“Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.” (Numbers 14:19, ESV)
It is an awesome picture of compassion as Moses interceded for the very people who rebelled against his leadership. If we know the story, the Lord was about to wipe out the nation due to their rebellion and form another nation. They had rebelled by refusing to enter the Promised Land and sought another leader to take them back to Egypt. Despite their personal affront to Moses’ leadership, he asked the Lord to extend mercy to those who opposed him and forgive their sin.
How would we respond in such a similar situation? Would we have the compassion of Moses? Would we have a heart for the people as Moses did? Jesus told us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). We live in a sin fallen world and we should not be surprised by the actions of unsaved people. They will often look at us and treat us with contempt. They will act contrary to the will of God.
The question is this. How do we respond to those who oppose us and how do we respond to those who act contrary to the will of God? If we follow the words of Jesus and Moses’ example, we will pray for them to experience God’s mercy and grace. Pray for the boss or coworker that mistreats you. Pray for the neighbor or friend that slanders you. Pray for those that oppose you. You see, the only thing that will make a real change in these people’s lives is to experience the blessings of God’s grace. Therefore, rather than hoping the worst for our adversaries, we need to pray for them to be blessed by God’s grace.
Renewing the Heart 