Mountaintop experiences

Posted by ESC on September 30, 2002

In Reply to: God is on the mountaintop posted by ESC on September 30, 2002

: : hey! I just need to know the meaning of the phrase,"God's on the mountaintop". I been looking everywhere to see what it means, but I can't seem to find it! Please e*mail me back!

: : Lauren

: I haven't found anything in my reference books. But it must have to do with Moses going to the mountaintop and receiving the Ten Commandments. Maybe it means we have to remember to seek God's guidance? What do you all think?

The Bible has several "mountaintop experiences." Moses went on a mountaintop to receive the Ten Commandments:
Exodus 24
(16] And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
[17] And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
[18] And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 34
[28] And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

And it was on a mountaintop that God showed Moses the Promised Land but told him that he wouldn't live to reach it:
Deuteronomy 34
1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho: and the LORD showed him all the land of Gil'e-ad, unto Dan,
2 and all Naph'tali, and the land of E'phra-im, and Manas'seh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,
3 and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zo'ar.
4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

Then there's the Martin Luther King Jr. speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop." He, too, saw the Promised Land but didn't live to reach it.

".Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered this speech in support of the striking sanitation workers at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tenn., on April 3, 1968 - the day before he was assassinated.