What Do Mountains Symbolize in the Bible?
Good Morning Friends,
There is something mysterious about mountains. You see from the experience on the mountains of Ararat, Sinai, to Horeb, Hermon and Calvary the message is the same. God has a power we do not have. He is holy and we are not. He is God and we are not. But these mountains were also pagan places of worship. So, What Do Mountains Symbolize in the Bible?
Scripture:
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.
Exodus 24:17 (NRSV)
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
17Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I* will make three dwellings* here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’
Matthew 17.1-4 (NRSV)
By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
Psalms 30:7 (NRSV)
Top of Form
2In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.
Isaiah 2:2 (NRSV)
9This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings, 10of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while. 11As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.
Revelation 17:9-11 (NRSV)
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. [Selah] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. [Selah] Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. [Selah]
Psalm 46:1-11 (NRSV)
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
Psalm139:14 (NRSV)
Message: What is it about mountains and the spiritual life? Certainly it was part of the landscape of the Bible’s setting. But the link between mountains and worship seems to have occurred all around the world independently. Mount Sinai, Mount Olympus, Mount Fuji, Machu Picchu, Mount Athos, and the list goes on and on. Why is it that it is so dramatic on the tops of mountains, again and again all around the world? Certainly it must be more than just a metaphor of the religious life…of climbing the spiritual mountain inside. Still when Moses climbed Mount Sinai, he found that the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain. When Jesus climbed a high mountain, he became transfigured, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. People have traditionally revered mountains as places of sacred power and spiritual attainment… a bit closer to heaven. But they also can be places of sacrifice as in the story of Abraham and Isaac. Today people are consumed with climbing the highest mountains. But maybe we do not need to venture out to find one of these sacred mountains of the world in order to pursue spirituality and understand what they symbolize. In the Old Testament, the mountains of Sinai and Zion are most significant. But few climbed them. Mount Sinai, of course, is associated with Moses and is the place where Moses received the gift of the Law, the Ten Commandments. Thus, Mount Sinai is a symbol of God’s Covenant with Israel. Zion is the location of the Jerusalem Temple. Its significance for religion is substantial. And on Mount Carmel, Elijah challenged all the prophets of Baal, to determine whose sacrifice would be accepted. He turned the hearts of the people of Israel to the true God. It is that kind of faith that moves mountains and defeats the giants in our lives. In the New Testament Jesus appoints the Twelve on a mountain. Jesus delivers the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount, conjuring an image of Moses who received the Commandments on Mount Sinai. Matthew, in particular, has six significant mountain “scenes” in his gospel: Jesus’ temptation (4:8); the Sermon on the Mount (5:1); a number of healings (15:29); the Transfiguration (17:1); Jesus’ final discourse (24:1); and the commissioning of the Apostles (28:16). Perhaps the most significant mountain scene in the Gospels, however, is the Transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus is accompanied by Moses and Elijah, who themselves encountered God on the mountaintop in the Old Testament. Now, they encounter God through Jesus and Jesus, in turn, is seen as the fulfillment of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). Augustine once marveled at the realization that people travel to wonders around the world… to mountains…across the vast oceans and long rivers and even contemplate the stars only to pass by our intricate and wondrous bodies. Indeed we have been built up like mountains and woven together as a craftsman would skillfully weave a tapestry. We are woven together in community through friendships and relationships that build up the body of believers in love…woven together in all the experiences of life in the reality that God is there with us through it all.
Pray we appreciate the kingdom, authority of rule of Christ. Pray that the nations of the world are indeed brought low. Pray that we focus on God and the reality that He created us as well as the mountains. Pray that God knows us, encourages us, comforts us, and builds us up. Pray that we realize the sanctity of life is a gift of God but our worth is only in direct relation to how much we allow God to uses us. Pray that we are astounded by the God’s grace and greatness. Pray we feel His power in our lives. Pray we claim and climb the mountains of life. Pray we together in community through friendships and relationships build up the body of believers in love…woven together in all the experiences of life in the reality that God is there with us through it all.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 