“Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting…’Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel…”
The census was not a matter of counting nickels and noses to establish bragging rights over the church down the street. The LORD called on Moses to count the people to prepare an army for war.
One of the slogans of the church growth movement is, “We count people, because people count.” The contemporary church has done a good job counting people who show up for services. They have not done as good a job at training them for war.
Pastors love to count people who come to hear them preach. They often discover not all the people they count can be counted on to go to war. It is one thing to count people. It is another thing to train people who can be counted on.
“Until the church utilizes prayer as the world class weapon in the battle against evil, there will be little hope of a turnaround.”
George Barna
Humility is the first step in any successful march to victory in Spiritual Warfare. God calls on His people who are called by His name to humble themselves in The Presence of God.
“My people who are called by My name, humble themselves.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Moses sought God in “the tent of meeting.” He was in the right place at the right time. He was humble enough to enter. He stayed long enough to hear and to obey the voice of God.
When Moses heard the voice of God, he obeyed what He heard, the first time he heard it. He didn’t’ seek a second opinion, or do a word study to determine if God really meant what He said.
Delayed obedience on the part of a leader is a clear sign of a rebellious heart. What the leader does in moderation, the people will do in excess. Moses did not delay. He obeyed.
“So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, and they assembled all the congregation together ...just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” V. 17-19
There are two vital lessons on prayer to be learned from the life of Moses. He fleshed them out between, “The Lord spoke” and his completion of the task “Just as the Lord had commanded…”
Moses sought God’s face in “the tent of meeting” for one purpose, to hear from Him. This is the first fundamental priority of prayer. The primary purpose of prayer is to put an intercessor in the right position to hear from God, not to talk to Him.
Secondly, when Moses heard from God, he immediately obeyed God. The Hebrew language is rich in meaning when it comes to the expression of hearing and obeying. The words hearing and obeying are virtually interchangeable.
The Hebrew word, “shama,”contains the concepts of listening, hearing, and obeying. In short, to hear God speak leaves no other option to choose or any other opinion to heed. When Moses left The Tent, he obeyed what God said. Anything less than immediate obedience would have been rebellion towards God. It still is.
Moses did not go into The Tent to give God instruction. He went there to be brought into alignment with God’s plan for his life. He left with a commission, and he carried it out, “just as the LORD had commanded.”
NOTE TO SELF: Your intercession begins with a deep desire to seek God’s face. You should seek Him where He may be found. Moses went to “The Tent of Meeting.” You should know where your tent is. Moses came out of The Wilderness and into The Tent. You should too. Staying in The Wilderness is not a path to success in the battle against evil. When you pray, you are not calling in reinforcements. You are joining God’s army for the fight of your life.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!