God of the Mountains

Recently my wife and I took our girls on vacation. We visited the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Appalacian Mts., and yes - they are smoky. Well, actually misty would be a better word.

Anyway, as we travelled through these majestic mountains I tried to thoroughly point out all of the splendor of God's creation to our daughters. I kept reminding them of God's power and creativity as we hiked the Appalacian trail and other paths through the wilderness.

However, it wasn't until the morning that we were leaving that it finally hit me! Those beautiful mountains that we had been hiking and driving through were not a result of God's creativity, but His judgment and mercy!

His Judgment.

As Noah boarded the ark with his family, he must have been terrified, yet trusting the LORD he faithfully waited as the time of the great flood drew near. As a result of that world wide catastrophe, the earth as Noah knew it would be forever changed. The entire globe was covered in water, which ultimately changed the face of the landscape by shifting the fragments of land around as the flood waters receded.

As the continents broke apart and slammed together, forming new land masses, mountain ridges were formed. When Noah and his family exited the ark they must have been in horrified awe as they looked upon a planet that was vastly different than a year earlier. Now stripped of the lush vegetation due to the raging flood, the land was probably a vast wasteland which now had huge mountains protruding on the horizon. These gigantic "hills" had never existed before the flood, but now Noah was seeing the result of God's judgment.

As we look at mountains such as the Rockies, the Alps, and other ranges, we are reminded of the awesome power of God and His judgment upon sin. An awesome reminder that God does not tolerate the sins of the world.

But here's the amazing part: even in God's judgment, His mercy is still there.

Think about it. Mountains all over the earth are there because God judged the ancient world for their sin. Yet throughout Scripture, mountains are almost always used as a picture of God's mercy and protection.

It was a mountain, Mt. Ararat, that God settled the ark as the flood waters drained off into the oceans we see today. (Genesis 8:4)

It was a mountain, Mt. Sinai, that God spoke to Moses and the children of Isreal. He gave His commandments from that mountain. (Exodus 19:11, 20)

It was between two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim, that the blessings and cursings were read (Deuteronomy 11:29)

It was on the Mount of Olives that Christ Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection (Acts 1:12)

Believers are compared to the mountain of Zion in Psalm 125:1 -

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.

And from Mount Zion God will teach His ways/laws to all people.

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." Isaiah 2:3

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2

These and other Scriptures give a powerful testimony to God's mercy toward His people by using mountains as a picture of that mercy.

We can either be crushed in His judgment or fall upon Him as the Rock of our salvation.

El Shaddai. One of the names of God which means God of the mountains.