Yahweh is calling us to the top of the mountain. Individually and corporately, He is calling us. Like Moses, we are being summoned to the summit. Will we go up?
Exod 19:16-20 “And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the sound of a trumpet very loud; so that all the people that were in the camp trembled. Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet Elohim; and they stood at the lower part of the mount. And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Yahweh descended upon it in fire; the smoke of it ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. When the voice of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and Elohim answered him by a voice. And Yahweh came down upon mount Sinai, to the top of the mount: and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.”
Yahweh is calling us up to where the air is rare, that place in which we are totally and completely dependent upon His provision. But more than that, He wants to bring us into His presence.
Paying the Price
That won’t just “happen.” It’s going to require effort, perseverance, dedication, and commitment to scale that mountain. It’s going to require teamwork. And it won’t be like walking on a smooth, flat, paved road – it will be rough terrain that we’ll be ascending, through thorns and thistles and hot, dry air. We’ll sweat. We’ll get some bumps and bruises. And we’ll probably experience fatigue – in fact, we may experience an almost overwhelming urge to quit. But if we wait upon Yahweh, we will renew our strength. If we wait upon Yahweh, we will mount up with wings as eagles. If we wait upon Yahweh, we will run and not be weary, and we will walk and not faint (Isa. 40:31).
The Hebrew word translated as ‘wait’ in this verse is qaváh (#6960 in Strong’s), which means to bind together, collect, expect, gather, look, tarry, or wait upon. In order for us to renew our strength, to mount up with wings as eagles, to run and not be weary, and to walk and not faint, we must qaváh – we must be bound together, collected, expecting, gathering, looking for, tarrying, and waiting upon Yahweh. In other words, our entire focus must be upon Him. Yahweh did not allow the children of Israel to ascend mount Sinai with Moses. In fact, He forbade them access (Exod. 19:12-13). Why? Because they were unwilling to qaváh upon Yahweh.
Summoned to a Different Mountain
While He has summoned us to the mountain, it isn’t the same mountain to which He summoned Moses. We have not come to Sinai, a mountain that might be touched by hands, a mountain scorched by fire, enveloped by blackness and darkness and tempest, a mountain whose surface quaked with the sound of the trumpet. No, we have come to a different mountain – to mount Zion, to the city of the living Elohim, heavenly Jerusalem. We’ve come to the mountain of the general assembly and congregation of the firstborn of those enrolled in heaven. We’ve come to Elohim, Judge of all, and to Yahshua, the mediator of a new covenant (Hebr 12:18-25).
Yahweh has summoned us to the summit. What is the summit? It isn’t just the “highest point” of a mountain. The summit is the meeting place, a “conference of highest-level officials” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Yahweh has called us as sons and daughters, as princes and princesses of the Most High, into communion with Him. Will we go up? We must.
And as we ascend, we’ll begin to see things from His perspective. We’ll begin to get glimpses of the view from the top, to see the big picture, the broader panorama. We won’t worry about what we might have left behind in Egypt, and the trials and tribulations of life in the camp will begin to seem small and petty, insignificant. The noise of “war in the camp” will fade and we’ll be able to discern clearly our Father’s voice. We’ll take off our shoes and stand in His presence, beholding His awesome esteem.
Refreshed and Transfigured
As we commune with Him and receive instruction from His mouth, the breath of His Spirit, the Wind, will blow across us and bring times of refreshing. Ruach Ha Kodesh will sweep away the hot, dry air of the desert, bringing revival and exhilaration. Yahweh will sustain us at altitude with pure oxygen from His throne. And we will be like Peter, James and John, transfixed by the Transfigured One.
Matt 17:2-5 “And after six days Yahshua takes with Him Peter, and James, and John his brother, and brings them up into a high mountain apart: and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as the light… A bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased; hear you Him.”
After six prophetic days – 6,000 years since Creation – Yahweh wants to lead us by His right Hand, Yahshua Messiah, to a high mountain apart. Like Peter, James, and John, we will witness first-hand the transfiguration of Messiah’s Body, a Body without spot nor wrinkle (Eph. 5:27). There, in that place, a great, bright cloud of Yahweh’s esteem will overshadow us, and we will hear His voice proclaiming “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” Even now, Yahweh is seating us in heavenly places with His own Son, changing us from glory to glory (Eph. 2:6, 2 Cor. 3:18).
The Ascension Challenge
Psa. 24:3-5 Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill? Who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh, righteousness from the Elohim (‘God’) of his salvation.
Yahweh has summoned us to the summit. We can go up. We should go up. And we must go up. Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh! (Mic. 4:2)