And Moses When Up

"And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.” (Ex 19:20 AV)

 

This single verse does not paint an adequate picture of what is transpiring here.  Mount Sinai is on fire.  It is filled with smoke.  Thunderings and lightenings are coming on the top of the mountain.  The Bible tells us the ground shook.  The people were so terrified they would not approach this mountain.  They were instructed to, but they delegated that step of faith to Moses.  Then we read the underlined portion of our text.  As though it were an afterthought or a foregone conclusion.  Moses simply went up.  The people saw the same things Moses saw.  They saw the LORD work ten horrific plagues in Egypt.  They saw the parting of the Red Sea.  They saw Pharaoh’s army completely destroyed.  They saw all of this.  The same as Moses.  They experienced God’s mercy and grace.  Their safety was a testament to the benevolence of God.  Yet, when they came to this mountain and saw the power of God, they would not approach.  Yet Moses went up.  Why?  What was different?  What did Moses have that others did not?  They were initially instructed to approach the mountain just like Moses.  They felt what he felt.  They saw what he saw.  Yet, Moses went up and they did not.  They were then forbidden to go.  But Moses went up.

My father was a teacher for our town’s Catholic High School.  He was known as a disciplinarian.  Even though it was difficult, I appreciate his stand and demeanor in the classroom and on campus.  It did cause the making of friends a rather difficult proposition.  But that was a small price to pay for the security of having a dad who enforced the law.  My father was also a scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts of America.  Back when that organization was something different than it is today.  He was the same man he was in the classroom, but his interaction with students was different.  I was far more personable during the scout meeting than he was in the classroom.  And since the boys wanted to be there and wanted to learn, discipline was not an issue.  When my father had to be stern, it was more to focus young boys on the skill or task at hand so they could advance.  However, in the meetings, he was more of a mentor than he was a disciplinarian.  In the classroom, somewhat different.  He had to control the classroom so that students could learn.  He mostly dealt with kids who had to be there because his class was required.  Those who wanted to be there were far fewer.  So, more disciplinarian than a mentor.  But he was the same person.  As my siblings were required to sit in his class, their discourse was different than it would be at home.  Mr. Gerwitz was what his own children called him.  They had to lest the attitude of the entire class is diminished to a level of familiarity which would make for an unruly situation.  However, my siblings, although required to show respect different than home, knew dad like the others did not.  The scouts saw dad differently than all others.  How he was approached had more to do with how familiar that student or scout was with him than any other factor.  The more familiar, the less intimidated they were.

Israel saw what Moses saw.  They heard what Moses heard.  But the reason Moses was not intimidated and that he went up was his familiarity with the God whom he served.  The more time God spent with Moses and the more time Moses spent with God, the less intimidated Moses was to approach a holy God.  The more time Moses spent with God, the more it became second nature to spend time with God.  Moses went up.  He did not dilly-dally.  Moses went up.  I think I would identify with the people on this one.  I don’t even like the threat of tornados.  Seeing a mountain on fire and watch lightning that constantly hit that mountain, I believe I wouldn’t be putting my hiking boots on.  No, I believe I would stay with the people at the bottom.  However, the two men who ascended that mountain were free from the temptations of the flesh.  When Moses went up, he went up with the old man left behind.  He went up to speak with God.  He did so because it was his pattern of life.  He did not go because he lacked fear.  He did not go because he was curious about what God might do.  He went up because he has spent countless hours in the presence of a holy God and was not intimidated to do so.  The point is clear, the more time we spend with God, the more likely it is we will spend time with God regardless of the circumstances surrounding it.