By R.A. Mathews

It’s a GBD—Great Big Deal.

In 2021, archaeologists discovered a scorched mountaintop in Saudi Arabia. From a distance, it looks as though a heavy shadow rests on the mountain. Except this darkness doesn’t move with the sun. As I said, the land is scorched.
It may be one of the holiest sites created by God. “Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire.” (Exodus 19:18)

This mountain is in northwestern Saudi Arabia. If you can picture the map in your head, Egypt is on one side of the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia is on the other. Catty-corner to this area to the north opposite the Mediterranean Sea is the Holy Land.

So, when Moses led the Hebrews across the Red Sea, they landed in what is now northwest Saudi Arabia. As I said, that’s where archaeologists found the scorched mountain.

It’s a great big deal because some scholars have called the Exodus a myth due to a lack of physical evidence, according to the NY Post, quoting Ryan Mauro, a Middle East expert and the president of the foundation that discovered the mountain.

The Hebrews were only three months out of Egypt when they arrived at Mt. Sinai and God gave them His covenant — the Ten Commandments, which we still follow today. God said, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians … Now therefore, if you will Indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples…” (Exodus 19:1, 4)
Nice.

It’s such a momentous occasion that God descended on the mountaintop before His people in fire and smoke and actually told them the Ten Commandments. They heard Him. (Exodus 20:1-17)

But the Israelites were terrified. They begged Moses to speak to them instead of God. (Exodus 20:18-22)
The rest of the story is well known. Moses went up to the mountaintop, received the tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments, and returned to find the Israelites celebrating other gods. The people thought Moses was not going to return and created a golden calf saying, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:7-10)

Wait. Who?

Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt?

Remember, by now, only months had passed since God parted the Red Sea. There was no golden calf leading them. In the space of days, they had forgotten the mighty power of the Lord, rewriting their history. It’s simply amazing!
Oh, but wait. There had been more miracles along the way: Bitter water turned sweet, bread and meat falling from heaven, water from a rock in the desert, and an enemy army defeated by a gaggle of bricklayers. Miracle after miracle. There was even God speaking to them from heaven. (Exodus 14:1-17:13, 20:1-21)

But when Moses didn’t return, fear overcame them. They doubted the Lord their God and abandoned Him.
It happens every day.

Depression is one of the greatest epidemics of this nation. And the root cause of depression is the loss of hope, that things aren’t going to change, no matter what you do.

A people afraid.

But with God, that’s not true. He will help you. If you keep hitting a brick wall, He can lead you around it. He can make your path known to you.

Open your Bible and read the miracles. Review your own miracles. The most powerful thing you can do for yourself and your children is to write your miracles down. Review and relive them regularly so you don’t end up like the

Hebrews. Fear will lead you to make mistakes. To turn on the Lord.

The archeologists didn’t just find a scorched mountain. They also discovered depictions of the worship of cows. The carved art was not everywhere around the mountain, just in one place.

The researchers also found a burial site. Scripture says at least 3,000 men died during the golden-calf incident. (Exodus 32:28)

Do not doubt your Lord. Scripture says, “…ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6)

Believe.

The way to believe is the same today as it was for the Hebrews at a scorched mountain some 3,500 years ago:

Remember the Red Sea, all the Red Seas of your life.

Everyone has had miracles. Everyone.

The Rev. Mathews (B.A., M.Div., J.D.) is a faith columnist.
Copyright ©2021, 2024 R.A. Mathews. All rights reserved.