An invitation to go up the Mountain of the LORD is an honour and privilege. Mount Sinai is the precursor to the temple as there was no temple in Moses’ day. In a sense, Mount Sinai became the “holy temple” of the Lord, and the top was the “holy of holies” and only Moses, the servant of the Lord could enter to communicate with the LORD. God told Moses to bring Aaron and his two oldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders to go up Mount Sinai, and worship from afar. God only gave Moses the permission to go near and speak with him.

When Moses came down from the Mountain top and spoke all the words of the Lord to the people, he seemed to be doing great as a leader because the people agreed to obey all the words of the Lord. (vv. 3, 7) And so he wrote down all the words which became part of the Book of the Covenant. (vv. 4, 7)

Another thing Moses did was to build an altar (v. 4) very much like what the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did. (Gen. 12:7-8; 26:25; 35:7) He built an altar and got some young people to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. He also built 12 pillars to represent the 12 tribes of Israel.

Many times, when God speaks or acts on our behalf or reveals an insightful truth to us, especially during turning points in our life, this is a good opportunity for us to respond in worship and build “an altar” or a memorial to the Lord. I remember doing this on one of my silent retreats years ago at a Malaysian hotel which had a beachfront. One afternoon, I walked the beach to spend time with God. I sang worship songs, read the Bible and prayed to Him. It was a sweet fellowship with Him. I remember picking up some seashells and five smooth stones as a memorial of this event. They are still on a display in my home.

Verse 9-10a tell us that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders “saw the God of Israel.” Wow! They saw God and did not die. The Lord specifically commanded and designated the people whom He would give the privilege of seeing Him and His glory, and not perish. “And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God and ate and drank.” (v. 11) He even allowed them to “party” in His presence (to eat and drink).

Verse 10 was like a description of God’s throne on Mount Sinai and verse 17 was a description of the appearance of God’s glory hovering over the mountain for six days. On the Seventh Day, the Lord called Moses to enter His presence within the clouds, and he stayed there for forty days and nights, (v. 18) miraculously without food nor water.

We might not be like Moses who had the privilege of meeting with God, face-to-face, and one-on-one, for such an extended period of forty days. But as children of God, He has also opened the way and given us the confidence to enter His holy presence through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10:19-23) Let us take up God’s invitation to an encounter with Him and enjoy His love and fellowship.

Are we too busy to meet God? Or have we lost our spiritual appetite for quiet time with Him, to pray, read His word and bask in His warm fellowship?

Prayer: Dear God of glory and grace, thank you for your invitation to embrace life with you through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour, through whom I received forgiveness of sin and reconciliation. Help me not to be distracted by anything in this world, or be complacent in spirit, but be diligent and disciplined to seek your face and your kingdom. Let me see your provision and workings in my life, to the glory of your name. Amen!