Psalm 106 verses 30-31 (NIV)
But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.
This was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.
The Psalm, prior to these verses, talks about how the people of Israel had rebelled and turned their backs on God, forgetting everything He had done for them. God’s righteous anger burned and He was ready to destroy them. They didn’t deserve to be saved, yet Phinehas took a risk and stood up for them. He was willing to intervene for others who would continue to grumble and drag their feet.
God responded to his intervention, and this was credited to Phinehas as righteousness. How courageous! How compassionate! It got me thinking whether I would be willing to petition the Lord on behalf of someone who would give me nothing in return, or even for someone who has made life difficult for me.
That’s not an easy thing to do, and it’s why, as we saw the other day, it was we need God’s righteousness to enable us to do this.
Dear Lord,
I can’t always be as compassionate and full of grace as I should be. Help me to be willing to pray for anyone that You direct me to, and to remember that You did not treat me as my sins deserve, so that’s how I too must treat others. I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.