Down From The Mountain
24:12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." 32:15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. (Exodus 24:12, 32:15,16,19)
Moses was with God on Mt. Sinai for forty days - basking in God's presence and receiving the law. Meanwhile, the people awaiting his return became afraid that he wasn't coming back. Moses's brother, Aaron, agreed to take everyone's jewelry and turn it into a calf to represent the God that had brought them out of Egypt. The people jubilantly worshiped and celebrated around that fake God, forgetting whose they really were. When he came down from the mountain and saw the people's sin, Moses was so overcome with anger that he broke the
tablets of law that God had given him.
When Jesus asked Peter, James and John to join him in prayer on the mountain, they had no idea what they were in for. Seeing Moses and Elijah suddenly standing with Jesus was so overwhelming for Peter that he wanted to build each of them a shelter so the moment would never have to end. It must have been maddening to tell no one what they had seen and experienced. The knowing glances that must have passed between them each day, as they debated internally when it would be appropriate to share, may even have caused suspicion
among the other disciples.
Mountaintop experiences are exhilarating, but also brief. It can feel disappointing and frustrating when we have intense, transformational, personal experiences with God, only to discover that the world around us remains unmoved. While we may long for everyone to see what we saw and feel what we felt, we may also be tempted to become judgmental - convincing ourselves that others aren't worthy to have what we've had. Perhaps instead, when we receive the gift of a glimpse of the big picture, we can appreciate those experiences for what they are really intended to do - encourage and strengthen us, help us to see the insignificance of the difficulties we face that threaten to affect our attitude and our faith in the shadow of the mountain.
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." (Matthew 17:5-9)
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