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Psalm 106:23
Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn’t destroy them.
21They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,
22wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome things by the Red Sea.
23Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn’t destroy them.
24Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They didn’t believe his word,
25but murmured in their tents, and didn’t listen to the LORD’s voice.
Notice
The breach is a place of danger: Moses stands before God for people facing destruction after forgetting their Savior.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What does Moses’ place “in the breach” suggest about praying for someone whose choices trouble you?
Write on thisHow do you respond to God’s threatened destruction and Moses’ part in turning away his wrath?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
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Ezekiel 22:30“I sought for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.Both describe someone standing before God in a breach to avert destruction; Moses stands there, while Ezekiel reports that God found no one.
Jeremiah 15:1Then the LORD said to me, “Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind would not turn toward this people. Cast them out of my sight, and let them go …Both name Moses standing before God, yet Jeremiah declares that even his intercession would not turn God toward the people.
1 John 5:16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is sin …Both connect prayer for others with preservation from death, though John distinguishes between sin leading to death and sin that does not.
Isaiah 59:16He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness sustained him.Moses stands before God in the psalm; Isaiah describes the absence of an intercessor and God acting through his own arm.
Numbers 14:13Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from among them.Moses addresses God concerning the people in both passages; Numbers names God’s might in bringing them out from among the Egyptians.
Psalm 85:3You have taken away all your wrath. You have turned from the fierceness of your anger.Both speak of God’s wrath being turned away; Psalm 106 names Moses’ intervention, while Psalm 85 addresses God about his withdrawn anger.
Deuteronomy 9:25So I fell down before the LORD the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because the LORD had said he would destroy you.Both recount Moses coming before the LORD because he had threatened to destroy the people; Deuteronomy specifies forty days and nights.
Deuteronomy 9:13–14Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people.Both concern God’s response to his people’s rebellion; Deuteronomy describes them as stiff-necked, while the psalm recounts Moses’ intervention.
Jeremiah 18:20Should evil be recompensed for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from …Moses and Jeremiah both stand before God on behalf of others to turn away his wrath from them.
Luke 13:8He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.Both feature an appeal for restraint, though Luke’s speaker asks for time to dig and fertilize.
Ezekiel 13:5You have not gone up into the gaps or built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the LORD’s day.Both use the image of a breach or gap: Moses stands there, while Ezekiel rebukes those who have failed to repair Israel’s defenses.
John 9:31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he listens to him.Psalm 106 recounts God responding to Moses’ intercession; John records a statement that God hears those who worship and obey him.
One step
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Encouragement
God’s wrath against his forgetful people is real, and so is the mercy shown through Moses’ intercession. Their preservation rests with the God before whom Moses stands.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).