Moses and the Burning Bush
Before becoming a prophet, it was at this location that Moses was living with Jethro, his father-in-law, and Moses ascended the Mount and first spoke to God:
“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. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land … Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:1-10).
The Twelve Tribes of Israel at Mount Sinai
Three months after leaving Egypt, Moses and the host of Israel arrived at the base of Mount Sinai. Some scholars believe the mount was in eastern Edom, what is now northern Saudi Arabia. However, most scholars believe it was near the present location identified as Mount Sinai, located in the southern Sinai Peninsula between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. Mount Sinai is 7,363 feet tall (2,244 meters). Nearby Jebel Katharina is nearly 9,000 feet tall (2,700 meters). Mount Sinai in the Old Testament was also called Mount Horeb (Horeb is Hebrew meaning “desolation” and “wasteland” which describes the area exactly).
At the foot of Mount Sinai the Israelites camped for about a year. There are a few springs and wells in the desert if you know where to look. Having lived here, Moses knew where to find water.
Here some rebellious Israelites tried to return to the Egyptian religion and made a Golden Calf, resulting in their destruction (Exodus 32:1-7). While they were making the Golden Calf, Moses was up on the Mount receiving the Book of Leviticus, much of Deuteronomy, and the 10 Commandments.
Here Moses and Aaron, from God’s instructions, made the Tent of the Congregation (a mobile temple from which Solomon’s and Herod’s Temple’s were patterned). The Tent of the Congregation was also called the Tabernacle. They also made the Ark of the Covenant from the precious metals they carried out of Egypt and from “Gopher” wood. Possibly the acacia tree which grows in the desert (pictured below).
St Catharine’s Monastery (second picture above) is a Greek Orthodox Monastery built between 548 and 565 AD. It is the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the world.
Elijah at Mount Sinai
Elijah was commanded to flee Queen Jezebel of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and go to Mount Sinai/Horeb:
“And he [Elijah] arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it.” 1 Kings 19:8-13.
A great lesson, look for God in the small, simple, and quiet things.
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