King of the Mountain

Have you ever played “King of the Hill/Mountain”?

Growing up in Ohio, we played it most often on piles of snow that had been plowed at the school. We also played an odd version of it on the playground in warm weather on the tires (did everyone’s school have a tower of tires to play on, or just Maple Street?) called ‘Toilet Monster’. Don’t ask.

Our version of “King of the Hill/Mountain” didn’t actually involve anyone pushing someone else off, or fighting over it. We just made it to the top and shouted that we were the king of it. I know, pretty lame. Where’s the thrill, right? Did you really earn it if you don’t have to fight someone else for it? Some people don’t think so!

Anyway, for those moments that you are on the top, you feel amazing. Like you really did something awesome. You throw your arms up in the air and shout “Look at me!! I’m king of the mountain!!”. And it’s thrilling. Your little kid heart is beating wildly in your chest from the exertion, and the admiring glances from your friends make you feel so proud of yourself.

I was recently reading in Deuteronomy, and several verses in chapter one struck me, and made me think.

Deuteronomy 1:6-8
“(6) The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: (7) Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. (8) Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.”

Moses is speaking to the children of Israel here. They have just gone over the dimensions of the Promised Land, and Moses has reminded them of some of the laws God has commanded them. Now he is preparing them to move forward in claiming the Promised Land. He’s going to give them a pep talk in the coming chapters about moving forward, by recounting their victories. I see some interesting things here.

When referencing their time on the mountain, verse 1 uses the word ‘dwelt’. This means settled, established habitation, tarried. So not just spending a little time up on the mountain after you’ve climbed it, to rest and enjoy the thrill and the view, but actually establishing habitation there. Settling in. Getting comfy and cozy.

When we’re on the mountain looking around, reveling in our victory, we can be tempted to shout not only “Look at ME!!”, but also “Look what I DID!!”, “Look how far I’VE COME!!” and forget that we never got to the top of the mountain on our own.

Deuteronomy 1:19
“And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.”

Sometimes God has to call us off the mountain, and lead us through a great and terrible wilderness for a while to remind us that we never accomplished the climb on our own. We need to be reminded of what it’s like to trust Him. He has plentiful promises for us, but we have to put feet to faith in order to see them come to fruition. They don’t just miraculously happen on top of the mountain.

And although we may go through a great and terrible wilderness, it’s gonna be okay. Our God is in control of every little thing. He doesn’t need the mountain top to see what is ahead, or behind.

Fret not, dear friend. He goes before us, and is with us.

Deuteronomy 1:29-31
“(29) Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. (30) The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; (31) And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.”

There are hard things ahead of you, Christian. That’s just a fact of being alive in this present world.

But you can’t live on the mountain forever. And while your wilderness looks different than what others are walking through, if you are walking by faith, then you’re walking in good company. You’re walking with Jesus. And in the wilderness He holds you as a father does His son- IN ALL THE WAY YOU GO.

You will see victories in the wilderness. You will win battles in the wilderness. And most of all, you will see the hand of God there as much as you would on the climb back up the mountain. You see, God doesn’t just meet us on the mountain top. He slogs through the great and terrible wilderness with us, holding us close, and leading us to the Promised Land, whatever that may be in our lives.

Lean in, Christian. Help is closer than you know.