God On The Mountain
Exodus 19 tells us the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai, and Moses desired to separate himself unto God. He wanted to rise above all the distractions of other people (their fears, doubts, and evil reports of unbelief) and his personal worries and concerns of life. Moses wanted uninterrupted fellowship with God. He wanted to hear God’s voice and receive direction. So he climbed the mountain to appear before God.
Let us note that Moses chose the mountain. It was not a commandment from God. Moses chose the mountain out of his desire to be separated unto God.
If Moses were alive today, the mountain is a place with no cell phone coverage. No internet. No social media. No CNN or Fox news to remind him of all the bad things going on in the world. No neighbors, or even family members, to interrupt his intimacy with God. Just the quite whistling of the wind, and the still small voice of his Divine Companion.
When Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God, the Lord called to Moses out of the mountain. I am so thankful God draws near to us as we draw near to Him. If we will make a concerted effort to separate ourselves from distractions and draw closer to Him, He will respond and meet us where we are.
Because Moses had separated himself, the Lord spoke with clear direction, Moses was able to receive it, and deliver the instruction back to the people.
After relaying the Lord’s commandments to the people, Moses brought the people’s response back to the Lord. The Lord, pleased with the people’s agreement with His instructions, answered by instructing Moses to consecrate the people through cleansing and to consecrate the mountain by drawing boundaries around it.
God was so serious about removing distractions and communicating to Moses alone, He said whoever crossed the boundary of the mountain would be killed. God only wanted Moses on the mountain. God is jealous about His uninterrupted time with us.
Because Moses had chosen the mountain as a place to meet with God, the Lord responded by making this otherwise ordinary geographical structure, primarily comprised of nothing more than common rock and soil, a holy place of communion. Mt Sanai became a sacred sanctuary where God would impart the Ten Commandments, and communicate the statutes of the Law that would govern the conduct of the entire nation of Israel.
Most of us will not climb a mountain to talk to God. Who are we kidding? We probably won’t even climb a small hill or flight of stairs. However, each of us can set aside a place where we remove ourselves from distractions and separate ourselves to hear His voice alone. Whether it is a literal prayer closet where we shut the door behind us, a rocking chair or a recliner in a quite living room, our car during break at work, or a place in a nearby park; that place you consecrate to God will become a place of holy communion where God will impart direction about how to be closer to Him and how to love others more.
I encourage you to choose a quite meeting place, your own Mount Sanai, so you can talk to God without any other distractions. The God of the mountain will meet you there.