Prayers of Moses

Prayer of Moses

“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend”

· Learn about God by listening to others pray

· You’ll never get to know what a person is really like until you find out what he prays when he is alone with God

· Following weeks: listen to men & women of God pray

o Bible has a number of private prayers

Moses

· Greatest man in OT.

· Leader, as well as roles of prophet & king

· Law-giver: 10-cmds came through him

· First 5 books of Bible.

· Cut Moses out -> you’ll lose a great deal

· Greatest thing of the greatest man

o Raised in palace; Ended in desert

o Shepherd sheep first, then people

o Work began @80yrs.

o he was a man of prayer

Meekest man

· Man who has no confidence in himself. But all confidence in God

· Tapped the resources of heaven by prayer

Moses’ prayer life (pattern unfold)

· Exodus: Prayer mentioned > 20 times

· various occasions: Find him on knees again

· Arranging all his incidental prayers: we see how his prayer life developed.

Our text:

“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend”

· Not, you speaking to God as friend

· But He speaking to you as friend

· If this can be said of us, we’ve learnt to pray

Outline

· Moses didn’t start as a prayer warrior

· We’ll travel w/ him as his secret companion

· Listen to him pray

· Not a lot. Sometimes a sentence, short

· Prayer of 3 words can be most profound pr.

First Prayer () [Prayer of submission]

· Story of burning bush. First encounter

· Moses keeping sheep at Mount Sinai

“When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

· First recorded prayer.

· No doubt – he prayed many times as child

o Born to godly parents

o Look at his mother

o Their faith saved him from crocodiles

o He was taught to say his prayers.

· 3 R’s in this prayer, which were not in his childhood prayer.

1. Response.

o This prayer was a response to God

o True prayer: response to God’s calling.

o OK to teach children to talk with God

o Must be a day when: you pray because God has talked to you.

o You might have said prayer for years

o Must be a time, God called you:

o Lord, you want to say? Here I am.

2. Relationship.

o Also a beginning of a relationship

o His father, grandfather had enjoyed

o Moses is 80. But he had never enjoyed

o Now God steps into his life.

I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob

o God talking to Moses, not as God of his father, but his God

o I knew your father. Your grand father talked with me

o Now, I want to be your God also.

o You can pray for years w/o this relation

o Real prayer begun w/ relationship

3. Reverence.

o Moses was afraid to look at God

o Real prayer starts w/ reverence

o we rush in presence as a supermarket.

o When Moses really met God, he was afraid to talk

o Realize: not talking with earthly being

o Creator, Holds Universe in His hands

o Fear of God: a,b,c of Christian life

o We don’t learn to pray unless we revere

First step of prayer 3 R’s

· We don’t begin to pray right – until… 3R’s

· Moses learnt the 3 R’s in the 1st lesson

· What did Moses pray?

o ‘Here I am’

o This is always where real prayer starts

· Then God said, ‘I will send you’

o When we say – my life belongs to you

o You’ll discover what God wants of you

Second Stage (Ch 3 & 4) [Self-conscious prayer]

· Series of short prayers;

o full of excuses & arguments

o battling with God!

· So typical of a beginners walk with Lord

o They are full of doubts, and excuses

· God says – now that I’ve got you; I’ll use U

(1) “But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

(2), “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

(3) “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

(4) “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

(5) “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

· Five little prayers.

o trying to wriggle out of a situation

o so typical of initial times of walk

· Title to each of them (excuses)

o I’m insignificant. (3:11)

§ Nobody will take any notice of me

§ That’s how you feel when God calls

o I’m ignorant.

§ I don’t know what to say

§ Isn’t it another of our excuses?

o I’m impotent

§ I can’t persuade them to believe

o I’m incompetent

§ I can’t speak publicly.

§ I can’t put 2 words together

o I’m irrelevant.

§ Don’t use me. Send someone else

· 5 excuses I’ve heard on my own lips

Surprise: God patiently answers to each

1. Moses said, ‘Who am I!’

o God: ‘It doesn’t matter! I’ll be there’

o It doesn’t matter who does ministry

2. Moses said, ‘What shall I say?’

o You tell what I tell you to say! That’s all!

3. Moses said, ‘They won’t believe’

o ‘I’ll do miracles, will prove I am with U.

4. Moses said, ‘I am not eloquent’

o God said, ‘Who made your mouth’

o Isn’t it marvelous.

5. Moses said – ‘Lord, send someone else!’

o Now, real things comes out

o ‘Here I am; send him’

God gets angry at this point.

· Can God get angry? Absolutely!

· Our constant excuses can make Him angry!

· Prayer full of questions & excuses

“God doesn’t give us the jobs that we are fit for. He fits for the jobs He gives us”

It is the ‘self-conscious stage’ of prayer

· Started w/ fear of God, didn’t extend to obedience

· Trouble with those 5 prayers?

o “I”, “I”, …I am insignificant, ignorant..

Third Stage (Ch 5) [Impatient prayer]

· We see a prayer that is impatient with God

· Situation of children of Israel became worse

o When Pharaoh found they might leave

o Pharaoh stopped supplying the straw

· People: Ur meddling made situation worse

· Happens today also

o Begin help someone come to Christ

o Their situation gets worse.

o Drains you; discourages you

· Moses gets impatient with God

, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”

· What is Moses doing here? Accusing God!

o If only you had listened to me!

o If you had never sent me things would be fine!

o Moses is fighting God again!

· We see similar prayers in chapter 6:

, “But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?”

, “But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?””

To paraphrase Moses, “I am not Jewish enough to please Israel, and I am not Egyptian enough to please Pharaoh. Why did you choose me?”

I am no suitable for job! Have we asked that?

· What God does say to Moses?

· Moses, I have my timetable

· When the right time comes, you will see that you were the right person for this job.

· I am the God of the past, the God of the present and the God of the future. I know it all. I was, and I am, and I will be.

Fourth Stage (Ch 8-10) [Bold (comp.) prayer]

Context: God begins to send plagues on Pharaoh. And Moses prays that God will save Pharaoh from the plagues each time

, “Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh”

, “Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD, and the LORD did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained

Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the LORD; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land

, Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD. And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea

Two remarkable things about these prayers:

1. First record of Moses praying for someone

· Until now, he was wrapped up in himself

· His own weakness, limitations, inabilities

· Now, he is praying, ‘Lord save him’!

· Note that Moses not praying for one of his people. He is praying for enemy

· When you start praying for enemy, you are making progress in prayer

o He could have said…let him have frogs

2. Boldness: He prays for miracle, and gets it

· Until now, God told him what miracle

· Now Moses asks, expects God to do it

· Someone said, ‘Moses is ordering God and he gets what he asks’

· This requires faith!

· God who controls frogs, flies, locusts

· God who controls weather.

· God who owns the earth and everything

· God honors bold prayer!

Fifth Stage (Ch 15) [Prayer of worship]

· This is the song of praise, Miriam & Moses

· He doesn’t ask a single thing. No requests

· No arguments, excuses, simply praise!

· Context:

o Standing on other side of Red-sea

o impossible situation few hours back

o couldn’t move any direction: forward, back, side, up, down. Totally trapped!

· Does any of us have that experience

o Was trapped, except for God!

This is also turning point of Moses’ prayer

· All later prayers are different.

Have we prayed such prayers? Only praise

· Example of Mary!

Sixth Stage (Ch 17) [Obedient prayer]

Next prayer:

· Moses in trouble again. No water(Rephedim

· Same situation; People angry

o But different person:

· How did he pray?

, Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

· Same people: just as bad as before.

· But Moses is different now.

o Instead of blaming & arguing w/ God

o “Lord what shall I do about it!”

· Moses started with prayer – Lord, I can’t do this! I’m this, I’m that

o Now: Lord what shall I do?

Seventh Stage (Ch 17) [Persistent prayer]

Yet another prayer:

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning

· What does Amalek mean?

o It means flesh. How significant

o Battle between flesh & spirit: secret of victory – hands that are lifted up!

Two amazing things from this prayer:

1. Prayer is not a substitute for fighting battle

· Some hands have swords; some hands lifted

· Moses didn’t say: ‘Everybody up here’

· Prayer up the mountain; battle below

· Nehemiah – another example

2. It was a persistent prayer

· In his early part, he prayed an impatient pr.

· Now, he is praying importunate prayer

· First time he learns: if you want victory…

· His hands are weak & tired. But prayer must continue

o Battle between the pillow & the prayer

o Battle between the bed & the Bible

· One little prayer is not enough to win the battle against the flesh.

Eighth Stage (Ch 32&33) [Sacrificial prayer]

, “But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?”

Why was God angry?

· people had plunged into idolatry and immorality knowing that it was wrong

First Moses felt sympathy

· Oh Lord, don’t do this for Your reputation

· Later Moses reversed opinion, saw horrible

o God, you’re right to be angry!

o I didn’t realize that it was this bad

· But Moses didn’t give up. God was testing!

, “So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin [Moses never finished that sentence, but he thought something else and continues]—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”

Do you see the sacrifice of Moses?

· Here is a man who can look at people who are doing wrong things, evil things, horrible things, and he can say – Lord, will you forgive them

· I’d rather be blotted out of all the blessings of heaven, and removed my name from the book for the sake of my fellowmen

· Paul also similar prayer for Jews (Romans)

· Of course, God never allowed that.

o Except One. Who took our place.

· Nevertheless, shows the depth of his prayer

How different are his prayers now!

Ninth Stage (Ch 33) [Prayer of companionship]

Three final prayers

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’

If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

Lord, I don’t want to go a step further unless you go with us. Let me draw the contrast:

· At the beginning of his prayer life, he used to say, “Lord, you can do it without me”

· At the end of his prayer life, he says, “Lord, I can’t do it without you!”

We’re a baby in the dept of prayer – if we say, Lord you can do it without me!

Tenth Stage (Ch 33) [Prayer of intimacy]

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

· This is a prayer that people don’t ask unless they have walked a long time with the Lord.

· Let me see you!

· Of course, it is a wrong prayer –

o God’s glory is greater than Moses imagi

o Yet God honors his boldness

· In human language –cover his face.

o Then catch a glimpse of His glory

· First time he met God: he was afraid

o Now he wants to see Him

After effects

· Moses saw a light brighter than he has ever.

· Whe Moses came down the mountain.

· They looked at his face and it was shining

That’s the first time his face showed the result of his prayer

· When you really catch a glimpse of God’s glory, others will see it in our face and in our actions

“The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend”

Stages of Moses’ prayer

1. Prayer of submission

2. Self-conscious prayer (rebellions prayer)

3. Impatient prayer

4. Bold/Compassionate prayer

5. Prayer of praise

6. Obedient prayer

7. Persistent prayer

8. Sacrificial prayer

9. Prayer of companionship

10. Prayer of intimacy