God In The Hands Of A Man

“And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” —Exodus 32:14

This is a wonderful story, “God in the Hands of a Man.” The narrative which I have just read declares the theme, and Scripture proves the statement—God in the hands of Moses. Though he had committed murder before he left Egypt, and was impatient at times; for all that, Moses was God’s chosen man, and after forty years on the backside of the desert he came forth as God’s trained man.

I have no doubt but what that “brush-college” experience was necessary. He needed that. There is a post-graduate course a man must have spiritually ere God can do much with him. He may stuff his brain and have all the other folks to inform him, but he will have to learn by experience, whether it be sweet or bitter, what it means to mind God. Experience is one of God’s schoolmasters—we must “go through” in order to know God. You may theorize until your head hurts, but that will not bring you any nearer God. Spiritual knowledge can only be had in the path of obedience. Obedience implies sacrifice and self-denial, and on the other hand—“joy unspeakable and full of glory;” there will be times when your cup will run over, and you would willingly die for God—you are delighted with His service, and pleased that He ever called you.

The Lord said unto Moses, “Get thee down; for thy people which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.” Note the language, “thy people.” God disowns that crowd of idolators. “Get thee down for thy people which thou broughtest out of Egypt, they have corrupted themselves.” Now it was not the going down to his people that would have helped them—it was the pleading prayer, his prevailing spirit and faith that won the victory for his brethren. Moses was not a selfish man, he pleaded for others. While his people had “turned aside to do evil,” Moses was sweating in prayer to turn the wrath of God—and he succeeded, Hallelujah! It was the condition of his heart and not the position of his body that helped his people.

Defective Memory

I was reading the other day in the eighth chapter and seventeenth verse of Mark and noted there how, when the heart is hard, the memory is very defective. The disciples had forgotten the wonderful miracle which Christ had performed just the day before. Five thousand bodies had been fed by the word of our Lord, and twelve baskets of fragments gathered after all had eaten enough—quite enough left for another crowd. So the Master reasons with His disciples, “Have ye your hearts yet hardened? Do ye not remember?” When your heart is hard you cannot recall the many blessings of God in your life, but when the blessing of the Lord is upon you, Oh how well you recollect—you will be saying, “He helped me here, and there and yonder, all along the way God has been my personal Friend—my Helper in the time of need—praise Him!”

God At Hand

Moses was a man of tender heart, yet a strong spirit, a persevering soul, and he pleads for his people. God tells him that they are very wicked, and so they are. “I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff-necked people.” Now all of this from the mouth of God was enough to discourage the heart of an ordinary man. “Don’t pray for a revival here. Don’t ask for the salvation of these people;” they are just now worshiping a golden calf. “Don’t talk to me,” He said in substance.

“Now therefore let me alone,” said God, “that my wrath may wax hot against them, and I will go down and slay that crowd, but you have your hands on me, and I cannot go down in anger and slay them until you take your hands off of me. Let me alone.”

“Oh, God, are my hands upon thee? Thank you for the information. Do I hinder your going? Well, I will hinder the more.”

“Moses, you are the only hindrance to my wrath—let me alone that it may wax hot.”

“Ah,” said Moses, “am I the barrier? Then a barrier I remain!”

I say this reverently, but I believe that you can see that that prayer of Moses was just like a fan cooling God’s wrath. “Your prayers cool my wrath, so that it is not hot enough to precipitate the destruction of yon rebels. Let me alone, and I will go down and destroy that crowd. Your groaning, Moses, hinders the operation of my wrath.”

But Moses, with the arms of faith, gripped his Maker and continued in prayer. No wonder Jesus said, “A man ought always to pray and not faint.” A man never falls from his knees. Why go to every Tom, Dick, and Harry with our troubles, and then when we are all out of breath and joy and faith—turn to God? Why not go to God first?

Many of you sit around nervously and bite your fingernails to the quick and say, “I don’t know what I am going to do?” Of course you don’t know, but God knows! “Let God.” Our Maker foreknew the needs of the race. He saw these demons running up and down the earth a thousand years before your birth. He is never “off guard,” or on a “long journey,” as the prophet said mockingly to the worshipers of Baal. No, no, He is a God at hand.

The Lord then promised Moses, if he would let Him go down and consume that crowd, that He would raise Him up another nation—“a great nation.” “No, no,” pleaded this praying man, “spare this people. They are thy people. Thou hast brought them out.”

Notice the arguments which this man uses with his Maker. “Moses besought the Lord (the word “besought” is a strong word here), and said, Lord, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people which Thou hast brought out of Egypt with great power? Are you going to let it all come to naught? Thou hast performed Thy great miracles in bringing them out. Wherefore should the Egyptians say (He uses the argument here of public opinion, if you please. Moses is talking about what the people will say. It is all right as far as it lies within us to live peaceably with all men. We have cross enough without making one. Test and trials you will have without beckoning the devil to come on). Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, “For mischief He did bring them out, to slay them in the mountains?” They will say that to one another. If you go and slay this crowd, your crowd which you brought out, back in Egypt they will be saying, “I told you that He just took them out in the mountains to slay them. That is the kind of God they have. An awful God!” And Moses used that argument.”

“Now,” said Moses, “turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people.”

“This man is bold,” you say. Well, men and women who wrestle with God in prayer usually become bold. They who tarry with God discern His character, and know by His own Word that He is more willing to give than we are to ask. For forty days, this man Moses had been talking face to face and heart to heart with his Maker. He had had glimpses of God’s greatness, His slowness to ange,r and great mercy and patience, and now this knowledge of God makes Moses bold in making his request, “Turn from Thy fierce wrath. Thy mercy is before Thy wrath. Thy love is greater than Thy wrath. Let Mercy’s great arm hold Thy wrath in check—while Thy people down there repent of their sins. Give them another opportunity—turn from Thy wrath.”

Here is another argument. “Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Thy servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self. Thou didst say unto them, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. Just remember your promise. Keep your word now.” God’s promises are conditioned upon the obedience of His man—Moses meets the required condition and pleads the cause of his people with all boldness. “So the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people.”

What changed the mind of God? For that is the right rendering of the words. Why, the prayer and faith of Moses pleading and insisting on God’s mercy taking charge of that crowd below—strong faith in the mercy of God turned away the wrath of God.

In The Lap Of A Woman

This scene, this story is a strange one, “God in the hands of a man.” But there are other pictures similar to this in the New Testament. Let us go from this place to a little town called Bethlehem, and walk to the end of one of its streets to a dug-out, a stable in the side of a hill. Enter in and over in the corner on some clean straw sits a handmaiden of the Lord. On her lap lies a babe, and in that babe dwells the fulness of the God-head bodily—it is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Here we find Divinity in the lap of a woman.

In The Hands Of A False Priest

Another picture. At Jerusalem in the palace there is a commodious hall where the high priest meets with his helpers. A crowd had gathered this day. A man stands in the midst more calm than all the others. “What think ye?” The high priest is casting a vote, and they say unanimously, that he is guilty and ought to be crucified. They vote for His death. This scene declares the fact that God is now in the hands, not of an obedient maiden, but in the hands of a false, untrue priest.

In The Power Of A Heathen Ruler

Then go to the judgment hall so-called (very unfair judgment at this time) and there stands a man before Pilate, the crowd clamoring for His blood. Oh, how they hate Him! By and by, Pilate steps down to His side. “Know ye not,” he says haughtily, “that I have power to crucify thee? Come, answer my questions.” Now what does this story tell us? God in the hands of a heathen ruler.

In The Hands Of Roman Soldiers

Not far from the walls of Jerusalem there is another scene. They have reached the top of a hill—shaped like a skull. The heavy cross-boards are laid on the ground; the form of a frail man is laid upon them. His hands and feet are spiked to the rough timber. They have dug the hole; strong hands lift up timber and sufferer, and with a thud, it drops to the hard clay. God’s Son hangs on a cross! He is in the hands of common Roman soldiers.

Faith Binds God

God gives Himself to the believing heart. “He that overcometh shall inherit all these things, I will be His God and He shall be My Son.” He tells us again and again that He is a God at hand. He is often grieved because we do not know Him. It is not space that separates us from God—it is our sins!

Now, what is it that binds God? It is faith. He says, “Here is My promise. When you want Me, call Me. Use this. This will reach Me any time. Mention this promise when you call. If I seem to be far away—get on and ride to Me.” Hallelujah! Thirty thousand promises or more are just biting their bits, all well fed, saying, “Get on and ride, get on and ride.”

You say, “Oh well, I will limp along,” and limp you will, if you don’t get on.

Thirty thousand promises in the reach of your soul, yet you cry, “I cannot do the will of God. I cannot understand God. I cannot overcome the evil one. My passions are stronger than I.”

It is because the god of this world has blinded your eyes, and you cannot see. I pray that the Lord Himself will put a little eye-salve on your soul’s vision, and then you may get on and ride. Maybe you walked to [the] meeting. It would be nice to ride home anyhow, wouldn’t it?

Now this victory was virtually the victory of God. For the victory of God’s man is the victory of God. Yes, God not only willed that Moses should succeed for the good of those people, but as an example for us. That mountain scene, this prayer, pleading against great difficulties, shows that though the hindrances be sky high, the Lord calls us to pray against them and believe that He is greater than all that can be against us. Praise Him!

God is sensitive, and waits to be invited; the only reason that He is not in some meetings is because He has not been invited. Folks go to [the] meeting and say, “The Lord will be there,” but He will not come in power unless we urge Him to come, and let Him know by word and action that we are depending on Him.

The power that binds God is faith. Prayer is the means that keeps us in touch with God. “Man’s extremity” is an old trite saying, but true, “man’s extremity is God’s beginning,” but man’s security is often the devil’s opportunity. Faith in God means self-distrust. Conscious weakness often means conscious power—he who knows God knows himself. While faith is weaning us from this present world, it opens before us a spiritual world, an eternal kingdom of glory and power.

When we “take our hands off” we give the Lord an opportunity to work. I have known some preachers to be so busy in preparing sermons, letter writing, visiting, and other work peculiar to the ministry, that the Lord Himself could not make them understand His message—they did not hear or understand what the Spirit was saying to the church.

Glorying In Infirmities

Man may live in the hands of God. Over in the 12th chapter of 2 Corinthians, you will find the story that Paul tells of his trip to the third heaven, where he saw unspeakable glory, too wonderful for language to express. Now lest this apostle should be puffed over his success, the special privilege of going to glory before death, there was given to him a messenger to buffet him, God “sicked” the devil on him. Paul said to the thing, “Get away from me, Lord take it away”; but it did not go, it just grinned and stood around. When you tell your troubles to go, they laugh at you and say, “What are you talking about, we are not going until we get good and ready. There is more trouble coming.” One trouble will bring another—trouble never comes alone. This Christian life is a very interesting life—if we are not [loving] to the Lord, we are fighting the devil.

Well, Paul did a very wise thing—he prayed again. The third time he prayed, the Lord answered definitely. “Paul is there anything bothering you, are you conscious of your weakness? Listen, Paul, My grace is made perfect in weakness.” Now just a hint to the wise is sufficient. Paul heard his Master’s words and saw the light—the reason for his testings, and went on his way rejoicing, saying, “Most gladly will I therefore glory in mine infirmities, for when I am weak then am I strong. I take pleasure in infirmities, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake.”

When Paul saw that it was for Christ’s sake and his own spiritual good—that settled it with him. From that time on, he gloried in his infirmities. I suppose that Paul said, “Why didn’t I see this before? Now old Opposition, just hang around as long as you like; take a seat, don’t be in a hurry to go. Don’t look at me with such large eyes—I mean it—you don’t have to go, if the Master sends you away, that is quite another thing. Distress, lie down, if you are tired; make the best of it while you are here. By the grace of God and in spit of you fellows—I am finding and taking pleasure. Persecution, take off your coat, you must be all in a sweat. I know that you boys are not used to such talk. Of course you notice the change in me? Well, I have just heard from heaven, and such good news! Why, fellows, I am instructed to glory in mine infirmities. Excuse me, since you are not going, I shall have my praise service right here before you.” Hallelujah!

Don’t fight against your troubles—let God do that. “When I am weak then am I strong.” God can put harness on the hardest trials of your life and make them pull you towards the throne. Get on and ride and stop finding fault. When Trouble comes into your home, he makes a great noise, he runs with an awful gang. His coming is like the work of an alarm clock, you wake up and go to prayer. Then whatever makes you pray is a blessing to you, no matter what name it may bear.

Brother, the time will come when you will thank God for the opposition that you have. That disagreeable person living under the same roof, if you only knew it, is a spiritual muscle builder—a moving gymnasium. Is not God good to you? Many of us turn our souls over to God—but keep our troubles. In prayer tell Him all about our troubles, and then keep them for future reference.

Grasper vs. Possessor

It would not do to close without referring to dear old Jacob, who wrestled with God. He was a “heel grasper,” nothing but a—well, he is gone, and is not here to defend himself, and besides, he is a near relative to some of us—so we ought not to talk against him. But Jacob did a wise thing, he went to God when he got into deep trouble. That all night of prayer, during which his name was changed from “Grasper” to “Possessor,” did what his servants and gifts could not do for him—gave him power and victory over his foes.

We ought to consider the time element in prayer, not that time saves us, but we must take time to commune with God in our hearts. There is such a thing as reiterating God’s promises in a parrotlike fashion, and not entering into that prevailing spirit which grips God. About all some folks say in prayer is, “Good morning, Lord, Thou hast said this and that. Goodbye. I’ll see Thee tonight,” and go away not prevailing, not bringing anything to pass by their formal salutation. But Jacob took time, and when the Angel became tangible to him, he succeed because of his perseverance.

The Angel said to Jacob, “The day is breaking, let me go.”

“Oh, is that so? Thank you. I shall be glad to see your face!” And the Angel blessed him there.

But Jacob was not blessed until he was made weak. If he had won by sheer force, no doubt he would have said the next day, “Well, drive on.”

“Why, Uncle Jacob, you seem very spry this morning.”

“I am, I am.”

“What happened, Uncle Jacob? Will you tell us the secret?”

“I wrestled with an Angel all night long, and he wanted me to let go, but I wouldn’t do it. I would have pulled every feather out of him in order to get the blessing. He asked me to let get the blessing. He asked me to let him go, and he begged me to do it, but I wouldn’t do it.”

“Weren’t you tired, Uncle Jacob?”

“Oh, no; an all night wrestling match does not tire me,”—and he strokes his chest. “I just held on until day break.” My how Uncle Jacob could have boasted! But the Lord knows man too well to bless him when he is so strong. God touched Jacob’s main prop, and makes him weak that He might make him strong. The Heel-grasper wilts and wobbles under this touch of the Angel.

“Oh,” he cries to the victorious Angel, “I cannot hold you any longer—please don’t leave me!”

“Wrestler, what is your name?”

“Jacob, and your name please?”

He blessed there. Jacob’s weakness was God’s opportunity. The next morning we hear the folks saying, “Uncle Jacob, you look pale, are you weak?”

“Yes, I am weak physically, but spiritually, I never felt better. Drive on, drive on; praise God! All is well!”

Now listen, frail and weak you may be—down at the frazzle edge of your humanity—but if you will wait upon the Lord, “thou shalt mount up with wings as eagles; thou shalt run and not be weary; and walk and not faint.”

Message preached at Moody Tabernacle on February 3, 1918