Mount
Horeb where God spoke to Moses was an isolated place. Horeb is a place people
hardly go to. We never read anywhere in the Bible that someone else saw the
fire of the burning bush that day except Moses. This shows how unpopular and
lonely this part of town is. It was quite isolated.
At
several other instances, God has spoken to men in isolated places. Why will God
prefer to talk to His vessels in an isolated place? He could have talked to
Moses at the village square, market, by the well or even on the street. But God
did not. If you have ever been woken up in the night or early hours of the
morning by your parents or spouse for a talk, then you will understand how
important discussions held isolation can be in a relationship. Severally in the
scripture, when God has serious issues to relate to His vessels, He did so
either in isolated places or during quiet hours because serious matters are
best discussed in noiseless environments or hours when distractions will be
minimal.
The
Ten Commandments were given Moses in a place of isolation. The book of Revelation,
was given to John, the beloved in the place of isolation, David developed his
strong tie with God in the isolated wilderness, it was in an isolated place
that Jacob fought with the angel and prevailed over the challenges of his life,
the transfiguration of Jesus took place in a secluded environment; these are a
few examples of many wonderful interactions that happened in isolated place
between man and God.
God
needed Moses’ attention in an isolated, noiseless environment so that Moses would
be attentive enough to take in every detail of what God was to tell him. He did
not want Moses to miss out on anything He would say so there would not be any
excuse for not doing what He commanded. God’s word is sacred and powerful. His word is a double edged-sword which if wrongly
handled, it can hurt the bearer. When Adam and Eve took God’s instructions lightly
and ate the forbidden fruit, it cost them their stay in the beautiful Garden of
Eden and introduced death (both spiritual and physical) to human race. When
Samson handled God’s instructions carelessly, it cost him his relationship with
God, his power, sight and ultimately his life (Judges 16:16-21). Careless
handling of instructions from God cost
King Saul his sanity and the royal throne (1 Samuel 16:14).
Unfortunately
many Christians today live noisy
lifestyles that God cannot get their attention.
Most of us are always in a hurry and distracted by the issues of life. We shout
and pray loudly in church but hardly pray in the privacy of our homes where God
is waiting to speak to us. When we do, it is never consistent but often rushed such
that even when God speaks the man will not hear.
Many hardly wake up during the
quiet hours of the night to study, meditate on the Word of God and pray. Yet they
expect to hear God. If there must be
intimacy between you and God, then there must be isolation. Married couples do not develop their intimacy at
public functions but rather in the isolation of their homes. It is the
interactions that take place at home that build the intimacy displayed in the
public. It is the same with anyone desirous of developing a sound relationship
with God. It must be done in isolation.
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