Intercession

Is 59:16 "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intervene; then His own arm brought Him victory, and His righteousness upheld Him."

The same word paw-gah is used here and translated as intervene.

Jer 15:11 So let it be, O Lord, if I have not entreated Thee for their good, if I have not pleaded with Thee on behalf of the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress!

The same word paw-gah is used here and translated as entreat.

An intercessor is one who makes contact with God as opposed to the many who simply dabble in prayer.

Intercession is pleading.

The first example of intercession in scripture is where the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is so grave that God wants to destroy the city; it is here that Abraham comes before the Lord and says,

Gen 18:23-32 "Wilt Thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from Thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fair as the wicked! Far be that from Thee! Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" And the Lord said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake." Abraham answered, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt Thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And He said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." Again he spoke to Him, and said, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." He said, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of the twenty I will not destroy." Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

Abraham is here entreating, making an earnest request, literally begging for Sodom to be saved; see the pleading attitude of Abraham, real intercession is pleading before God for another. He pleads as if Sodom was his own and does not give up till the end.

Intercession is being unselfish

Intercession is unselfish prayer for another no matter who it is, friend or enemy. The prayer of Jesus for His enemies

Lk 23:34 "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

This is an excellent example of intercession for enemies. This prayer reveals the love Jesus had for His enemies; the burden that was in His heart for His enemies is vocalized.

We see another beautiful example of unselfish prayer in the N.T. when Stephen was being stoned to death by his enemies.
Acts 7:60 He knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord do not hold this sin against them."
And when he had said this he died.

Intercession is burden and love for others made known to God, even if it be our enemies. If you make a prayer like this, then it is a sure sign that you are beginning to love your enemies.

Intercession is being intense

When the Israelites sinned before God by making for themselves gods of gold.

Ex 32:30-32 Moses returned to the Lord and said "Alas this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written."

Ps 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

Ps 109:13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!

The prayer of Moses for his people is so intense, that he is even willing if his name be blotted out from the Book of Life. Intercession is intense prayer for another, even to the extent of forgoing everything out of love.

Intercession is being persistent

Lk 11:5-8 And He said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me’ the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him whatever he needs."

The Gk Word annideia meaning ‘shameless’ is translated as importunity. We need to ask God for others again and again, as the person in this parable knocked again and again shamelessly and received the three loaves.

Intercession is not losing heart

Lk 18:1-8 Jesus told them this parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Vindicate me against my adversary.’ For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.’"

The Gk word hupopiaza translated as ‘weary’ actually means, to hit under the eye, to wear one out.

Eph 6:18 Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

The word supplication translated from the Gk word deesis which means, an entreating, continued strong and incessant pleadings until the prayer is answered; with all perseverance, that is, always intent upon your object in prayer, constant.

Rm 12:12 Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Intercession is standing in the gap

Ez 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.

Ps 106:23 Therefore He said he would destroy them, had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them.

God is looking for people who will stand before Him and His people and cry out to Him.

Intercession is praying in the Spirit

Rm 8:26-27 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Eph 6:18 Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

The offensive weapon against the spirit rebels is mentioned here as: Praying in the Spirit at all times i.e. praying in tongues, a powerful tool against the powers of darkness.

Intercession is Spiritual Warfare

Eph 6:12 "For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

St. Paul mentions four kinds of spirit rebels in this passage:

1. Gk word Archas translated as "principalities" in RSV, sovereignties in JB, rulers in NIV. It means chief rulers or beings of the highest rank and order in Satan’s kingdom. Eph 1:21, Col 2:19
   
2. Gk word Exousias translated as "authorities" in NIV, "powers" in NAB, KJV, JB and RSV. Those who derive their power from and execute the will of the chief rulers. Eph 1:21, Col 2:10
   
3. Gk word Kosmokratopas translated as "world rulers of the darkness of this age", "the spirit rulers". Dan 10:13-21, Col 1:16-18
   
4. Gk word Pneumatika Ponerias translated as "spiritual wickedness" that of the wicked spirits of Satan in the heavenlies viz. high places.

Dan 10:12-14 Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, so I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia and came to make you understand what is to befall your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come."

Intercession is coming against the powers of darkness that stop God’s blessing from coming down to us.

Intercession is carried out in the very presence of God. Anyone who is going to make progress in the ministry of intercession must be popular in the courts of God. He must be one who can attend there and be pleasing to God. The power of intercession will always be proportional to the quality of the relationship between the intercessor and God.