God first introduced Moriah to Abraham. He led he and his son there for one purpose: obedience. Sacrifice was not the focus, it was the task. If it had been the focus, God would have allowed Abraham to follow through and kill his son, like so many other fathers who sacrificed their sons did in an effort to please their gods. But this God is different and Abraham learned that. “NO! Don’t kill you son! Now I know you fear me!” And God provided a sacrifice. Sinai is a one-time experience. Moriah is the place where God established Jerusalem, the City of Zion. It’s the place where God revealed Himself to David. David bought the ground and dedicated it to the Lord. Moriah is where the Temple was built. It’s the spot where the glory of the Lord descended and judged the people for generations. It’s the place where sacrifices occurred and very near where Jesus was sacrificed. Moriah is the place God is leading us. 

We will not find God over and over at Sinai. How powerful it is to have our sins dealt with once and for all! We do not need to go back to that place over and over. How powerful it is to see our darkest moments covered and forgiven. We do not need to revisit those moments for any reason but to thank God. He didn’t make any mistakes on the cross. His grace isn’t lacking anything. Our forgiveness is complete. The enemy is constantly working to steal our joy and confuse our obedience. He says if we just go back to the place where we’ve seen God work in the past, everything will be alright. But it’s a lie! We will not experience God in the ways He’s worked before. If we want to know Him, we must go to the place of sacrifice and obedience.

Moriah is a place of restoration and hope. Sinai is the place our sins are forgiven. Sinai is full of desert thinking. It’s nomadic, but Moriah is home; it’s permanent. The desert thinking is gone. It’s all about moving forward on Moriah. Obedience is the goal here. Sinai is for one select group of people few but Moriah is for every nation. Sinai is for those who wonder “Why can’t we just go back to the way things used to be?” It’s pot marked with burned out camp fires, used up altars and memories of great sin, death and great forgiveness. But Moriah is different. It’s fresh. It’s full of life and a future. Will you live in the past or will you obey God on the mountain of sacrifice?

These words meant so much to me because I hear people say all the time “I just wish God would speak to me like He used to. I don’t understand why I can’t hear Him anymore.” Friends, God is still speaking; He’s still working! The only thing keeping you from hearing Him is your stubborn will. Your sin has been dealt with. The only thing that remains is your obedience. Do you trust God enough to follow Him to the mountain of sacrifice? Do you trust Him to not harm or rob you? He’s a good God, but He does things His way, not our way. We like the way things used to be, but Sinai isn’t safe either. People died there, too. If you want to experience the Lord, your obedience is required. It’s time to step up to the altar.