Lessons from the Mount of God

How often do you turn to the book of Exodus for biblical insight into missionary methodologies? Not often, I bet. But Exodus 24 is sneaky good, offering unique insights into the missionary task that rewards careful study. Let me show you what I mean.

Exodus 24 is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament. It tells the story of the climactic conclusion of the covenant ceremony between God and Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai. There are a lot of moving pieces in Exodus 24, but I want to draw your attention to three details in particular that can offer old insight into new missionary methods for today.

When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” —Exodus 24:3-7

1. The Revelation of God Must Be Written

The first thing missionaries should see in Exodus 24 is that as soon as Moses receives the revelation of God, he writes it down (v.4). Apparently, God did not think it was sufficient for Moses to keep his divine revelation in his head; he needed to write it down.

Missionaries going into oral cultures today might be tempted to think that getting the scriptures into written form is no longer necessary. Missionaries who have been trained to tell Bible stories, put on Bible plays, or record the Bible in audio format, might be tempted to think that writing the story of salvation down in a book is not needed. “Why worry,” the question goes, “about getting the written word to people in an oral culture?”

Answer: Because the Bible is itself a written document delivered (on more than one occasion) to people in oral cultures. And one of the clearest examples of God saying, “Stories are not enough, you need to write my revelation down,” is found at the very beginning of the bible, in Exodus 24. It is not enough that people know the revelation of God verbally, it must be written down for all to see.

When God’s people have access to God’s word, they flourish. When they don’t, they flounder. So study the language, create the alphabet, teach the people to read, translate the holy scriptures, and give the people you are trying to reach the book that God wants them to have.

2. The Revelation of God Must Be Communicated

When Moses came down the mountain with the Word of God, he didn’t keep it to himself. Rather, he communicated it to the people (v.7). What good is having a book if no one knows what’s in it? To say it another way, it’s not enough to merely have a book, the book must also be read and explained.

You see this as the Israelites return to the Promised Land from their exile.

[The priests] “read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” —Nehemiah 8:8

What the priests are doing in Nehemiah 8 is no different than what Moses is doing in Exodus 24. And what Moses is doing in Exodus 24 is no different than what missionaries must do on the mission field. Open the book and teach it to the people. Only when people clearly comprehend the content of God’s revelation can they respond appropriately. Which leads us to point three.

3. The Revelation of God Must Be Responded To

When God speaks, his word demands a response. Twice in Exodus 24 we see the people of Israel respond to God like this:

“We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” —Exodus 24:3,7

When missionaries communicate the word of God, they should be looking for a response. They should hope and pray that their hearers will be “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37), and respond in repentance and faith, which will then overflow in loving obedience to God (1 John 2:5).

Missionaries, even the best of them, can’t change the heart of the hearer; only God can do that (John 3:8). But missionaries can certainly look for fruit as evidence that God has fundamentally changed the root of those to whom they preach (Matthew 12:33). So look for the fruit of obedience, and join the angels in rejoicing when you find it (Luke 15:10).

Conclusion: Different, Yet the Same

The story of Moses and Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai is in many ways different than the story of the missionary frontier context. And yet, there is much to learn from this story at the foot of God’s holy mountain. Give the people the written revelation of God, explain it to them, and call on them to respond to it in repentance and faith. This ancient pattern of ministry will never change, no matter how long the Lord tarries or how far the gospel goes across the globe.‍