Patrick Jansen van Rensburg
1 Kings 20:23 NIV “Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.”
The God of the Hills and the valleys
In 1 Kings 20, we find the Syrians being defeated by the Israelites. Then, some of the Syrian king’s advisers gave the king what they thought was the reason for their defeat. They said that they had fought on the hills and lost because Israel’s God is the God of the hills. So, if they were to fight the Israelites in the valleys, they would win.
Mountains refer to good times, and valleys, bad times. Some people have this idea that God is the God of our good times, but not of the bad times. We all know that God is not only the God of the mountains but also the God of the valleys.
We all go through trials and temptations in the valleys of life. But there are certainly some wonderful mountain top experiences, as well. Today we are going to look at some of these mountain top experiences in hopes that you will find yourself more often on the mountain with the Lord than down in the valleys.
1 Kings 20:28 NIV “The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Let’s look at what the Bible says about the God of the Mountains.
Isaiah 52:7 (NIV) “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Psalm 72:3 “The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.”
Ecclesiastes 7:14 (GW) “When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one time as well as the other so that mortals cannot predict their future.”
From the song “For the God on the mountain” – For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make them right. And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times. The God of the day is still God in the night.
You need to understand that God’s presence is everywhere
1 Samuel 1:22 (ESV) “But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.”
The Hebrew word for presence is “face,” and it implies a personal relationship, implying a close and personal encounter with the Lord. Hannah’s intention was that her son would appear in the presence of God— face-to-face—for his entire life.
Psalm 139:7-12 (NIV) “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
God’s Presence Also Fills the Earth
Isaiah 6:3 (NIV) “And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
God’s Presence Takes Up Residence in Every Christian
Romans 8:9 (ESV) “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
The effect of being in the Presence of God
Psalm 16:11, (NLT) You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever”
Psalm 37:7, (NLT) “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes”
Matthew 11:28-30, (MSG) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly”
Psalm 37:4 (MSG) …Keep company with God, get in on the best”
The Mounting of God’s provision.
Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac in Genesis 22, he climbed Mt. Moriah and God provided a substitute sacrifice.
Genesis 22:14 (NIV) “So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
One of the names of God is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the Lord our provider” or “the Lord will provide.”
Abraham calls the place, “God will provide.” The word in Hebrew is richer than what our English denotes. “Provide” in Hebrew is also “see to it,” which is similar to the name a woman named Hagar calls the Lord in Genesis 16:13 – “The God who Sees.” That Hebrew word also means “perceive” and “experience.” When Abraham calls God Jehovah-Jireh, he isn’t just saying, “God gives the goods!” He is saying, “You see or experience all this need of mine and make provision for it.”
God is our source for everything we need, and He cares about everything we care about. There’s no need so small that He doesn’t know about it, and nothing too big that He can’t provide for us.
Genesis 22:8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.”
Matthew 6:26 (NLT) “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are”
Philippians 4:19 (ESV) And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
“If you have a special need today, focus your full attention on the goodness and greatness of your Father rather than on the size of your need. Your need is tiny compared to His ability to meet it.”- Bill Patterson
“We can be certain that God will give us the strength and resources we need to live through any situation in life that he ordains. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.” Billy Graham
Experience the provision of God today.