The Intercession of Christ
5 min read
42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the LORD said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” And they fell facedown.
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started.”
Numbers 16:42-46
It’s one thing to rise in opposition to God’s servants, but we seriously risk our lives when we rise in opposition to the LORD Himself. That is what the Israelites did when they “turned toward the tent of meeting.” The tent of meeting represented the very presence of God. And that is why the “glory of the LORD appeared” “suddenly.”
After what the Israelites had already witnessed of God’s wrath and also of God’s mercy, their rebellion practically defines what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means (Mark 12:31).
And so, the wrath of God fell upon the people “suddenly,” too, in the form of plague. And if it had not been for the intercession of Moses and Aaron, they all would have died.
When we read the history of Israel during the wilderness wanderings, it’s easy for us to marvel at how ignorant and rebellious the Israelites were. But we were not there, going through the hardships that they faced.
Part of the reason that God left that history is to tell us that we all have the same ignorant and rebellious heart that the Israelites had.
When our ignorant rebellion rises up against God (it probably happens a lot more than we realize), God’s wrath rises up too. If it were not for the continual intercession of our Lord Jesus on our behalf, what hope would we really have?
And so we must not miss the lesson that the wilderness accounts leave for us today. Frankly, Christians today tend to take the presence of Christ in our lives way too lightly, especially when it comes to our worship. When we come into the presence of God, we must recognize that we enter holy ground.
But also, our hearts should be filled with thanksgiving and praise for the mercy given to us in, through, and by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Father, You are holy, holy, holy! Your goodness and righteousness are beyond our comprehension. Forgive me, and forgive us, when we take Your grace and mercy for granted. Place an image in our hearts of our Lord before Your throne constantly interceding for us. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
