Deuteronomy 1:6-7, “6 The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates”
The Israelites had left Egypt under the leadership of Moses by the hand of God. They journeyed to Mount Sinai, a place where they would worship the Lord and be ready to continue with their journey to the Promised Land. Exodus 19:1 says “In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai”. Mark how long it took them to get there, about 3 months and how long it took them to stay there, 40 years, Deuteronomy 1:3, “Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them”
From a land of bondage, a land of less than enough, a land of hard labor, the Israelites were by this mountain cared for, protected, and provided for. They became comfortable, way too comfortable. Of course they were to be there for a season, they had not arrived to their destination. They had come from a land where the Lord fought for them; the time had come where the Lord would fight with them and through them. This is where they became paralyzed. Where they were going was going to require total trust and confidence in God, to which they were not ready for. So they sat by this mountain year after year and that’s when “The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain”, Deuteronomy 1:6. Are we anyway different? There are people who have been in one place forever; the same prayers they prayed 5-10 years ago are the same today, they became used to being out of Egypt but done progressing to God’s promise land because they fear battles ahead to make it there. If you were to evaluate your spiritual life, would you discover you are stagnant, no challenges, no desire to move forward? Satisfied right where you are, complaisant, lukewarm, and not allowing the Lord to use you? only depending on Sunday morning church to keep your spiritual life alive? If you are experiencing any of these, you are no different from Israelites who dwelt by the mountain long enough, stagnant.
Sinai dwelling was supposed to be temporary; they made it a permanent dwelling. You and I need to have something big before us that serve as a challenge otherwise we too will stop moving with the Lord. I’m glad to be out of Egypt but I’m not bound to die by the mountain when God has revealed that there is more. We ought to turn to the One who is more than able, who has made us more than conquerors and we take Him at His word and vs. “7 Turn and take your (our) journey, and go to the mountains of (whatever your mountain is). The following verse, tells us we are not there yet, 1Corinthians 2:9,” But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Imagine the time they wasted and the time we too have wasted not obeying His voice due to fear of the battle a head of us. We have battles to fight, mountains to climb, valleys to go through, all these serves as challenges. They bring more glory to His name, something we all want. Examine yourself, where are you stagnant by a certain mountain for too long. Rise and move. Blessings Ev
He Has Magnified His Word 