Leave Mt Sinai!
Exodus 33:1~6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’” (1)
♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #545 Down in the Valley Where the Mists of Doubt Arise (#344 in previous version)
The Israelites, who had experienced God’s work and were liberated from Egypt, were incapable of waiting for Moses who had gone to Mt Sinai so they built a golden calf to worship instead, causing a great disaster. Aaron, the representative figure who should have stopped this from occurring, rather led the people in creating the idol and worshiped it together. However, God opened a path for these Israelites to live. He gave the message to leave Mt Sinai. How must we understand the message of leaving Mt Sinai, and how must we apply this message to our personal lives?
1. Leave Mt Sinai!
To leave Mt Sinai is to discard the life that the Israelites had lived according to the methods of Egypt, as well as all idols that had been created under Mt Sinai. The incident of idol worship seen in the Scripture today was based on the culture of idolatry the Israelites had seen in Egypt. They believed that they had been completely liberated from Egypt, yet the habits and nature that had been gained as slaves of Egypt still existed. Also, to leave Mt Sinai signifies abandoning the confines of legalism and mysticism, and to enter inside the Gospel with true faith. We must swiftly discard our problems and worries that are slowly deteriorating us. Despite all extreme conditions, we must abandon our unbelief and enter inside true faith that exists inside the Lord.
2. Throw away all of your ornaments and go to the land of promise!
Worries await us inside our family, church, school, and community. These worries are not special, but natural. If we do not approach these problems with spiritual eyes, we will certainly be at risk. This means that the numerous problems of worries, disaster, destruction, and the culture of darkness that we encounter in the field must be conquered with the life covenant as we hold on to the hope of the land of promise, Canaan. With this reasoning, God commanded the Israelites to abandon all their ornaments, leave Mt Sinai, and go to the land of promise. This signifies the destruction of the source of darkness that attacks us, to embark upon a new beginning, rather than holding on to the past. In addition, if we discard the source of failure, God promises us that the angels of the Lord will work ahead of us. If the Word exists inside out thoughts rather than the nature of destruction, and our soul is captivated by God’s Word, then the path of great blessings to extraordinary answers will be opened.
- What are the incorrect thoughts and weaknesses holding on to me? It says to discard the ornaments of unbelief, but what exactly is that? Apply the message of leaving Mt Sinai in your life.
Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 1st Service / 2010.5.16