Mountain Men

All through the Bible, mountains are places where Heaven touches earth and where God meets man face-to-face. Psalm 24 asks, “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Friend, that’s the invitation. God still calls people to climb the mountain, not to impress Him, but to encounter Him. The mountain is not a punishment; it’s a promise. It’s where we stop living by sight and start living by revelation.

When Moses climbed Mount Sinai, he walked into thunder and fire. The mountain shook, smoke billowed, and the people trembled, but Moses pressed through because he was hungry for more than religion; he wanted the face of God. Up there he received not just the Law, but the presence that makes the Law come alive. Elijah later fled to that same mountain and hid in a cave, worn out and afraid. He didn’t find God in the wind or the fire this time, but in a whisper. The same mountain, two different men, two different revelations, but one faithful God who always shows up where His people seek Him.

The mountain is not just a place of struggle; it’s a place of restoration. When you ascend, you’re not climbing toward punishment; you’re returning to the original design. The higher you climb, the more the world falls away—the noise, the drama, the distractions—and suddenly you realize the garden you lost in Adam is the fellowship you regain in Jesus. Right before restoration comes the stretching. You climb before you conquer.

Then there’s King Jesus, the ultimate Mountain Man, standing on the Mount of Transfiguration. His face shines like the sun, His clothes radiate light, and beside Him stand Moses and Elijah, the same two who met God on the mountain before. That’s not coincidence; that’s prophecy fulfilled. The Law, the Prophets, and the Son of God all converge in blazing glory. That’s where we’re headed, up the mountain where His glory is revealed, where expectation becomes encounter, and where those with clean hands and pure hearts finally see the King in His beauty. When God shows up on the mountain, everything changes.