When God threatens to destroy the people because of the golden calf episode, Moses perseveres in intercession for ″forty days and forty nights″ for the Israelites (Deuteronomy 9:25). In the Bible (see Acts 1:14; Ephesians 6:18) and in history, we see many other examples of God doing great things through the earnest, persevering prayers of His people.

Deuteronomy 9:26-29 records how Moses argued with God like a lawyer, giving reasons why He should not destroy the Israelites.

Moses makes four points. First, he reminds God that the Israelites are His own inheritance (9:26, 29). He implores: ″They are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm″ (v. 29, emphasis mine). His point is that God must protect the Israelites because they belong to God. God's honour is at stake here. Defeat for God's people is an affront to the glory of God.

Second, Moses reminds God that He had redeemed them with great power and that redemption would be rendered meaningless by their destruction (vv. 26, 29). We can apply this lesson today, by remembering that salvation is the greatest thing that could happen to us. We can hence look at difficult church members and say, ″These people have been bought by the blood of Christ. I cannot abandon them!″

Third, Moses reasons that the promises God made to their forefathers would be meaningless if the Israelites were destroyed (v. 27). He made no excuse for the people's sin, only an appeal to God's promises.

Fourth, Moses pleads that if God were to destroy the people whom He saved with great power, their defeat would then cause people to say shameful things about God's motives for saving His people (v. 28). How important it is for us to maintain this perspective of jealousy for the honour of God's name. May our lives be similarly burdened by the vision of the glory of God so that all we do and all we ask of God may be motivated by this passion.

In response to Moses' prayer, ″the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened″ (Exodus 32:14; see Deuteronomy 10:10-14). New tablets of stone were made to mark a renewing of the covenant (10:1-5). And the forgiven people were invited to start again on their journey (v. 11). Prayer is not only necessary, but also powerful. May this truth inspire us to persevere in intercessory prayers.