The Prayer of Moses
A couple of weeks ago, at a reception, several of us were fellowshipping, and my friend loves to ask people to guess how old I am. They said different numbers, and none of them were correct. When my friend finally told them, some were shocked!
One of the men at the table mentioned this verse in Psalm ninety - For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; we finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years (Psalm 90:7-10).
The person said that David wrote that Psalm, but He was open to correction about who wrote Psalm ninety. In continuing the conversation, he said that Moses lived one hundred and twenty years (Deuteronomy 34:7). Then he said he was going back and study more pertaining to that scripture.
Moses’ prayer was for Israel because of their unbelief
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them, As I live, says the Lord, just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.
Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your carcasses [corpse/dead body] shall fall in this wilderness.
And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection.
I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die Numbers 14:26-35). Moses cried out to God because of the rebel Israelites!
Let’s go to Genesis 6:3 - And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Because of the wickedness of people their years were shortened. Methuselah lived So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died (Genesis 5:27).
The Word of God is not contradictory. If Psalm 90 meant what many believe it means, why are people living to be 120? My brothers and my sisters, this is to caution all of you who are not searching the scriptures and see how they connect, support, and relate to each other. God commanded us to - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
Betty A. Burnett ~ burnettministries.org
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