QT 17 Jan 12, Moses was effective in prayer

Num 14:10-11, 13a, 15-23 (NIV) 10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? ..."

13 Moses said to the Lord, ". . . 15 If you put these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 'The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.'

17 "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 'The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now."

20 The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times —  23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

NOTE: One of the misunderstandings of scripture is to view it in a human context. God values prayer and even teaches it to his people. His proposed actions were perfectly just but were never truly intended. Moses appeal, his prayer, is an example to us of how we are to pray. He argues with God on the basis of God's name (verses 13-16), on the basis of his promises (verses 17-18), and on the basis of his character (verse 19). Later, in the book of Jeremiah, God declares "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go! (Jer 15:1)." Moses knew how to pray. We would do well to learn the lessons that Moses learned in our prayer life. He didn't use tongues or grandiose events, he simply kneeled and in his mind expressed an argument based upon God's name, His Word, and His character.