Matt. 4:15). Regardless, their words were calculated to demean Nicodemus, and he undoubtedly felt their sting.
Nicodemus did not exactly intercede for the Lord Jesus; he simply asked an honest question. But it was enough to brand him as “one of them.” Perhaps this experience, in the providential ways of God, was used to push Nicodemus into the daylight, when he ultimately, boldly identified himself with Christ (John 19:39). We may not possess the boldness of a lion, but may we at least be willing to ask the unwelcome question if it is necessary to do so for one, whether friend or foe, who is falsely maligned.
Jonathan
The bond of friendship between David and Jonathan is legendary. Following David’s defeat of Goliath, Jonathan’s soul was knit with David’s. Years later, as David surveyed the devastation of a Philistine victory over Israel and the deaths of both Saul and Jonathan, he directed the women of Israel to weep over Saul, their king, but the outpouring of the affection in David’s own heart is echoed in his aching words of sorrow, “I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan” (2 Sam. 1:24-26).
While it is true that Jonathan did not forsake Saul’s house for companionship with David in his rejection, there is no record that David ever rebuked him for it. His friendship with Jonathan ran deep, and he knew that Jonathan had stood up to his father on his behalf. The most gripping account of his loyalty to David occurred when Saul was actively pursuing David.
Saul was angry at Jonathan because of his friendship with David, and Saul told him to fetch David as he must die. Jonathan challenged his father, “Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?” Saul’s enmity and bitterness toward David was so great that he lost his rational faculties and threw a javelin at Jonathan, his own son, in an apparent attempt to kill him. But Jonathan did not run in fear. On the contrary, “Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame” (1 Sam. 20:30-34).
Scripture exhorts us to “be angry and sin not” (Eph. 4:26). Regrettably, sometimes this verse is wrongly used to defend fleshly anger, but, on certain occasions, righteous anger is appropriate, such as when the Lord Jesus looked upon the Pharisees with anger for their readiness to condemn Him for healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-5). It is invigorating to read of Jonathan’s loyal defense and support of his friend David, and the incident serves us well as an example of a man’s pleading for his friend.
Esther
Mordecai’s counsel to Esther showed a definite recognition of Providence in a day when there was neither acknowledgment of God by His people nor direct intervention from God on behalf of His people.
“Mordecai bade to answer Esther: Imagine not in thy heart that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there arise relief and deliverance to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall perish. And who knows whether thou art [not] come to the kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:13-14 JND). Indeed, it was a time, “such a time,” of crisis for the Jews, for their very existence was threatened.
Regardless of any familial sentiment or faint sense of destiny, the reality to Esther of her losing her life in an attempt to intercede on behalf of her people was chilling. Yet, her recognition of being in a position to preserve her people from annihilation moved her to action. “Go, gather together all the Jews that are found in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise, and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16).
Esther’s actions mirror the words of the Apostle Paul in his determination to go to Jerusalem: “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself” (Acts 20:24). Her commitment to put her life on the line in order to intercede for her “neighbor” ended far more favorably than she could have hoped, and her people were preserved.
Job’s cry for one to intercede for his neighbor is answered in varying degrees in Nicodemus, Jonathan and Esther. They were not thinking of themselves. And while our first priority is to intercede with God on behalf of others, may their example also encourage us to be willing to intercede for others, when righteousness demands it, even if doing so reaps backlash and reproach.
W. J. Brockmeier
There Was No Intercessor
“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him” (Isa. 59:16). “He [Jesus] wondered because of their unbelief. And He went round the villages in a circuit, teaching” (Mark 6:6 JND).
The wonder of these two cases is worthy of our attention. It is amazing how long we can wait and how bad things can become before we get to the point of interceding for one another. It was quite the opposite for the Lord Jesus: After He had given amazing demonstrations of His ability to help the needy, He wondered at their unbelief in accepting His teaching.
A careful reading of the whole chapter of Isaiah 59 reveals conditions similar to our day. The condition Isaiah describes is summed up in verses 14-15: “Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. And truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.” One would think that in such a very deplorable and degenerated condition someone would try to intercede. How different this is from Moses’ actions when Israel made the golden calf and the Lord told Moses He would destroy Israel for their wickedness. Moses was first unaware of their condition and then angry with them. But when it came to the point that God would destroy the people of Israel and make a nation from Moses’ family, he declined the offer and interceded for Israel. His heart was moved in loving care for them in spite of the greatness of their evil. And God was willing to accept the plea for mercy and not destroy them. May we not see in what took place that God was looking for an Israelite to intercede with Him on their behalf. The intercession would make it possible for the greatness of His mercy to be known to all, and that without compromising righteousness.
Abigail was another who, when she saw the impending judgment on her husband’s house, went to intercede with David. “When Abigail saw David, she hasted ... and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid” (1 Sam. 25:23-24). She was willing to take the blame for the wrong, and in doing so, she upheld both mercy and truth. These examples give us to know how God views intercession and how He responds to those who intercede for others. As we observe needs around us, which often are the very result of our own weakness and failure, may we be strengthened to step up in faith before things deteriorate, and seriously intercede for those around us.
The Wonder of the Unbelief
The Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect servant, was the arm of God’s salvation according to righteousness. He was sent to meet the needs of those around Him demonstrating how He was able to meet those urgent needs. It says of Him, “When the Sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto Him, that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands?” (Mark 6:2). But because of unbelief, “He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief” (vss. 5-6). With Him there was power present to meet the need, but unbelief hindered them from appropriating what was available. They could look on the words and works with amazement but then doubt. This caused Him to wonder at their unbelief. Let us not doubt. The realization of the Lord’s ability to meet needs is what should encourage us to intercede in prayer. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14). “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). Samuel would say to Israel, “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way” (1 Sam. 12:23). Let us not commit the double fault of ignoring the urgent needs around us and doubting the Lord’s desire and ability to meet those needs. “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
D. C. Buchanan
The Loss of Privacy
We all know that, because of jet travel, the world has become far more familiar to many of us, and regions that were once visited only by the privileged few are now common destinations, within the reach of a significant percentage of the world’s population. This mass movement of people has had a downside, however, for diseases and problems that were once confined to one area are now readily exported to the rest of the world. In the same way, the development of the computer and the Internet over the past few years has made widespread communication possible, but again, there have been drawbacks to it. Other developments since then have gone even farther. It seems that the cell phone is now an indispensable part of life; we cannot live without it, and with prices falling, people all over the world are talking constantly with one another. Some find it almost impossible to turn their phones off, lest they miss a call. More recently, texting has become very popular with young people, even replacing actual phone calls. Many teenagers admit to texting more than 100 times per day, and for some the figure approaches 1000 times. The iPod has changed the way young people listen to music. Previously there was background music in stores and other public places. Now one can carry hundreds of tunes around in a very small device and listen at will. The addicting quality of this music means that some can scarcely endure a moment without hearing it.
The result of all this, in the words of another, has been to “unscrew the locks from the doors” and to erode privacy to the point that there is an almost total loss of solitude. All of the details of our lives are suddenly made available to others. To quote from a well-known U.S. magazine, “The computer that allowed us to stare in wonder at the world has allowed the world to stare pitilessly back at us.” Facebook has added to all this, and the possibilities are limitless. Pictures and other information posted on it can be seen within minutes by hundreds, if not thousands of people. Information that was once considered private is now posted for all to see.
The Significance of It for Us
What does all this mean for the believer? First of all, we have to recognize that it is not technology that is bad; rather, it is man’s use of it that causes the problem. The Internet has made it possible to communicate with other believers in parts of the world where postal mail would be difficult, and perhaps impossible. It has enabled us to access good ministry quickly and easily, whether written or recorded. However, we must realize the negative side to all this and react in the right way.
We must face the fact that while much good information is now available, the same technology has made a tremendous amount of bad information readily available. Temptations are there that were not there before. Even if we do not access what is clearly wrong, it is evident that Satan’s efforts in these last days are aimed at so occupying men’s minds that they will not have a moment in which to think of eternal matters. The constant barrage of either music, texting or conversation will tend to fill our time to such a degree that eternal matters will be pushed aside. Whether it is to do with “the cares of this life” or the “deceitfulness of riches,” all will combine to “choke the word, that it becometh unfruitful.” The solemn events that God is allowing, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts and fires, are surely intended to warn men of coming judgment, yet Satan will use this bombardment of the mind to dull their perception and keep their focus on this life.
Thankfully, some are realizing the end of all these things. Steve Jobs, who was largely responsible for most of the success of the Apple computer company, had this to say shortly before his death last year: “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”
It is to be hoped that what is truly important to him included some earnest thinking about his eternal destiny. When someone asked him about his achievements, and particularly about the wealth he had accumulated, he is reported to have remarked, “There is no advantage to being the richest man in the cemetery.” However, the believer is not immune to all these inducements, although he has a heavenly hope. The spirit of the world around has a strong tendency to influence us, and it is easy to be caught up in the things “which are seen,” rather than focusing on “the things which are not seen.”
Dependence on God
Francois Fenelon, a godly Christian who lived in France more than 300 years ago, captured the thought of fellowship with the Lord very well, when he said: “A general rule for the good use of time is to accustom oneself to live in continual dependence on God, receiving from the Spirit of God moment to moment whatever it pleases Him to give us, referring to Him at once in the doubts which we necessarily run into, turning to Him in the weakness into which goodness slips from exhaustion, call on Him and lifting oneself to Him, when the heart, swept away by material things, sees itself led imperceptibly off the path and finds itself forgetting and drifting away from God.”
We may well admire his devotedness, and especially when we consider that he was brought up and remained a Roman Catholic all his life. The various technological advances about which we have been speaking, if used as the world uses them, would surely predicate against this communion with the Lord and would rather occupy us first with ourselves and then with a world that is soon to pass away. There is no need to share with an ever-increasing number of people all the details of our lives or to talk continually about things which, at best, have to do with life down here. It is only the things of Christ that will endure for eternity, and our exercise should be to use our time to the fullest advantage in those things, in order to be like those who are “laying by for themselves a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold of what is really life” (1 Tim. 6:19 JND).
W. J. Prost
The Intercessional Link
If you are living in the sense of your own need, your prayers will turn around yourself, but when there is that kind of confidence which is found in communion, besides prayer for your wants, you will be able to intercede for others; there will be the intercessional link.
From Girdle of Truth
I Want Thee, Lord Jesus I Want Thee Here, Lord Jesus, in Every Time of Need; I Cannot Do Without Thee, for I Am Weak Indeed.
I want Thy love to cheer me
Along the desert way,
Thy wondrous love, Lord Jesus,
To be my strength and stay.
I want Thee to advise me
When I know not what to do,
To guide me and direct me
Where Thou wouldst have me go.
I want Thee every moment, Lord;
I am so very weak;
Not one thing can I do aright
Unless Thy aid I seek.
I want Thee, too, “up there,” Lord,
As Priest to intercede,
That I may grace and help obtain
In every time of need.
I want Thee as the Advocate,
Whene’er I fail or sin,
To cleanse me from defilement,
To keep my peace within.
I’ll want Thee too, Lord Jesus,
In that bright home above,
Where, with Thy ransomed people,
I’ll celebrate Thy love.
I could not do without Thee there;
’Twould not be heaven to me
If He alone were absent
Who purchased it for me.
S. R. (Words of Truth)