The Mountain and the Valley

Scripture speaks of both of the above. Passages that one has particularly in mind are Song of Songs chapter 4 verse 8 and chapter 6 verse 11. The first passage says: “Come, look from the top of Amanah” and the second: “I went down... to see the verdure of the valley”. Usually people ascend a mountain to absorb the view from the summit, but they do not live on the summit; they live lower down. When Christ was here on earth he ascended mountains from time to time; often to have a time of prayer (Luke 6:12; 9:28). However, he did not live on a mountain; He lived amongst men.

We need to go up into a mountain in a spiritual sense to get what we may call an overview of the Christian’s inheritance. Abraham was given a view of the land his descendants were to inherit (Genesis 13:14-17). Moses was also given an overview of the inheritance that he was not allowed himself to enter (Deuteronomy 34:1-4), though he was later allowed to stand on the mount of transfiguration which was in the land (Matthew 17:3). Balaam was given an overview of God’s people from a high vantage point (Numbers 23:9). The importance of the overview is that it assists us greatly in getting our bearings. If we do not get up high sometimes we may not be able, so to speak, to see the wood for the trees. We once rescued a pigeon which had been caught by a cat and was injured. We nursed it back to health and then let it go. It flew round and round, going higher and higher. When it had reached a certain height it flew away taking a direct course. It knew the way to its home and we had a fair idea where that was.

Paul in certain of his epistles gives us first of all an outline of the great things of Christianity before showing how these are to affect us in our lives here on earth. For examples: Romans to the end of chapter 11 gives us largely the doctrine of the Gospel, but in chapter 12 he shows how we should be affected by what he has told us in our lives here on earth. In Colossians up to the end of chapter 2 we have the truth presented and then in chapter 3 onwards we have exhortations. This is, if anything, more pronounced in Ephesians: up to the end of chapter 3 we have the great things of Christianity presented (the breadth and length and depth and height - verse 18) and then in chapter 4 we are exhorted to be in accord with these.

A few more thoughts as to the mountain. In the Song of Songs at the beginning of verse 8 chapter 4 we have the words: “[Come] with me, from Lebanon, [my] spouse” This would lead us to see that we should be with the Lord in what we are doing, else we may end up with dry doctrine. Note that the passage in Ephesians which speaks of the breadth, length depth and height goes on to say: “and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge”. Christianity is not just a philosophical system, the affections are to be involved as well as the intelligence.

Now Lot did not get a view of things such as Abraham had: “Lot chose for himself all the plain of the Jordan (Genesis 13:11). If we do not see, what one may think of as the big picture, we shall as likely as not choose for ourselves a place in the world (it may be attractive to us from a business point of view, or for other natural reasons) and become a part of it, and not just physically dwell in it. The latter is something we cannot avoid (John 17:14-16).

However much we may enjoy the view from the mountain top, we cannot stay there indefinitely. Christ and his disciples had to come down from the mount of transfiguration, and face the problems with which they were then confronted (Matthew 17:1-21). However, it is not the problems that one is thinking of now but the “verdure of the valley”. Verdure suggests life and this is what get in the valley. We do not get much on mountain tops. We get first light on the mountain top and then life in the valley. The light comes first as it does in Genesis 1 and then the life. We should find life amongst the people of God and growth which is itself a sign of life (Colossians 1:6 and 10). The light shines on us (John 1:9), but the life is to be in us (John 6:53). The matter bears thinking about.

December 2009