Tag! You’re It!

You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Deut. 1:6 NIV

Tag! You’re it! Remember playing tag as a kid? I used to play every Sunday night in the front yard of the church right after the service. The painted black handrails served as base. If you could make it to the rails, you were safe. But it never failed that someone would make his or her way to base and never leave. Granted, they were never tagged out, but they were also never really in the game either.

Moses led the Israelites to Mt. Horeb. There they set up camp in the safety of the mountain and stayed for a while. But God said to Moses, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain…” (Deut. 1:6 NIV) God asked them to step out from their security. After living in slavery and being chased out of Egypt, hanging out where there were no threats was appealing. The Israelites didn’t want to leave base.

They feared getting “tagged out.” Stepping away from the mountain meant stepping into battle. God was calling them to take the Promised Land. It was already theirs. They just had to defeat its current occupants, and God already promised a positive outcome. As I read of their stiff necked and stubborn behavior, I pointed and shook my finger. “What is their problem? Didn’t they know God was going before them?”

And then I saw the fingers pointing back at me. “What’s your problem? Don’t you know God is going before you?” It’s time to move out. Out of the comfort zone. Out of my normal mode of operation. Out of my holy huddle. Out where there are giants. Off of base. It’s a little scary. But friends, if I don’t leave base I’ll miss all of the fun God has planned. So, here I go.

By the way – tag! You’re it!