February 14, 2008

It was 1491 years before Christ. Israel had just been miraculously delivered from the oppression of the Egyptians. God calls Moses to Go Up to the Mountain: Mount Sinai. There Jehovah God begins by reminding Moses of their great deliverance.

"And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself." Exodus 19:3-4

They are charged to remember what God has done for them. This memory will be crucial to their continued blessing. This same year they will encounter another obstacle. Twelve men will be sent to spy out the promised land. (Numbers 13-14). There they will discover a land flowing with milk and honey. Everything they could have ever desired in a land to be called their own was there. They would also find the Anakim. These giants are said to have been seven to nine feet tall.

The Anakim struck fear into the hearts of most of the Israelites. Physically, they were no match. They could not conquer this land. This anticipated fear was the very reason God reminded them of their great deliverance out of Egypt "on eagles’ wings." God was, is, and will be their source of strength and deliverance. He continues and reminds Moses that all of the land belongs to Him and that He will give it to whom He pleases.

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine." Exodus 19:5

As we follow this saga, we learn that Israel had forgotten this history and rebelled against God in fear. This led to forty years of wilderness wandering. As we determine to Go Up to the Mountain, we must be reminded of God’s work in our lives. If He has delivered us before; He can deliver us again! The Giant of Fear is conquered when we recall what a Might God We Serve!