Go Up the Mountain (Malachi 1-4)

"For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven,... But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings."

Exodus 19 and 32 are my two favorite chapters of many chapters! They are two of the greatest illustration of God's upcoming glory. They showed how we flee from His glory because we choose comfort in the people rather than in God, so we were being influenced by the society like how Aaron was influenced by the society when he rejected the opportunity to go up the mountain with Moses when God told Moses to take Aaron with him to Mt. Sinai (19:24). Exodus 32 showed the result of Aaron's comfort in his society when he called the golden calf, Yahweh, the true name of the true God because he missed the opportunity to go up to be in His presence! If you remain in Him, "then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." (Proverb 2:5)

"You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." -Exodus 19:4

Those Israelities and Aaron have seen many miracles! Why did they reduce their God into a golden calf? We may see many miracles around us, but that doesn't mean we have matured through His glory. By being in His presence, we will see the ugly us. Aaron didn't want to see the ugly Aaron, so he remained with his people. But not Joshua nor Caleb! They refused to see God as small as a golden calf, but as a big God! And as a result, they led the next generation into the Promise Land after the long preparations in the wildnerness!

"The Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people."

But when God came down, the people trembled before Him as there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain. God met us down here because He knew that we cannot go up to the mountaintop! But even when God tried to meet us, we still trembled before Him because we didn't let Him change us. So God called Moses and the priest Aaron up the mountaintop afterward, but Aaron didn't. They dwell among the miracles, but not among His glory! What did they miss?

Let us go back to Malachi, "He stood in awe of my name. True instuction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips." So Malachi called the people to repentance with respect to : the priesthood, which had become corrupt; worship, which had become routine; divorce, which was widespread; social justice, which was being ignored; and tithing, which was neglected. "Will man rob God?" the Lord asked through Malachi.

In all, God's saying, "Come unto me, little children and I will lift you up on the wings like eagles so that you may run your race and not be weary, so that you may finish your race! Because My glory will move you up from your comfort of the world into the comfort of my grace."

GO UP THE MOUNTAIN!