Significance of Sinai

Significance of Sinai

Exodus 24: ¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

 

¹³ So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. ¹⁴ And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” ¹⁵ Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.

 

¹⁶ Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷ The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. ¹⁸ So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

 

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GOD called Moses to come up to the top of the mountain so HE could give stone tablets which would contain the law and commandments HE wanted the children of Israel to follow.

 

My Observations:

• Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai are the same mountain but had different names for the reason Moses was there.
• GOD announced HE would chisel the law into stone and that is what Sinai means, jagged rock.
• Moses took Joshua with him to help him up the mountain and because Joshua showed leadership.
• GOD made Moses wait until the seventh day.
• Moses stayed up on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights.

 

Shortly after leaving Egypt, the children of Israel encountered a battle with the Amalekites. Moses may have trained Joshua on Egyptian fighting styles. Moses asked Joshua to gather fighters to defeat the Amalekites. This was a supernatural battle that could only be won as long as Aaron and Hur held up Moses’s arms.

 

Now Moses, Joshua, Aaron and Hur had to divide, Moses and Joshua wen to see the LORD and Aaron and Hur stayed with the leaders of Israel. I believe Sinai is significant because this is the event that GOD would provide the law and commandments, just like other places were named after events.

 

The Horeb event was Moses meeting GOD. The Sinai event was Moses receiving tablets of stone. Same place, two different events. This place also showed that GOD repeats the number seven and forty often. Moses stayed up on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights, similarly to Noah’s time in the ark and the time JESUS spent in the desert being tempted. GOD was about to do something significant.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about being called up to receive the stone tablets?
• Do you believe that GOD does significant things in your life?
• What significant thing is GOD doing in you and through you?

First Fight for Freedom

First Fight for Freedom

Exodus 17: ⁸ Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. ⁹ And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” ¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. ¹² But Moses’ hands became heavy; so 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 the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. ¹³ So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

 

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵ And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; ¹⁶ for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

 

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After dismantling Egypt, GOD took the people into the desert where they ran into no food, bitter water and now a group of people were coming up against them. The Amalekites came to fight the Israelites. Moses asked Joshua to gather men to fight. Aaron and Hur helped Moses keep his arms up so the Israelites would win the fight.

 

My Observations:

• GOD allowed Amalek to try to fight the Israelites.
• Joshua makes his first appearance in the Bible with Moses asking him to gather some men who could fight.
• GOD seemed to be preparing Israel to get out of the mindset that everything would be handed to them and that they had to fight for the freedom they begged for.

 

Freedom comes with a cost that the Israelites did not want to pay. They begged the LORD to be released from Egypt because of the cruel treatment. But soon after their release, they complained about food, water, and comfort. They wanted a fantasized Utopia rather than to side with GOD.

 

They dreamt of an easy life similar to the garden of Eden. BUT GOD was busy trying to save mankind and knew there would be opposition. I believe GOD allowed this fight and was involved supernaturally to show the Israelites they needed to fight, versus having everything handed to them. When Moses held up his hands, the Israelites would begin to win. When he dropped his hands, the Amalekites would begin to win.

 

GOD could have easily wiped out this army, but seemed to want to show Israel that they needed to be involved. They had to form an army that they had not thought of. They had to help Moses because he could not do this by himself. GOD was changing the mindset of the people. HE helped them fight for freedom. There would be many detours and fights before getting into the promised land.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses of the fight against the Amalekites?
• Is GOD allowing difficulties in your life so you have to fight for something?
• Will you be strong and courageous to fight for what GOD has promised you?