5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Ecclesiastes 5-7
Galatians 4:8-31

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Galatians 4:25 (CSB): “Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Let’s go on a mini-adventure today! You ready? Let’s go!

If the average Christian were asked to locate Mount Sinai on a map, the place where Moses received the Law from God, where would they point? They would point to the Sinai Peninsula, of course. They would point to what is called “Jabel Musa.”

According to some sources, the “Sinai Peninsula” was in Egyptian territory at the time of the Exodus. So, if Jabel Musa was the location for Mt. Sinai, the Israelites would still have been in Egypt when Moses received the Law from God. Yet the biblical account makes it clear that the Israelites left Egypt before they arrived at Mt. Sinai.

Exodus 12:41-42 (CSB): “At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the LORD’s military divisions went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of vigil in honor of the LORD, because he would bring them out of the land of Egypt…” (emphasis mine)

Exodus 19:1-2 (CSB): “In the third month from the very day the Israelites left the land of Egypt, they came to the Sinai Wilderness. They traveled from Rephidim, came to the Sinai Wilderness, and camped in the wilderness. Israel camped there in front of the mountain.” (emphasis mine)

So, where is Mt. Sinai? It would seem abundantly clear that it was outside the territory of Egypt. AND … that the verse I have chosen for today gives us another not-so-subtle clue.

Galatians 4:25 (CSB): “Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.” (emphasis mine)

Mt. Sinai was not in Egypt. It was in Arabia. If you look at the map again, you will see that Arabia is to the east of the “Sinai Peninsula.” In fact, Arabia is now called Saudi Arabia. It still bears the name. So, it would seem that Paul was telling the Galatians that Mt. Sinai is in what we now know as Saudi Arabia.

But there is another not-so-subtle clue to Mt. Sinai’s location.

In Exodus 3, we observe that Moses had fled Egypt and was tending sheep. One day, he observed a burning bush and encountered the Lord. Listen to what the text tells us, and realize that “Horeb” is an alternate name for “Mt. Sinai.”

Exodus 3:1-2 (CSB): “Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed.”

Exodus 3:12 (CSB): “He answered, ‘I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.'”

So, Moses fled Egypt and settled in Midian. In the map above, you can see that Midian is in the northwestern corner of present-day Saudi Arabia. While Exodus 3:1 tells us that Moses took his “flock to the far side of the wilderness,” and we cannot be sure where that is, we have no reason to believe that it means he departed Midian. So, it is very likely that Mt. Sinai was in the region of Midian.

If you look at the map above, you will notice a site in Arabia, in the region of Midian, which some suspect may be a possible location for Mt. Sinai. It is called Jabel el-Lawz. I find this site and the arguments in favor of it being Mt. Sinai to be incredibly compelling.

(I will share a GotQuestions article below about the difficulty in locating the real Mt. Sinai. The authors cast some doubt on what I have just shared. My response would be that it may be impossible to be 100% certain where Mt. Sinai is and that is perfectly OK. But it can be so enjoyable to study God’s Word, look for clues, and see where they lead you.)

One final thing: Consider watching the following 44-minute documentary of two men who explored Jabel el-Lawz and their belief that it might be the long-lost Mt. Sinai.

Spend Time in Prayer

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the location of Mt. Sinai, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

What is the location of the real Mount Sinai?

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)