He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. (Psalm 106:23)

On more than one occasion, Moses bravely and humbly made the decision to stand in the gap for an errant nation. Think about it: they continually grumbled and complained against God about their circumstances and often took it out on Moses. They accused him of nepotism, of being tyrannical and a host of other things. On several occasions, their griping obviously got under his skin to the point that he referred to them as “rebels” and regarded them as “stiff-necked.” On one occasion, he got so frustrated that he prayed to God, “I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. … please kill me here and now.” (Numbers 11:14-15). Of course, there was the time his anger was such that he struck the rock he was instructed to speak to.

I guess we could say that Moses was as human as the rest of us but, when it came right down to it, he was a shepherd at heart. When he was given the opportunity to step aside and let God consume the same people who frustrated and infuriated him, he stood in the gap. In the aftermath of the Golden Calf, when God was going to eliminate the nation and start over with Moses, he said, “These people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” (Exodus 32:31-32). When you really think about it, not only was it noble, it was courageous and demonstrated why God chose Him in the first place — God knew that Moses would care for His people.

In this day and time, far too many “shepherds” convince themselves that the people are there to serve them rather than the other way around. Why is Messiah called the Good Shepherd? Because, as it is written, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Likewise, whether we are a pastor or not, we should take it upon ourselves to serve God by serving others and, when the situation calls for it, to intercede for those in harm’s way. We should be ready to stand in the gap for those who really “know not what they do.” The Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them; it would be good if we kept that in mind, especially when those He wants to save are driving us up the wall. If Moses can, why can’t we?

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill