That Other Mountain
Published on Facebook, June 3, 2010
By Bud Powell
Seeing
the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and he opened his mouth and taught
them.... --From Matthew 5
The revelation from God from that OTHER mountain, Matthew 5-7, is in sharp
contrast to that given to Moses in the Mount of God at Sinai. That they both
were given from a mountain is not insignificant, especially to the Hebrews, to
which the book of Matthew was written.
When God spoke to Israel through His servant Moses, the revelation was so great
that Moses' face shone. But the revelation was written on stone to show that it
was given to people with hard hearts. A blessing was promised for obedience,
and curses were promised for disobedience. But because of the hardness of the
hearts of the people, their hearts were veiled so that they could not
understand or do the things that Moses commanded. As the Lord said to Moses on
one occasion, "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would
fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them,
and with their children for ever!" --Deuteronomy 5:29
But One greater than Moses spoke in these last days from that OTHER mount. He
was none other than the Son of God Himself, and the difference in the message
is profound. He begins by pronouncing blessings upon His people for what they
ARE, not for the keeping or not keeping the commandments.
He blesses the poor in spirit, those that mourn, the meek, the hungry and
thirsty after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers,
and the persecuted ones. In this He says that all Moses said is fulfilled, and
He continues to illustrate how that His people are those who know that the law
can only be fulfilled by loving and obedient hearts. They must be born again before they can see
or enter the kingdom of God.
After emphasizing this point, he closes by saying the good tree brings forth
good fruit, but the evil tree does not. And that all the good and mighty works
that men do in His name will avail for nothing if He does not know them
[Matthew 7:21-23] His knowledge is far more important than their knowledge as
far as their salvation is concerned. Finally, He likens the wise man who hears
His words and does them to a wise man who build on a rock; the foolish to one
who builds upon sand.
It is important to know that on neither mountain is there explicit directions
given on how a tree can get to be a good tree so that God's commands can be
satisfied. That will come after in the ministry of Christ and the apostles: the
Gospel will be preached and those who hear and believe will pass from death
unto life, for life come from hearing the message about the broken body and the
shed blood of the Savior that is given for the life of the world, not just
Israel, for Christ did not die just for Israel but for His people from all
lands.
But what a contrast. Moses spoke of what you must do or not do. The Son of God
spoke of what you must be. Ye must be born again, as He told Nicodemus who came
by night to see him.
Heb. 10:14 “For by one offering he hath
perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had
said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those
days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds
will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
Our gracious God does not write on stone in the days of Messiah, the Lord Jesus
Christ. He writes on the tables of our hearts. This does not earn us salvation,
this IS salvation. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
