The Mountain of God
Francis Frangipane
"Now
Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest
of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and
came to Horeb, the mountain of God" (Exod. 3:1).
Mount Horeb was
not what it seemed. Though forbidding and barren, Horeb (also called
Sinai in Exodus) was the gateway God used to reveal Himself to the
Hebrew nation. It was here that the living God appeared in a burning
bush to Moses. It was also here that the aged and stammering Moses was
sent back to Egypt with miraculous authority to liberate Israel.
It
was to Horeb that the Israelites came, following the pillar of fire at
night and the covering cloud by day. On Horeb, God Himself inscribed
Israel's laws on tablets of stone. Then in the midst of a blazing fire, a
deep gloom, and a whirlwind, the terrifying voice of the Most High
spoke audibly to His people, thus establishing His covenant with them.
Israel
had other sacred places -- the tabernacle in the wilderness, the temple
in Jerusalem, and various altars men erected to God -- but Horeb was
unique. Horeb was where Moses and the Israelites met God, and it was
where Elijah fled when all he tried had failed.
Horeb was "the mountain of God."
Redeemer God
As
a geographic and historic place, Horeb was weighty with spiritual
significance. Yet the reality symbolized by Horeb -- that God chose a
desolate place and then drew desolate men to meet with Him -- is a truth
that resonates yet today. Horeb's message is this: the Lord does not
turn away from our desolation; He comes to redeem it.
Consider
Moses, the great prince of Egypt. From his high estate, he is exiled for
forty years in the wilderness. He marries into a Midianite family and
assumes the role abhorred by the Egyptians: a shepherd. Yet it is
precisely at Horeb that God meets with Moses and commissions him. The
word Horeb means "desolation," and it is here that Moses finds
redemption as he returns to Egypt empowered with godlike authority.
Or
consider Elijah, the fierce prophet whose spectacular but failed
efforts to bring revival burdened him with depression, fear, and
discouragement. Elijah also comes to Horeb -- the loner, Elijah, who
seemingly can't get over the idea that all the prophets are dead and he
alone is left. Yet it is here that he discovers not only that there are
seven thousand Israelites who are loyal to God, but among them is
Elisha, a man who will receive a double portion of Elijah's power. He
will bring an end to Jezebel's perverse reign and bring a season of
revival to the northern tribes.
On Horeb Elijah discovers that
his true call was not to lead a revival but to "go before" and "prepare
the way" for greater things to come. Indeed it was this very spirit of
Elijah that actually prepared the way for Jesus, Israel's Messiah, in
the first century, and it shall again be the spirit of Elijah who
prepares the way for the second coming of Christ. (See Malachi 4:5-6;
Matthew 17:11.)
Horeb in Your World
At Horeb we not only
discover more about God but also finally begin to understand ourselves
and what the Lord desires of us. Our lives simplify and truly focus on
that which is most important. Beloved, you know you are at Horeb when
God cuts you back to the root source of your spiritual life. Yes, you
are at Horeb when you are inwardly repelled by the superficial
distractions of modern Christianity and desperate for more of God.
You
will not become a better person at Horeb. For Horeb is not about the
perfection of self; it's about the abandonment of self. It is about the
discovery that in us -- in our successes and our failures -- there
dwells "no good thing." We do not have to perform but conform to the
surrendered life of Christ.
Not everyone who walks with God goes
through a Horeb experience. Some find God in worship; others knew
desolation prior to knowing Christ and now know only thanksgiving to God
for their salvation. Some may have actually been through Horeb but not
identified it as such. At Horeb the morphine of religion wears off, and
we can once again feel our pain. Reality manifests. We see ourselves in
the light of God, and as we do, we fall upon Christ the cornerstone
(Luke 20:18). Though "broken to pieces," we are finally fit to be used
by God.
For those who are even now at Horeb, I urge you to let
your soul open and your pain rise to God. He knows. He sees your
heartache. He feels your sense of shame, bewilderment, and regret.
Whatever He says, do it. When you leave Horeb, He will have brought you
to a level you previously thought unattainable.
Recall the
infusion of life that Moses and Elijah, the men of Horeb, each
experienced beyond their season of desolation. Both experienced a type
of the resurrection that is to come (Jude; 1 King 20). And in a mystery
beyond our comprehension, it was these two Horebites who appeared in
splendorous glory and spoke with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration
(Matt. 17:1-3).
Horeb, once the place of desolation, is redeemed
and revealed as a gateway to God. It is here, in brokenness and fearless
honesty, where God brings wholeness of soul.
Horeb is the mountain of God. And once here, we are just steps away from the shelter of the Most High.
O
living God, I bow before You. I confess my abject need of You. My guard
is down, my actor is dead, and with him I fear my dreams are also gone.
Yet you give dreams even to old men. You are the Resurrection. I cast
myself upon You, O great God of my salvation. Draw me into Your holy
shelter, and renew me.
Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, 'The Shelter of the Most High', available at www.arrowbookstore.com.
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