To fall on your face before God is to cast yourself upon His mercy and beg forgiveness. To fall prostrate before Him is to sue for grace or everything is lost. This dramatic position was to recognize the danger of sin and to repent with great zeal.
Moses fell on his face many times, not for his own situation, but for the hazards into which the people of Israel had wandered. In at least four situations, God's people seem clueless about the danger of judgment. They are blind to the nearness of disaster:
*When they fall into golden calf idolatry (Deu. 9). Moses' face shines with the holiness of God as he watches with wonder as God carves His holy law into stone. Meanwhile, God's people celebrate a golden calf with great religious ferocity. Moses falls facedown and lies prostrate for 40 days.
*When they fear the obstacles to God's promised blessing. "Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt" (Numbers 14). The people rebel and Moses falls facedown.
*When they do not recognize the authority of God in their legitimate leader, Moses. They ask, "Why do you exalt yourself above the assembly?" Only Moses sees that Korah's rebellion (Numbers 16) against God and God's leader brings them to the brink of disaster.
*When the people of Israel murmur against God's direction (Numbers 20). "Why did you bring us to this evil place?" The clueless Israelites slander God and Moses falls facedown.
An important ministry of the pastor and leader is to know when God's people wander into impending judgment: to confront the sin and to intercede for the sinner. Without Moses, Israel would have, more than once, walked cluelessly into destruction.
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