"Moving on Up" in Your Relationship With God.

Moses Ordered To Go To Where God Was On The Mountain

Exodus 24:13-15: Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and commandment which I have written for their instruction.”  So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.  But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you.  And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal mater, let him approach them.” Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

It is interesting to note exactly what God said to Moses at this point. First, as close as we get to God moving upwards on the spiritual mountain on which He resides, God wants us to get closer. He wants us to take a risk (if we consider it so) and be “moving on up” to where He is.  And to “remain there.” For how long you may ask? I believe it is until He sends you off to do something specific for Him involving His people and His Kingdom.

Did Moses think he might never come back? I doubt it. God told him he would be getting the stone tablets with the law and the commandments that God had written for the instruction of the people.  Moses was to bring those back down the mountain. He was assured of his return to his people.

This is so typical of God.  He calls us to go up to Him, get more of His instructions, and then get back down to where the work needs to be done.  On our trip we gain insight, we are given further instructions, and we are refreshed to go on doing God’s work on earth.

These tablets that Moses was to bring down carried the commandments that were written and given for “our instruction”.  I just finished reading a book by a Christian cardiologist, and the thought comes to my mind of the fact that so many receive instructions and even prescriptions from their doctors and fail to follow them and end up dead. Why on earth anyone who believes in God and even believes He gave us the Ten Commandments would not follow them is beyond me. We are asking for trouble. And millions who call themselves Christians do just that.

Moses obeys, and taking his servant Joshua (remember Moses is quite old by now), he moves further up the mountain towards God. This was the same Joshua that later became Moses’ successor.  But as David Guzik notes, he started off as a mere “assistant” to begin with.  More about him later in the Scriptures.

But before Moses went further up the mountain, we note that he left instructions for the elders. Yes, he got a new assignment but he also made sure that the responsibilities he was carrying out beforehand would be transferred to his trusted subordinates, Aaron and Hur. (Hur, you will remember was a chief man among the Hebrews in the desert, associated with Aaron in upholding the hands of Moses at Rephidim [Exodus 17:12].) So, he too had proven himself. A good leader always has those that he can count on to carry on the work he has to leave behind in order to serve at a higher level.

So Moses goes up the mountain and the cloud covers the mountain.  Can you imagine how he felt? How did Joshua feel?  How did those left behind feel?  What an experience to be called to come “closer to God”. And yet, each of us has that very opportunity today.  We can get closer to God – but it takes, as I’m learning from Dr. John D. Duncan’s book, Sacred Grit, lots of training to overcome fear, agony, and sweat.  And then it takes availability and willingness to make the trip. But I am sure you’ll find it unbelievably worthwhile.

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.  And while you’re here, why not check out some more of our recent blogs shown in the right hand column.  Ken.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

As a Leader, You Can Stand Out But, by Definition, You Cannot Act Alone -- Exodus 17:8-13

 Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.  So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek.  Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”  Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.  But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other.  Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.  So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
 

While being camped at Rephidim where God provided water out of the rock for the Israelites to drink, Amalek came and attacked them.  The first time we heard of this name was back in Genesis 36:12 where we are told that Esau’s son Eliphaz had a concubine named Timna that bore him a son which they named Amalek.  This son became a chief in the land of Edom.  The word is translated “dweller in a valley”.  He and his tribe were part of the Edomites, who were descendants of Esau.  And interestingly, Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon tells us that Edom was another, less common, name for Esau.  So here we have the descendants of two brothers, Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac, in combat with each other.  The Israelites were from Jacob’s lineage and the Amalekites from Esau’s ancestry.

So Moses calls on Joshua, someone heretofore not mentioned in Scripture, to lead the defense against Amalek.  His name is translated “Jehovah is salvation”.  Later on we learn he was the son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim.  The Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon tells us he ministered to the personal needs of Moses as well as being his armor-bearer.  Later, of course, he went on to be Moses’ successor as leader of the Israelites.

Moses ordered Joshua to choose an army to fight Amalek and shared with him the battle strategy.  Joshua had only one day to fulfill that order for the next day Moses was going to go on top of the hill (likely the same one as Horeb, or Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, from which God had provided the water) with the staff of God in his hand, and oversee the battle that was to take place.  Moses had learned to rely on the staff of God in his hands and would not go anywhere without it.  God could exercise His power through it and Moses knew it based on past experiences.  So, he became inseparable from it, holding it tightly in his hand.  What has God given you that can be used as an instrument through which He can exercise His power and show His glory?  What do you have in your possession (your money, earthly goods, home, connections, His Word, your talent)? Have you ever thought of using it as an instrument for God?  Moses was about to do so again. 

Joshua got his army together and together they fought against the Amalekites with Moses, Aaron, and Hur, we are told, watching from on top of the mountain.  Moses and Aaron we know, but who was Hur?  The translation of the Hebrew word is “hole” but no one seems to explain why or how that came about and what it depicted.  He was a chief assistant to Moses and Aaron.

At the top of the hill, Moses held his hand up over the battle going on in front of him down the hill.  As long as he did that Israel was winning, but when he would allow his hand to drop down, the enemy Amalek began to win.  The secret, for Israel, was in Moses keeping his hands outstretched.  Is not that the secret for many of us -- keeping our hands outstretched to the heavens, seeking God’s blessings in all that we do?  Is that not the secret for some that you and I are praying for – that we keep our hands outstretched seeking the mercy and protection of God upon their lives?  Is that not what we need to do with our jobs, our politicians, and all our involvements – keep our hands outstretched to God?

The text says that Moses’ hands were heavy.  That is, he became tired of holding up his arm over the land.  He became tired of reaching out to God, all alone, on behalf of his people.  It is natural that we become weary in our responsibilities.  We become weary in our prayer life, in our private devotions, and in our worship.  Aaron and Hur arranged for Moses to sit on a rock.  But they did not just say to him, “Hey, take a break.  Everything is going well, they will do okay. Don’t worry; be happy.”  No, while Moses sat to rest, Aaron and Hur supported his hands and held them steady, outstretched over the land so that Israel would continue to prevail over their enemies.  And they did this until the sun set.  As a result, Joshua defeated Amalek and his people.  God had given the Israelites the victory.

Do you get tired?  Do you let down your outstretched hands to God and start breathing easy?  Those are the moments, the days, the Enemy is waiting for.  It is in those moments he starts to prevail.  And if you are weary and get tired, engage others to help you in your cause.  Involve them in raising their arms to God in prayer for whatever it is you decide together.  In some cases, you will need to drive that involvement.  In other cases, true Christian friends in tune with your life and goals, and the spiritual desires of your heart, will join you on their own.  Welcome them.  Include them.  You will get tired at some point and they will need to take over.  Good leaders stand out but they do not act alone.

What we do not know is whether the strategy that Moses had shared with Joshua included the fact that Moses would be holding his hands outstretched over the battlefield.  Moses did not get direct instruction to do this – he just knew it would be what God was looking for.

Scripture says they did this “until the sun set”.  Once the sun set, either the job was done, or Israel’s brave warriors could not see Moses’ uplifted hands.  Either way, Moses, with Aaron and Hur’s help, remained faithful to the end of the task.  And God gave them the victory.  What about you and me?  Can it be said of us that we will remain faithful to our responsibility to cry out to God in prayer for something or someone until the sun sets on us?  I pray so.

_____________________________________________________________________

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

Thanks for dropping by. Sign up to receive free updates. We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources. Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar. And please share this blog with your friends. Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.  And while you’re here, why not check out some more of our recent blogs shown in the right hand column.  Ken.

________________________________________________________________________

 

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.