JCCC Prayer Ministry
Japan's Critical Need for Intercessors: A Lesson From Moses Interceding for the Israelites
Scripture leaves no doubt that the Lord loved the people of Israel. He was unashamed to call them "My people," and He promised to make a great nation of them. Time after time He showed His love to them. He freed them from Egyptian enslavement and fought for them against Pharaoh's army as they were being pursued in the desert. While in the desert he provided for their thirst and hunger by giving them water, manna, and quail. Then, in yet another display of affection for His people, God proceeded to give the Israelites His law which, if they kept it, would allow them to "live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time" (Deut. 4:40; 7:6-11).?
Unfortunately, the people had already turned their backs on God, and broke the very law He was giving them-a law He had written with His own hand! Forty days had passed since Moses went up the mountain to receive the law. The people came against Aaron his brother and said, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him" (Ex. 32:1). The people already gave the credit for their deliverance from Egypt to Moses, and not to the Lord. Their request for another god was a blatant rejection of the God who loved them so dearly. Regrettably, Aaron acquiesced to the people's request. He fashioned a calf made from the people's gold contributions, and early the next morning, they "offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play" (Ex. 32:6). They had replaced worship of the true God with worship of a cud-chewing bovine made of gold.?
The Lord is described earlier in Scripture as a "jealous God" (Ex. 20:5), and the people's sin caused the Lord to seethe with anger. When the Lord revealed to Moses what the people were doing, He called them "your people," perhaps signifying that He was now rejecting them just as they had rejected Him. The Lord declared He would destroy the Israelites for their rebellion, and then promised to make a great nation out of Moses to take their place (Ex. 32:9,10).?
Much of what I have just summarized about Israel can also be said of mankind in general, and specifically of Japan. Japanese have experienced an abundance of God's blessings and provision for their lives. Japan is at peace with her neighbors abroad and justice reigns within. The country is blessed with breathtaking beauty and she has seen enviable economic prosperity. The Lord has indeed been kind to the Japanese, but beyond that, the Lord loves them. In fact He loves them so much He gave the life of His only Son for them (Jn. 3:16). While the Bible doesn't specifically call the Japanese "His people," it does say that each one has the potential of becoming a child of God. He has promised, "as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (Jn. 1:12). Also, "the Lord desires that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). And, like the Israelites, God has shown His love for the Japanese by giving them His written word so that all will believe in Jesus and receive-not just a long life, but eternal life (Jn. 3:16)!
Regrettably, many Japanese have rejected the one, true God. One hundred and thirty years of Protestant Christian mission work has passed, yet the Christian population is a paltry one-percent of the nation's total. The vast majority has substituted the Lord with other gods. This idolatry may be seen as one praying to his ancestors at the family altar, a desire for greater wealth, or even the full surrender of one's life to the company in which he is employed.?
The Scriptures warn of a time when the Lord will judge the entire earth, and bring an end to all evil. The Lord has provided the way for people to avoid this judgment by repenting of their sin and trusting in Christ for the forgiveness brought by His death on the cross. Those who have believed will live in the new heaven and earth prepared by their Lord, and the rest will suffer eternal torment, banished from the presence of God. If that judgment were to come now, ninety-nine percent of Japan's people would suffer the Lord's fierce anger, and that for eternity.
Moses took the Lord's anger seriously, and quickly began to intercede for the people of Israel. As much trouble as the Israelites had given him, Moses still loved them enough to plead with the Lord to not destroy them. It seems Moses was motivated to intercede for the people by his love for both the Lord and the people of Israel. He began by reminding the Lord that they were still "Thy people," a people whom the Lord had felt worth saving at one time. Moses was also concerned about the perception of the Lord's righteous name by the people of Egypt, and therefore pleaded with Him to change His mind lest they think Him to be morally evil. Moses is also concerned with the Lord's reputation for faithfulness in keeping His promises, and so he reminds Him of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Finally, Moses interceded by going to the people and calling them to repent, saying, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!" (Ex. 32:26).?
The Scripture records the result of Moses' intercession saying, "So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Ex. 32:14). Had Moses not interceded, it seems certain the Lord would have utterly destroyed them. Instead, the Lord gave the people a chance to repent, and spared those who did so. The unrepentant however were slain by the Levites at the command of Moses. The Lord "changed His mind" doesn't mean He would eliminate all punishment from the people, but only that He relented from destroying them outright (John D. Hannah, 1983).
When thinking of Japan, however, some questions arise: "Who loves the people of Japan enough to intercede on their behalf? Who is concerned about seeing the Lord's name exalted in Japan and throughout the earth as a result of His mighty working in Japan? Who will remind the Lord that He desires that none would perish, but that all would come to repentance? Who will go to the people-or at least plead with the Lord to send others-to call Japanese to repentance?
As we look at the sins-particularly the idolatry-of the people of Japan, we can't escape the conclusion that they are heading for a terrible, horrible judgment. Shouldn't this alone stir us to intercede on their behalf? As we think of the Lord's love for the Japanese, shouldn't this also stir us to pray for them??
If large numbers of those within the body of Christ were to intercede for the Japanese, what might the outcome be? We may never know if millions of people were spared from judgment as a result of our intercession. We also don't know if the Lord would choose to answer our petitions immediately, or some time in the distant future. We do know, however, that the Lord answers all prayers that are made in accordance with His will (1 Jn. 5:14,15), and that it is His desire that "none should perish. (1 Pet. 3:9)" Perhaps the Lord will "change His mind" and bring a great, spiritual awakening to this land.
The people of Japan are in need of people who, like Moses, will intercede on their behalf. They need people who recognize their plight before a jealous God and are willing to love them as God does. Are you willing to commit yourself to faithfully intercede for the people of Japan? If you are, please look at the page listing our most urgent and ongoing prayer requests, and begin praying, daily. If you would like to learn practical ways to effectively use your time in prayer, please read some of the helpful articles on our resources page. Please let us know if you are praying for the Japanese and would like to receive an email notification of updates to our prayer requests or other content found at this site.
Don't be discouraged if you feel inadequate: the experience of many has shown that once they have begun to intercede for people, their love for those people and for God has grown deeper. I encourage you to begin interceding for the people of Japan-for their sake, and for the Lord's.?
References: The New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation, 1977. Hannah, John D., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, New Testament ed., "Exodus" (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983), 156.