On mountains and camps

I've been reading the book of Hebrews this week in preparation for Sunday school this coming weekend. I've loved spending time in it, going slowly through the book to see what he says about Jesus (that is, a lot) and how he affects my relationship with God (that is, in every way!)

It also got me thinking about mountains and camps. I can't tell you why, it just happened... There's not much about mountains in Hebrews that i can immediately think of, but here's what i've been thinking about this week.

God meets people on meetings, serious things happen on mountains. Abraham took Isaac up a mountain, (the LORD will provide) God gave Moses the law on a mountain, Israel headed for the mountains when they entered the promised land, Moses commissioned Joshua on a mountain overlooking Canaan, Jesus was revealed in all His transfigured in all His glory on a mountain, Jesus (the greater Moses, the Moses-to-come) gave the Great Commission on a mountain, Jesus went to Calvary, a mountain, to die on the cross for our sins. Cool things, great, glorious things happen on mountains...

And, let us go to Him outside the camp? Why outside the camp? That's where the lepers were, the non Israelites, those cursed by God. Jesus went outside the camp to bare the reproach that we all deserve. He went outside the camp to reverse the tree-curse. So we can now follow Him. There's no reproach left to bare, it's all been borne. So now we can risk great things for Him. Why? The cross bought all the future grace we will ever, ever, ever need.  

Let's go outside the camp, up the mountain, to Him.