========================================================================
  TWELVE PILLARS OF WITNESS
  by G.W. North
========================================================================

Summary: Moses' twelve pillars at Sinai represent Israel's spiritual
pilgrimage and commitment to worship and follow God's commands.

Topics: "Covenant", "Worship"
Scripture References: Genesis 28:18, Exodus 20:24, Exodus 24:4

------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION
------------------------------------------------------------------------

G.W. North emphasizes the significance of the twelve pillars Moses
erected at Sinai, symbolizing Israel's covenant with God and their
identity as a people dedicated to worship. He reflects on the journey
from Egypt, highlighting the absence of altars during their time in
bondage and the importance of the altar built under the mountain as a
preparation for the future brazen altar in the promised land. The
pillars, representing the twelve tribes, serve as a testament to God's
faithfulness and the spiritual pilgrimage of the Israelites. North draws
parallels between Moses' actions and Jacob's earlier experience,
underscoring the continuity of God's covenantal relationship with His
people. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a deeper understanding of
worship and commitment to God.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
------------------------------------------------------------------------

As referred to earlier, before making the brazen altar to God's design,
Moses also built another of his own -- this time in the desert of Sinai,
in fact right under the hill. At that time, by God's command, the mount
had been bounded off; it was prohibited territory, sanctified from the
people and enveloped in the cloud of God. Moses had been up and down it,
to and fro between God and the people, carrying the word from the one to
the other. During this time such supernatural demonstrations were taking
place that it was evident something was afoot of a most extraordinary
nature and the people were very frightened -- even Moses said that he
exceedingly quaked and trembled.

Upon returning from his latest journey up the mount and announcing to
the people all the words that God had. given to him for them, Moses also
informed them that it was God's intention to enter into covenant with
them on the terms stated. Hearing these, the people reaffirmed their
former consent and intention to do all that God said. This secured,
'Moses wrote all the words of the Lord in a book and rising early in the
morning builded an altar under the hill'. Having done so, in much the
same manner as Jacob before him, he raised up twelve pillars according
to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Lonely Jacob's solitary pillar at Bethel was prophetic of the twelve
pillars of Israel at Sinai under the hill. Builded of stones, these
twelve stood grouped around the altar of stones in solemn order, mutely
testifying to God's faithfulness. Moses was showing them that Israel
were to be a people of the altar. What a long way they had come from
Egypt. The distance must be measured in terms of spiritual pilgrimage
rather than in miles. There had been no altar there and only one had
been built between there and Sinai.

Over four hundred years had passed since, at the first, Abraham had laid
out his animal and bird covenant victims upon the ground that God should
cut His covenant with him. During the whole of that time not one altar
had been built unto the Lord in Egypt; Abraham had not built one there
and neither had they. Now out of the land, soon they were to have a
permanent altar of brass for the Lord of the promised land. As yet they
had no knowledge of that fact, but by this one that Moses had now built
God was going to prepare them for it. In that land the brazen altar was
to be dedicated unto blood, specified offerings, ceaseless sacrifices
and the continual fire of God.

========================================================================
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/gw-north/twelve-pillars-of-witness/
========================================================================