Exodus 24:12-18 (NRSV)
Read Exodus 24:12-18 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction." Verse 13So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. Verse 14To the elders he had said, "Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them." Verse 15Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. Verse 16The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Verse 17Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Verse 18Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
Devotion
This week’s scripture readings focus on the Feast of the Transfiguration. What we will see and hear takes us from one season to the next: from Epiphany, God made manifest in Jesus to Lent, Jesus’ journey to the cross. The sights and the sounds will dazzle and confound both those who were witnesses then, and us who hear about them now. Clouds, and fire, and glory! It’s as if God is making a bright and bold statement, clarifying what Jesus means and who he is, so that there are no misunderstandings about who this is, who will be heading to Jerusalem and all that will take place there. But we’re not there yet. We still have this mountain before us, and the Lord calling to us. Though the way of our journey ahead is not entirely clear; what is sure is that we will encounter the Lord and that we do not travel alone.
Prayer
Lord God, you are in the cloud and the fire, and most clearly in the voice calling us to climb the mountain before us. Give us faith to trust you in our journeying that we would be of good courage to face whatever lies ahead. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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