Tuesday: The Value of Intercession
Read Daniel 9:5-13. What is significant about the fact that Daniel keeps on saying that “we” have done wrong, thereby including himself in the sins that ultimately have brought such calamity to the nation?
Image © Lifeway Colletion at Goodsalt.com
Daniel’s prayer is just one among other significant intercessory prayers contained in the Bible. Such prayers touch God’s heart, staving off judgment and bringing deliverance from enemies instead. When God is ready to destroy the entire Jewish nation, the intercession of Moses stays His hand (Exod. 32:7-14, Num. 14:10-25). Even when severe drought is about to consume the land, God answers Elijah’s prayer and pours out rain to revive the land (1 Kings chapter 18).
As we pray for family members, friends, and other people or situations, God hears our prayers and can intervene. Sometimes it may take longer for a prayer to be answered, but we can rest assured that God never forgets the needs of His children (see James 5:16).
In this case, Daniel plays the role of an intercessor, or mediator, between God and the people. From his study of the Scriptures, the prophet realizes how sinful the people have become as they transgress God’s law and refuse to hear God’s warnings. Thus, recognizing their desperate spiritual condition, Daniel prays for healing and forgiveness. But the prophet also identifies with his people. In some aspects Daniel illustrates the role of Christ as our intercessor (John chapter 17). However, there is a radical difference: Christ is “without sin” (Heb. 4:15) and therefore has no need to confess personal sin or to offer sacrifices for personal forgiveness (Heb. 7:26-27). But He identifies Himself in a unique way with sinners: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV).
| “If you would gather together everything that is good and holy and noble and lovely in man and then present the subject to the angels of God as acting a part in the salvation of the human soul or in merit, the proposition would be rejected as treason”. — Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, p. 24. What do these words teach us about our need for an Intercessor on our behalf? |
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The elephant in the room in this discussion is that many Seventh-day Adventists no longer consider that 1844 is as important as we once thought it was. Having lived through half a century of debate and discussion on the topic, I conclude that we are as divided on this issue as we are on the issue of women's ordination. I do not want to spark off the whole debate again with the various sides trying to prove their positions. If we cannot settle it conclusively after 50 years of debate, what hope to we have in a couple of Sabbath School lesson discussions?
The issue that I have with the debate is that we throw out the principles of Christian love, tolerance and understanding as we try and push the other side's argument into oblivion. Descriptors such as Jesuit, Wolves in sheep's clothing spring to mind.
I think if I am reading the debate correctly, most Seventh-day Adventists who seriously think about the issue and reject the 1844 date, do not reject the Sanctuary message, They either believe that Jesus entered the second phase immediately after the cross, or that the process of judgement is an ongoing one independent of time. That is a bit of a simplification because I know there is a spectrum of views.
Here are a couple of thoughts to process:
The judgement scene of the sheep and the goats that we are familiar with is really about unselfish love. There is no maths test to see if you can do the numbers and justify the start and end dates of time prophecies. How important is the 2300 day prophecy in the light of the core principles of judgement?
We are warned in 1 Cor 13 that prophecies can fail. Have the time prophecies failed, not in the sense that they are incorrect, but in that they have not drawn us closer to Jesus? I ask this because as I type this, I see the faces of my many friends, pastors, and teachers, who have left the church because of the vigilante-like actions of church members in trying to force them to state what they believed on the issue.
We sometimes justify our position by saying that this is the "shaking time". It is easy to justify our own position by cherry-picking the bits of the Bible that we think apply to others but are we as good at applying those same bits to ourselves.
For the record, I am not a Des Ford "groupie". I have great respect for him and he did teach me "Daniel and Revelation" back in 1963 (and I passed). I went to his memorial service last year, and irrespective of what he taught about the 1844 issue, I still have great respect for his compassion, forgiveness and his faith in Jesus.
Please note that this thread should not be used to justify positions about the time prophecies, or criticise personalities, but rather to discuss the ways we can handle the disunity we have on this topic.
Unity...Is there anything that unifies sinners towards righteousness and God’s eternal kingdom better than Jesus the Christ...author and finisher of our faith? Eph 4:13; Col 3:4; Prov 3:5; Eph 4:3; John 14:6; and on and on...
Our Pastor preached a sermon on this very topic last Sabbath. He was finishing a series on Romans. His point in closing was, not to argue with one another over a varying understanding of scripture. One should keep their focus on the Gospel.
Paul’s closing argument in Romans 16:17-20 and 25-27 states this plainly.....”17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,[f] and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
“25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
Is it important for us to understand the implications of 1844?
It is a matter of LIFE AND DEATH, as we live in the antitypical day of atonement marked by this date.
You see, there are other dates that have marked The Messiah's MOVEMENTS IN THE SANCTUARY, yet He allowed that His people would be LATE yet would catch up to Him soon after. But not us who live in these last days! We must make our movements TOGETHER with Christ post 1844 in order to stand a chance of being saved. Anyone moving the date is really removing our DETERMINANT beacon of salvation from its position in the ocean as we head to the heavenly shores.
We can preach all the "lovey-dovey" sermons all we want, when we ignore OBVIOUS LANDMARKS of the times, we shall be lost! At least Desmond was honest enough to renounce his belief in the sanctuary, but trying to marry the sanctuary message without 1844?? What is that in the first place?
Desmond Ford actually stumbled in Daniel 8 specifically vs 14, on one word "CLEANSED". He believed KJV mistranslated it. He is not alone. Most modern translations (careful which Bible translation you use) use ‘shall be justified,’ ‘shall emerge victorious,’ ‘shall be vindicated,’ and ‘shall be restored to its rightful state’. What is the proper translation? I touched on it last week, but I think it is expedient to revisit it.
The Hebrew word is SADAQ - the Hebrew word sadaq has a broad range of meaning which includes vindication, setting things right, restoring things to the way they originally were, and cleansing. Thus the word sadaq is like a diamond with many edges—it is one word with many nuances. Perhaps an analogy from the English language might help us understand. When legal proceedings are undertaken against an innocent person in our system of jurisprudence, it becomes necessary for this person to be vindicated. The record must be set straight and the person must be justified from all charges. When this is done and the person is found innocent, the charges are expunged. This is a legal word whose meaning is ‘to remove completely, blot out, erase, to cancel, to delete.’ Thus the result of the judgment includes justification, vindication, restoration and giving the person a clean slate because the charges have been erased! It would be absurd to say that vindication does not include blotting out (or cleansing, if you please) the charges!! The fact is that in Daniel 8 the reputation of God and his people has been smeared by the little horn. A judicial proceeding in the heavenly sanctuary must set the record straight, must vindicate, must justify and must expunge the false accusations!!
Daniel 7 presents a similar scenario. The little horn has killed the saints, changed the times, changed the law, blasphemed God and things have gone well for it. The record must be set straight and this is done by opening the books and judging the ostentatious little horn. At the end of the judgment, the kingdom is given once again to the Son of Man (who is the same person as the Prince of the host) and to the saints of the Most High to whom it belonged in the first place!!
There is a remarkable parallel between the thematic sequence of Daniel 8 and Leviticus 1-16. In Daniel 8:1-12 we find the little horn interfering with the daily ministration of the Prince of the host. But in Daniel 8:13-14 the focus shifts to the yearly ministration—the justification or cleansing of the sanctuary. This is the same sequence we find in Leviticus 1-16. In chapters 1-15 we find the emphasis on the daily ministration in the court and in the holy place in favor of the individual Israelites. But in chapter 16 the focus shifts from the individual Israelite to the cleansing of the sanctuary.
1844? Its significance is the single most important date of recent times that the Adventists owe the world! It VALIDATES the sanctuary message, whose CLEANSING began with Christ moving to the Most Holy place.
I had the pleasure of hearing Desmond Ford speak at a meeting in Alberta, Canada in the early 1980s. As a relatively recent convert from agnostic atheism, the politics, duplicity, spiteful vitriol and wrath of the “saints” and church administrators had me wondering what kind of cult I had joined. Given what I was seeing in the church, I began to wonder how much human manipulation had affected the “truth” of the Bible.
I had an opportunity speak briefly to Dr. Ford about my doubts and he graciously took the time to explain to me how God has protected his word from human manipulation and then brought me to understand the reason: Jesus is the nexus of God’s word. During our brief talk, I caught a glimpse of Who was sustaining this man in the maelstrom of his life. Thankfully, the love of God gives hope to all who see and know it in his Son Jesus.
Daniel, as a student of the word of God, studied the prophecy in Jeremiah 25:11-12, where he understood that God had said that the captivity of the children of Israel in Babylon would last for 70 years. As the interval has now almost expired, Daniel being a dedicated man of God and one who loved his people, began to fast and pray. He earnestly pleaded with God to end the captivity and send them back to their own land.
He started by acknowledging the greatness and faithfulness of God. He then went on to spend a considerable time in confessing their sins and asking God for forgiveness. Daniel knew the word of God; he believed it so much that he took steps to see its fulfillment. To be able to intercede and know how to direct our prayers, we need to know what the Bible says concerning the issue in question. Daniel was selfless, fervent and committed. He did not only pray (which was enough demonstration of a life fully committed to a cause), he also fasted, which was an act of self-denial and sacrifice. As interested intercessors, we must be ready to go to such extent in interceding for the nation. Also, Daniel did not exclude himself when he confessed the sins of his country even though he might not have been involved in the sins. He identified with his people and in humility, confessed their sin to God. He did not exhibit a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. If our intercession for our nation is to have a desired result, we need to humble ourselves before God and not show that we are better than others. In view of Daniel’s fervency, humility and selflessness, his prayers were answered even while he was still praying, verses 20-23. Daniel only prayed to God, he did not criticize anybody; he did not complain, neither did he point accusing fingers. No wonder God did not delay in answering his prayers!
Interesting that is was not enough for Eliphaz to offer a sacrifice. Job had to pray for him. Here we see the importance of intercessory prayer.
“After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has. So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.”
Job 42:7-9 NLT
God blesses us when we pray for others.
“When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!”
Job 42:10 NLT
On the topic of intercessory prayers what are the specifics?
Dear God, we all need you. We all need your presence in our lives. At first, we need forgiveness, as we all must learn to forgive others too. As we are not perfect, we are totally dependent of your love, no matter the circumstances. Give us clear minds and open hearts, so we can hear your voice today! For us to do your will, to be your witnesses wherever we go. In the name of Love, your Son, Jesus, amen.
Would God have destroyed the children of Israel if Moses had not pleaded for them?
Hello, Ray!
No, I don't believe that God would have allowed the children of Israel to be destroyed if Moses did not plead for them. Moses' pleading for Israel was a reflection of God's character. Moses was being "tested" through Israel's apostasy proving his Godlike love towards a sinful nation.
God never had any intention on destroying Israel at that time, because if He did, He would have done it without informing Moses. Moses didn't know what was going on until God told him, because he was up in the mount. God was actually showing how much He loved Israel.
Hope this helps to explain a bit. Just some thoughts concerning that event.
But when God came to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah He informed Abraham. He also allowed Abraham to intercede for them. Abraham was the one who stopped at 10 so we can never know if they would have been spared if Abraham went lower.
God actually proposed to Moses that He would wipe out the children of Israel and make a great nation of Moses' descendants. To my mind, simply stating that God had no intention of following through on that proposition is to suggest that He was not dealing with Moses in good faith.
Where I can agree is in remembering that there are no hypothetical situations with God. He knew in advance how Moses would respond, and what He Himself would do.
An interesting case is the message of Micaiah to Ahab: “Go and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king!” Had Ahab taken God's messenger at his word, it seems he could have enjoyed the military success that was being offered to him by all of his false prophets. When Ahab refuses to take this message at face value, prompting Micaiah to pronounce on him a message of doom, and then cites that message as confirmation of his complaint that Micaiah never prophesies any good concerning him, but only evil, Ahab's perversity is on full display. Never try to predict or outwit God. Judas tried it once.
It seems that there is a bigger elephant in the room than the 1844 debate. The statement made, “such prayers touch God’s heart, staving off judgement and bringing deliverance from enemies instead”, seems to make God out as a tyrant, just waiting to pounce. But someone, Daniel, prayed hard enough, and puts a stop to it. Is that the kind of God we serve? Intercessory prayer, as I see it, is bringing the one praying into close connection with God. The change happens in the one praying, not in God. Israel’s choices and actions brought them to the place they were at in each story referenced in the lesson, and God, being who He is, knew beforehand how long it would take for Israel to come to their knees. With Moses and Elijah, God taught some lessons, not just to Israel; we have to remember that there is a universe watching everything that goes on here on earth. We need to read scripture, keeping in mind, the eternal battle that is being fought.
If you would gather together everything that is good and holy and noble and lovely in man and then present the subject to the angels of God as acting a part in the salvation of the human soul or in merit, the proposition would be rejected as treason? Can anyone else please help me understand this statement please
Hi Olivia. What this means is what the Bible clearly says about our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is nothing we can do to contribute to our salvation...
Not. One. Thing.
It is by God's grace alone that we are saved. If anyone tells you "you must do this to be saved, you must do that to be saved..." run away... they are deceived.
Hi, Olivia. When mankind fell into sin, it left us in a helpless, hopeless situation, as far as producing any real righteousness is concerned. Any true, unselfish goodness seen in us is due to the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit, bought for us by the precious blood of Christ.
Yes, the divine Son of God took it upon Himself to rescue us from the pit of corruption into which we had sunk ourselves, at infinite cost to Himself. It is the will of the Supreme Ruler of the universe that we freely avail ourselves of this abundant provision for our restoration and salvation. To suggest some other means (or partial means) of salvation for us would indeed be treason against the divine government.