Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. – Exodus 34:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 4, 2024): Exodus 34

One weekend, when my parents were away and I was in High School, my Youth Pastor phoned me and asked if I wanted to go to a football game with him. I love football, but maybe I must stress that the game I love is not soccer. I wish football were more like hockey or baseball, which means I wish there could be more games in a season. However, I have also played football, and I understand why it isn't; it takes at least a week to recover from the bruises and nagging injuries received in the average game. When I received the invitation, I said yes. The game was a couple of days away, so there was a bit of time between the invitation and the game. 

I had some stuff to do and fun to have. I came home from work the night before the game, and my phone rang. It was a good friend of mine, and we decided we just wanted to hang out together. So, he came over, and we played some ping-pong together. Then, we kicked back and listened to some music before he went home, and I went to bed, looking forward to the game I would be attending the next day. But as we played ping-pong, the keys to my car were in my pocket, and I threw them down by the leg of the ping-pong table. 

The following day, the sun got up, but I didn't (it was an afternoon game, and teenagers can sleep forever). So, I rose late in the morning, ate lunch, dressed, and then it was time to leave. I went to grab my keys but couldn't find them. I can still feel the pain today. I wanted to go to the football game, and this was before cell phones, so I couldn't even phone my Youth pastor to tell him what kind of an idiot I was. He had made an effort to go and buy the tickets and invite me to come with him; all I needed to do was show up, and I couldn't even do that.

God tells Moses to get a couple of stone tablets, get ready, and come to the mountain. I will come to you and write the words on tablets. I know you broke the first ones you gave me, but I am not expecting you to be my secretary and write down the laws on the tablet. You come and meet me, get ready for me, and I will write the commandments on the stone. Just get ready and come.

Luckily for all of us, Moses didn't misplace the keys to his chariot by the ping-pong table after a game with a friend. He showed up and received from God the information that had been promised. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 35