When Faith Meets the Mountains

There’s a mountain in Scripture where faith and surrender meet; a place called Moriah. Abraham, often called the father of faith, climbed it with trembling hands, carrying a costly obedience he could barely bear. His son asked, “Where is the lamb?” and Abraham answered with prophetic words that would echo through eternity: “God Himself will provide the lamb.” And on that mountain, God did — through the voice of an angel, He stopped Abraham and provided a ram caught in a thicket, a substitute.

Centuries later, in that same region, another Father placed His beloved Son upon the wood. This time, there was no ram and no voice to stop the knife. God Himself became the Lamb. The cross rose over the hills of Moriah, now called Jerusalem, where the Lord again provided, once and for all. What Abraham was spared, God embraced Himself out of love.

But scripture gives us another mountain too—Sinai—where God descends in cloud and fire, and the ground shakes under His holy nearness. It is the mountain of wonder: thunder, trumpet, smoke, boundary lines, the unapproachable presence that still calls. Sinai says, God is not like us, and yet, He draws near.

Between Moriah and Sinai, faith learns to breathe. Moriah teaches the heart to trust God’s provision in the very place of surrender. Sinai teaches the heart to revere God’s holiness and receive His way of life. And both mountains lean forward to a third: Zion, where Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant, brings us even nearer to God’s holy presence—not with terror, but with joy. Mount Zion is the mountain of grace (Hebrews 12:18-24). The mountain of the new covenant.

The Desert Before the Promise

Grace often begins with a detour. Israel expected milk and honey; God led them first into a desert and a mountain. So it goes with us: we entrust our lives to God and sometimes discover that things grow harder before they get better. Joseph knew it in Dothan and in Egypt. The cross itself is the ultimate pattern: resurrection comes through crucifixion; the promised land lies beyond the wilderness.

The Order That Safeguards Our Souls

As perfectly illustrated by Dr. Tim Keller in his teaching “On the Mountain: The Terrifying and Beckoning God”, at Sinai, God rehearses the gospel in miniature:

1. Grace: “I carried you on eagles’ wings” (He saves first). God saves first and the Israelites receive His grace. He delivers them from Egypt before giving them any commands. Salvation begins with His initiative, not theirs.

   
   

2. Obedience: “Now, keep My covenant”. After rescuing His people, God gives the Law through Moses — the Ten Commandments — as a way for them to walk faithfully in relationship with Him.

   
   

3. Blessing: “You shall be My treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Once redeemed and obedient, God invites His people to experience the fullness of His promise: to live as His own in the land flowing with milk and honey.

   
   

Now, under the new covenant, we too must never reverse this divine order. We don’t obey to be saved; we obey because we’ve been saved through Jesus. Gratitude, not fear, is what fuels true holiness. When obedience comes before grace, it leads to weary legalism; when we expect blessing without grace and obedience, it leads to deception and distance from God’s will.

Zion: The Mountain of Grace

At Sinai, God revealed the divine order: grace, obedience, and blessing. At Zion, that order finds its fulfillment. God still comes in fire and cloud: the fire declares His holiness; the cloud reveals His mercy. The fire purifies what would ruin us, and the cloud shields us from what would consume us. We may tremble at His endless glory—yet we are welcomed.

This holy paradox finds its resolution at the cross, where the veil is torn, darkness falls, the earth shakes, and the blood of Jesus “speaks a better word”, not of vengeance, but of grace. He is the Lamb of Moriah and the Mediator of Sinai, the One who fulfills the law and brings us into the blessing promised all along: to be His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation in Mount Zion.

Your Mountain Right Now

Perhaps you find yourself on Moriah: asked to surrender what you know and love, uncertain how God will provide, grieving, and looking for truth. Or perhaps you stand at Sinai: freshly aware of His holiness, His boundaries, and His call to consecration and obedience. Or maybe you’re in the open desert: the place where trust feels like walking by moonlight.

Wherever you stand, Christ stands with you. On Moriah, He is your Provision. On Sinai, He is your Mediator. In the desert, He is your Manna and the Rock that follows you.

Jesus loves you.