John Muir, a Scottish author and mountaineer once remarked: “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” Psalm 95:4-5 reminds us: “In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.”
A mountain is defined as a large natural elevation of the earth’s surface, rising abruptly from the surrounding level. Each signifies importance and worth. Most portray a symbol of eminence, grandeur, and superiority. Due to height, many can have completely different weather conditions to the immediate lower surrounding areas. The higher the mountain, the colder the temperature becomes toward its summit. The climate is subject to dramatic changes that can occur without warning. Snow, ice or dense cloud are often a feature at higher levels which can make climbing extremely tricky or unpredictable. The way ahead is often not clear or visible. Without expert guidance, a high degree of danger exists to any individual. Determination and focus remain of paramount importance when ascending or descending its slippery slopes, to retain any element of safety. However, perhaps even more importantly, is the accompaniment of God, as without Him, the hazards become even more rampant. We need God with us for expert guidance and vision, and to know the right moves to make in life.
Some, who don’t know God well, or realize what He is capable of, may believe that He is only present in a House of God, where many are gathered to sing His praises. However, although this is always true, it also creates fallacy in so much that God can be anywhere. He is omnipresent and can be on a mountain, in a valley, walking in a forest, at the dinner table, etc; etc. Although Matthew 18:20 states: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them,” God does not restrict His presence solely to this venue, but is where any individual requests it, in fact, anywhere that one may need or seek Him.
Mount Sinai is reputed to be the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. Exodus 24:1-18 confirms: Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these
words.”
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”
Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
The tablets of stone rendered a Decalogue and covenant between God and His people. Each Commandment visibly portrayed and signified the way ahead to a righteous living. Despite density in the clouds, they represent a safe path of conformity that leads to the summit of the particular mountain we are climbing, no matter how slippery or arduous that track may be from time to time. If that particular slope is followed in accordance with God’s wishes, then our rewards will become both safe and plentiful. Frank Herbert, an American author once remarked: “Any road followed precisely to its end leads precisely nowhere. Climb the mountain just a little bit to test it's a mountain. From the top of the mountain, you cannot see the mountain.” Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Some may identify mountains in the spiritual sense with high regard and awe. Life can be considered relative to a mountain, which may or may not conceal hidden obstacles or dangers. However, for some, overcoming these glitches is far easier if they are treated as molehills rather than an overpowering entity that may appear insurmountable. With God by our side, the problems of life may simply reduce, or dissolve into the many ravines or gorges that most mountains possess. It is evident from the Bible that Jesus often utilized the sanctuary and importance of mountains. He frequently used them as a source of solace and peace, where He was able to communicate privately in prayer. Mark 6:46 confirms: And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. Luke 6:12 reaffirms: “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” The challenges that a mountain can provide may appear a daunting prospect for some, however, if we strive to conquer each as they are encountered, with God’s help the world can become our oyster. Only then, can the majestic beauty and appreciation of a mountain’s true worth be known. Philippians 3:13-14 confirms: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Amen.
