Recharge Bible Study: The tale of many mountains

Primrose Hill

Only time for a quick stroll, read: “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12).

Ingleborough

For a slightly shorter stretch of the legs, read: Exodus 3:1-12.

Ben Nevis

If you’re stoked for the whole adventure, read: Exodus 3 and Exodus 33:15-16.

‘Merrily over-enthusiastic and desperately under-prepared.’ This summed up our approach to embarking on the National Three Peaks challenge a couple of years ago. The idea was good: climb the three highest mountains in the UK within 24 hours for charity. The reality was… less good, bad, in fact. It was at about minute eleven of the first peak (Ben Nevis) that the magnitude of the task ahead of us became apparent to me (Sarah).

The weather was horrific; rain quickly became sleet, while hailstones and blizzarding snow made any views we may have enjoyed negligible. The incline was fierce, the terrain unkind and conversation with my fellow hikers (my only hope for a semblance of sanity in an otherwise mad venture) became impossible. It transpires that if you fasten a waterproof hood tight enough, you become deaf to all sound apart from one’s own amplified rasping breathing (a further cruel reminder that some prior fitness may have proved useful). All in all, by minute 19, I was sorely regretting everything about mountains, climbing, and outdoor pursuits.

Still, to cut a long 24 hours short, we did it. There were tears, exhaustion, adrenaline, two speeding fines and shed loads of exhilaration. And of course, wonder. When the mists on the subsequent mountains cleared, the breath-taking views were magnificent. Standing on a mountaintop reminds you how small you really are in a very big, beautiful creation. Maybe that’s why many people find mountain climbing to fuel something of a spiritual encounter.

Throughout the whole of the Bible, mountaintops and high places play a significant role. In Israel’s chequered history with God, there is a tussle of authority over high places. They swing between them being places of worship to God and worship to foreign gods such as Baal and Molech. Jerusalem itself is built on a plateau in a mountainous region, 757 metres above sea-level, which is why the Bible always talks about people going ‘up’ to Jerusalem. This is much more than just a geographical coincidence; it was about elevating God. The psalmists and the prophets all used the imagery of mountains to give a greater understanding of God. Psalm 121, for example, is called, a song of ascent, and begins with the famous verses: “I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and Earth. He will not let your foot slip…”

There is one biblical character whose story is connected to mountains perhaps more than any other. In fact, it’s remarkable how often his story leads us to the top of a mountain. God takes Moses on an epic adventure - a journey of mountaintop experiences - all of which hold significant life-lessons teaching him how to walk in the presence of God. Over the next three issues, we’ll join Moses in his tale of many mountains (seven to be precise) in the hope that we might too be inspired to walk in the presence of God.

The background

Moses grew up at a time when the Israelites were under immense pressure. They were held as slaves by Egypt, the superpower of the day. Joseph and his brothers had moved to Egypt 400 years before, but just as God had promised, their family multiplied in number causing the Pharaohs to grow nervous of a foreign nation growing within their own. The only option was to oppress the Israelites out of fear that they might take power. Things got so bad that a decree was made that all Israelite males should be killed at birth. Moses was a miracle baby because he survived the cull (find out more in Exodus 2). He grew up as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter but knew that his true heritage lay with the Israelites. Something within him longed for their freedom, but that calling spilled over into an enraged murder of an Egyptian man. Pharaoh decided to try to kill Moses so he fled to the desert where he lived in Midian. The years rolled on and Moses married Zipporah and settled down to a life of shepherding…

Mountain 1: Horeb

One day, when Moses was around 80 years old, he found himself leading the flock of Jethro (his father-in-law). His life seemed simple and straightforward, but I wonder if he might have had a nagging sense of what might or should have been? He arrives on the mountain of Horeb and experiences something that would change his life forever. We don’t know exactly where Horeb is today. Some say it could have been an alternative name for Mount Sinai, while Jewish tradition identifies it as another mountain on the Sinai peninsula. Interestingly Horeb means ‘desert’ or ‘desolation’, and that is exactly where Moses found himself. His life had unravelled and his confidence was low. Maybe that’s why God had to reveal himself in such a startling way. While his attention is on the flock, he sees a burning bush and goes over to get a closer look.

Mountain lesson 1: Calling

God invites Moses to go and call his people out of Egypt. He has a calling for your life as well. Don’t be surprised if you regularly question your ability to fulfil it. Moses has a powerful encounter with the presence of God and yet questions God’s instruction, God’s power to fulfil what he seems to be commissioning and ultimately the difference that he is personally able to make. Moses is convinced that God has chosen the wrong person for the job.

Imposter syndrome is an experience most of us have. Psychologists talk about how individuals who are called into leadership positions consistently fear that they will be exposed as a fraud because they struggle to believe that they should be doing what they are doing. Many CEOs of successful companies don’t think that they are qualified to do the job which everyone else thinks is a perfect fit for them.

Unsurprisingly Moses arrives at a key question in verse eleven: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” God’s response is the first important step in our tale of many mountains for learning how to walk in the presence of God. I suspect that God had a higher view of Moses’ CV than Moses did. He had been raised in the courts of Pharaoh, so knew Egypt from the side of power, while having a deep personal connection to the side of the slaves. He had just spent 40 years in the desert having run away from Egypt, the perfect preparation to lead hundreds of thousands of others in the desert in the years to come. God knew that he could use Moses’ story to do something extraordinary, but he didn’t say any of this to Moses. Moses only needed to know one thing. God ignores Moses’ question and simply answers him: “I will be with you,” and: “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites; I am has sent me to you.”

Ultimately it didn’t matter who Moses was. It matters who God is. We can too often disqualify ourselves, allow our feelings of inadequacy or let our failures limit God’s future for us. God calls Moses to take his eyes off himself and recognise the one who was sending him as the only qualification and authority to achieve great things. Until we can do the same we will question our ability to fulfil any calling, even to the point of running away from it all, just as Moses had done when he fled in the desert.

Pete Wynter is on staff at HTB, director of the Leadership College London and executive director of the young leaders organisation, Onelife.

Sarah Wynter is on staff at the Wynter household, executive director of three small children and one overly-committed husband, and was editor of Premier Youthwork when life was more simple.