He Who Ascends and Descends

Sep 1

In the Book of Proverbs, there is a particular verse that is a problem for Jews who do not believe in Yeshua of Nazareth as the Messiah. The answer seems obvious for the questions it asks, but that may be the reason why Jews struggle with it. Maybe you can answer the question for them.

Who has ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has wrapped the waters in His garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name or His son’s name?
Surely you know!

Proverbs 30:4

All of the questions can easily be answered by a believer of Yeshua, but the last question is a real quandary for unbelieving Jews. The Bible relates something that Jews are supposed to know immediately. Yeshua had a meeting with Nicodemus, a leader of the Jewish people, and Yeshua seemed to have the same attitude expressed in the Proverbs towards Nicodemus and his understanding of the Messiah.

Yeshua spoke of the need for a man to be “born again” of the Spirit. Nicodemus struggled with the concept of how one is born again.

Yeshua explained but then challenged him directly about his understanding of other Messiah prophecies.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

John 3:10–15

But there is something else expressed in the Proverbs passage and Yeshua’s conversation with Nicodemus that both Jews and Christians skip over. It is the discussion of who ascends and who descends.

We need to unpack that question because it is central to the story of Redemption and God’s relationship with us.

I believe that all of the great truths of our faith originate in the Torah, so let us go to the pages of the Torah and find where Moses taught about ascending and descending.

When Jacob left his father and mother, escaping from Esau, he had a dream at Bethel. In his dream he saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending upon it.

He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Genesis 28:12–17

According to this first reference, “ascending and descending” has something to do with a path between Heaven and Earth. Therefore, anyone ascending or descending is making a journey from Heaven to Earth and returning. Accordingly, angels make this journey, but God Himself also makes the journey as well, especially the Messiah, sent by the Father to us and returning back to the Father.

This was pointed out by the Messiah to Nathanael on their first meeting when He said the following:

And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

John 1:51

But now, turning back to the Torah, there is a basic teaching of ascending and descending that is shown to us by Moses himself. Consider the number of times and purposes for Moses ascending and descending from Mt. Sinai to meet with God.

Few events in Scripture are as foundational to the biblical faith as Moses' encounters with the LORD on Mount Sinai. Israel had been redeemed from Egypt by the mighty hand of God, but redemption from slavery was only the beginning. At Sinai, God entered into covenant with His redeemed people, revealing His character, His law, His dwelling place, and His purpose for Israel.

A careful reading of Exodus 19–34 reveals that Moses did not simply climb Mount Sinai once to receive the Ten Commandments. Instead, he repeatedly ascended and descended the mountain seven times. Each ascent advanced God's covenant with Israel, while each descent brought new revelation, instruction, correction, or restoration to the people.

These journeys form a progressive pattern and show Moses as a mediator between heaven and earth. Moses, therefore, prophetically displayed the very work of the Messiah. Let us examine in more detail the seven times Moses ascended and descended Mt. Sinai.

Three months after leaving Egypt, Israel arrived at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1–2). This mountain, where Moses had first encountered God in the burning bush, now became the place where an entire nation would meet and make covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The mountain itself became holy. God warned that no person or animal could touch it lest they die (Exodus 19:12–13). Sinai became the earthly meeting place between heaven and Israel. God came down to the mountain, and Moses ascended the mountain to meet with Him, then descended to return to the people.

Throughout the account, Moses repeatedly traveled between the people at the foot of the mountain and the presence of God on its summit. His movements vividly portray the work of a mediator.

First Ascent: Receiving God's Proposal of Covenant

Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

Exodus 19:3–6

God’s offer was extraordinary.

Israel would become God's treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. Take note. This is completely separate from the Giving of the Law. This was God's invitation into covenant relationship. The purpose of this ascent was a proposal for Israel to consider and to reveal God’s intentions toward the people.

First Descent: Offering the Covenant

So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.

Exodus 19:7–8

Moses descended and gathered Israel's elders, where he faithfully repeated every word of God’s offer to Israel. This is where something amazing happened that affects us even to this day. Without knowing what God might require of us in this covenant He offered, our ancestors said, “YES.”

“All that the LORD hath spoken we will do,” is the response of a bride to a marriage proposal. It is without qualification and sets no qualification. Israel bound themselves without qualification to God’s proposal in the same way a bride says, “I do” in a marriage covenant. This is the official and legal response to God’s covenant invitation.

Second Ascent: Reporting Israel's Response

Moses brought back the words of the people, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do,” to the LORD. Then the LORD said to Moses,

The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.

The LORD also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”

Exodus 19:9–13

Once Moses gave Israel’s acceptance to God’s proposal, the LORD laid out some very specific steps that needed to be completed. But consider this matter a bit deeper. God knew the response of the people before Moses gave his report, and He also knew the heart of the people, how faithful or unfaithful they would be, and He continued to enter into this covenant, believing in its success, our success.

God announced that He would descend upon the mountain in a thick cloud so the people would hear Him speaking with Moses. This public revelation would establish Moses' authority permanently. God also instructed Moses to sanctify the people for three days. Boundaries were to be established around the mountain. No one could touch it.

Second Descent: Preparing Israel for God's Appearance

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. He also said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

Exodus 19:14–15

Just as a bride prepared herself for the wedding day, Israel had to prepare for this day as well. Consecration is more than physical cleanliness or appropriate appearance. This was to be a holy event, and no other relationship was to be mixed with it. Therefore, husbands and wives were asked to abstain from their normal conjugal activities and to make the relationship with God separate and holy in every way.

Third Ascent: Into the Fire of God's Presence

Then the LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Then the LORD spoke to Moses: “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to stare, and many of them perish. Also have the priests who approach the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.” And Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.’” Then the LORD said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Exodus 19:20–25

On the third day, the mountain shook violently. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, a trumpet sounded, and smoke covered the mountain.

God called Moses upward. Once again Moses climbed.

Interestingly, God immediately instructed Moses to return and warn the people not to break through the boundaries. Even after Moses explained that barriers had already been established, God insisted.

Somehow God knew that the curiosity of the people would lead them to harm. God set His safeguard to protect them from accidental harm by His presence. God coming down from Heaven to this mountain was serious business for the Earth and mankind.

Third Descent: Renewed Warning

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Exodus 19:25

Moses warned the people not to approach the mountain. Only then was Israel prepared to hear God's voice. Immediately afterward, God spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the nation. Exodus 20 gives us the Ten Commandments spoken by God.

Psalm 29 describes the voice of God that was heard on Mt. Sinai. It was a frightening experience for all.

The voice of the LORD is powerful,
The voice of the LORD is majestic.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

Psalm 29:4–9

Fourth Ascent: Receiving the Covenant Laws

All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

Exodus 20:18–21

After hearing God's terrifying voice, the people withdrew in fear. They could not bear to hear God speak directly to them anymore. They thought they would die. They then requested Moses to go for them and have God speak to Moses, with the idea that whatever Moses said they would do.

God agreed to this arrangement, and today we are required to treat the words of Moses as the very words of God to us.

When Moses ascended again, God gave him commandments concerning the following things:

Laws concerning worship using altars
Civil legislation
Moral commandments
Judicial instructions
Instructions concerning justice
Sabbaths and festivals
Covenant obligations

These chapters (Exodus 20–23) are often called the Book of the Covenant or the Epitome of the Torah.

Fourth Descent: Ratifying the Covenant

Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Exodus 24:3–8

Moses returned with a book containing the ordinances of God. Moses then built an altar and led the children of Israel in worship. He set twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes.

Then Moses read the Book of the Covenant aloud, and people again declared, “All that the LORD hath said will we do and be obedient.”

Moses sprinkled the people with covenant blood. This formally established what we call today the Mosaic Covenant.

No matter what men may say today, we are bound by this covenant. This includes the native born of Jacob, the alien, the stranger, and the sojourner. It includes any person of any nation who believes in the God of Israel.

Fifth Ascent: The Forty Days to receive the Two Tablets

Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Now the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.” Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 24:9–18

This ascent became the longest and most significant. Joshua accompanied him partway. Moses remained forty days and forty nights.

During this period, God revealed: The Tabernacle design including the furnishings, the Priestly garments, the offerings, the affirmation of the Sabbath, and gave him the two tablets written by the finger of God. Meanwhile Israel committed apostasy by forming and worshiping the golden calf.

Fifth Descent: Judgment Upon Idolatry

It came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 32:19

Moses descended carrying the stone tablets and, upon seeing the golden calf, shattered the tablets. This dramatic act symbolized Israel's breaking of the covenant before it had even been fully implemented.

Moses had the calf destroyed and confronted Aaron. The Levites then executed justice upon all who participated in this idolatry. Three thousand died.

So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

Exodus 32:28

Sixth Ascent: Intercession for Forgiveness

The next day, Moses spoke with God. But a separation had taken place between God and Israel. Moses began to intercede on behalf of Israel, asking for forgiveness. God proposed to send Moses with the people on to the Land to fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but Moses continued to beseech God to restore the relationship.

Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”

The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”

Exodus 33:15–18

After offering himself for Israel and asking to see the Glory of God, God then directed Moses to descend again and to prepare to ascend the final time. This time would be different from the others. Instead of new legislation, the work of forgiveness and redemption would take on a very personal tone for Moses and Israel. It would require a new set of tablets.

Now the LORD said to Moses, “Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. No man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain.”

Exodus 34:1–3

Seventh Ascent: The Final Ascent, Repentance and God’s Glory

So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. He said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.”

Exodus 34:4–9

Moses was hidden in the cleft of the Rock. As God passed by, He placed His hand over the face of Moses so he could not see God. God then stepped forward, turned, and allowed Moses to see His back. Then Moses heard something very unusual. God described God to Moses.

Verses 6 and 7 are referred to as the thirteen attributes of God. Most Bible students can only count ten of them. The expression of “the LORD, the LORD God” is actually the first three attributes. That is another study.

Moses responds with a special prayer that we hear often today in ministry.

And Moses hurried to bow low toward the ground and worship. Then he said, “If in any way I have found favor in Your sight, Lord, please may the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our wrongdoing and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.”

Exodus 34:8–9

It is the sinner’s prayer of repentance that every person calling upon the Messiah prays.

When Moses descended that final time, his face shone so brightly that they had to put a veil over him to protect the children of Israel.

It turns out that the business of ascending and descending is more than a passageway between Heaven and Earth. It is how God works with man and how we respond to Him.

My conclusion is simple: I pray that you ascend to Him and never descend again.