Comin' 'Round the Mountain

O.T. #128  "Comin' 'Round the Mountain"
Sept. 16, 2013
Exodus 3-Part 1
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. Exodus 3:1

LET IT GLOW

When our children were young, we lived six hours away in the flat lands of our state. So goin' to grandmas was literally going around the mountains on a narrow winding highway. Often times we would sing the old song, "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain When She Comes." That's what Moses did in chapter 3 and later.

Moses was now married with two sons (Acts 7:21). His father in law was a priest with sheep. Moses became a shepherd for him.  this is the man with the finest education in Egypt, who left a life of luxury and political influence, living in a desert and wasteland. ( Horeb and Sinai are interchangeable terms.)

The land of Midian probably lay to the south of Canaan and included the northwestern portion of the Sinai Peninsula as well as Mount Sinai. I has certainly never been considered a desirable place to vacation or retire. (Swindoll)

He learned the land well, after wondering around the mountain for forty years feeding another man's flock.

Is there anyone wondering around in sin, away from God, doing their own thing? Have you strayed from God's will?  If you aren't there, do you know someone who needs your help getting out of their spiritual desert and come back to Jesus?


LET IT GROW

In his Bible study guide, Moses, God's Man For a Crisis, Charles Swindoll says this about Moses' further education:

Moses' course of study in the "School of self-discovery" included the instructions given by four professors. These teachers were commissioned by God to prepare Moses for the lasts forty years of his life as the human leader of Israel. Let's meet them.

1.  Dr. Obscurity. He taught Moses, who had been a somebody, how to cope with being a nobody in man's eyes. the man who had lived in the limelight as a national leader was reduced to living with and working for a relative in the middle of a desert.

2.  Dr. Time. He helped Moses learn how to wait. Before settling in Midian, Moses had become impatient with God's timetable for deliverance. so he tried to speed matters up by murdering an Egyptian. Apparently, his plan was that it would cause the Hebrews to rally around him so they could overpower the Egyptians and leave the country (Acts 7:23-25). so God gave him the opportunity to learn it by making him wait forty years before calling him to that task again (verse 30).

3.  Dr. Solitude. This instructor educated Moses in the profundity of silence and solitude. The desert is a quiet and lonely place that encourages thought and reflection. there Moses had the alone-time required to deepen his understanding of himself and the Lord.

4.  Dr. Discomfort. He used the harsh environment of the Midian desert to strengthen Moses physically and spiritually. Without this training, Moses may not have been able to lead the Hebrews through the trials they were to face in the wilderness for forty years.

Some deserts are not a geographical location. There can be a spiritual desert, emotional desert, or relational desert. No matters which one may be yours, God wants to use it to help you discover yourself and His all-sufficient resources.

Don't say that you do not need it nor that you are tire of it. Instead, accept it and receive your greatest learning degree. If you find yourself in the desert, then don't try to fight it, run away from it, or fall victim to it. Instead, turn your situation over to God.


LET IT GO

Learn the lessons while in the desert.

Trust God that He is in control.