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
It seems that, whenever we encounter a mountain, cloud or fire in scripture, we ought to brace ourselves; something significant is about to happen! Surely, as in the case of this Exodus account, such moments in the presence of the Almighty are consuming and impressive. The images present in the texts for this coming Transfiguration Sunday (marking the last of our Epiphany season, and our turning towards the ashes and forty day journey of Lent) are like easy-to-connect dots: God's invitation, the mountain climb, the sacred voice, the presentation of something from God, the seven days, the consuming fire, and the forty day dwelling in the cloud.
I bet those were some forty days and nights Moses spent, pondering what had just transpired! Lent could be those forty days and nights for us, if we will breathe deeply enough, taking in God's presence and activity in our lives. Why not begin the journey today?
Prayer
Almighty God, be our voice in the cloud and the consuming fire on which our eyes feast. Draw us close to you, as surely as you send us into the world and into relationship with one another; led and fed by your holy presence in our lives. Amen.