"You have stayed at this mountain long enough"

Reading the Bible 2021

This year I am reading the Bible through with my church and in doing so am realizing that there are passages that I had forgotten or  which I have gained fresh insight.  I want to share some of these here on my blog in the hopes of pointing others to Christ and encouraging fellow believers in their spiritual journey.

R

"The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb:  You have stayed at this mountain long enough.  Resume your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and their neighbors in the Arabah, the hill country, the Judean foothills, the Negev and the  sea cost-to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates River.  See I have set the land before you.  Enter and take possession of the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their future descendants."        Deut 1:6-8

The book of Deuteronomy opens with a new generation standing at the edge of the promised land.  They have wandered in the desert for 40 years and the Israelites that left Egypt have died out and the new generation is ready to take possession of the land of promise. Moses is speaking to the children of Israel and in this passage providing a historical recap to this new generation. 

When Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt they soon found themselves in Horeb, which is also known as Sinai.  This was a place of comfort and security for them after they were freed from captivity.  This was the place where they were free from their enemies and also the place God gave the Ten Commandments and the the law to the people.  It was where they began to learn what was required  to have relationship with our holy God.  

For the people of Israel the mountain was a time of preparing.  God had given the law to Moses and he was to teach this law to the Israelites.   This was also where they had been commanded to build a sanctuary for the Lord to dwell among them.  It was also here that they were prepared as God divided them into the tribes and had them organized around the tabernacle.  (To learn more see my blog post dated Feb 20, 2021)

The Israelites were at Sinai for approximately a year when God told them that they had been there long enough.  They had been prepared and now it was time for them to move out to the promised land.  The scripture says that God had "set the land" before them.  It was there for them but taking possession of it took effort and obedience on their part and they would never get to the place He wanted them if they stayed there!

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I have been delivered out of my slavery to sin.  Just as these former Egyptian slaves had to be taught how to live as free men and women under the kingship of Jehovah God, as a new believer I have to be taught how to live in the freedom of Christ. After surrendering my life to Christ I have to build a relationship with Him.  I have to learn what it means to abide in Christ. (John 15:4-11)

There is definitely a time for preparation but there  is also a time for us to step out into the promise that He has for us and be a doer of the word and not just a hearer. (James 1:22)  There is a time that we, as individuals,  are to step out as part of the body of Christ and begin to walk out the calling that God has for us. 

The Israelites had grown comfortable at Mt Sinai.  I wonder sometimes is God calling us from the familiar and comfortable?  For the last couple of years,  God had put a discontent in my spirit. I was resistant to the change that He wanted me to make.  I realized that I hesitated when He wanted me to leave my Mt Sinai because it was there I felt  safe and comfortable.  Honestly,  I was afraid to leave all that behind and reach out to take hold of His new plans for my life. I didn't know what that would "look like" in ministry or what He might ask me to do.  With absolute certainty,  I knew that He was telling me to "resume my journey" with Him.   I want to walk in obedience and in the mission He has for all believers, sharing the love of Christ with a lost and hurting world.  

What about you?  Is it time for you to leave your Mt. Sinai?  Is He saying that it is time for you to step out into a great adventure with Him?  It may seem scary, but this is exactly what He has been preparing you to do! Friend, He may be saying to you today, "You have stayed at this mountain long enough!"