Entering the promised land was no trip to a bed and breakfast for the Jewish people. Another example of this is detailed in B’Midbar (Numbers) 25:10-19.

Following in the mold of Moshe, and before him even Abraham, Yitzak and Ya’akov, Pinchas, son of El’azar, son of Aahron, steps in between the children of Israel and deflects G-d’s zealous anger at Yisrael’s sinful rebellion and convinces him to forgive and restore the people of Yisrael to right-standing before Adonai.

This thought, therefore, occurs to me.

When is the last time anyone has stood between Adonai and a rebellious group of Adonai-fearers and contended for them. I’m not talking about a five-minute prayer for “those pour unfortunate souls in the church down the street who don’t agree with us on this doctrine or that.” I’m talking about having the L-rd make you aware of his holy and righteous anger at someone and, rather than meekly standing by and saying, “Whatever you say, you know best, L-rd,” actually stepping out before Adonai in holiness and confidence granted to you by Y’shua the messiah, and saying, boldly, “Shall not the L-rd do right?”

That is an admirable kind of courage that many in the books of Moshe seem to possess. Are modern believers so weighted down with the guilt and shame of their own failings that we miss out on the chance to be enough of a friend to G-d that we could turn his wrath against someone else by loving both G-d and those in mortal danger of G-d’s wrath enough to say, “Shall not the L-rd do right?”