Exodus 24:1-18
Israel Affirms the Covenant
1 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”
3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has said we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.”
On the Mountain with God
9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.
16 Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
God called Moses, the priests, and elders to worship but only allowed Moses to draw near to see His face. Before he went, Moses had told and then written the word of the LORD to the people and intended to teach them more after he met with God and received the word written by Him on stone for them as an eternal remembrance and source of truth to guide their lives. They then sacrificed in worship to the LORD and the people committed themselves to adhere to the written words of God in obedience according to the covenant in the blood of the sacrifices. We also in Christ commit to following Him and His word as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1, 1 Peter 2:5) covered in His lifeblood that is the one and only sacrifice we need to forever cover all our sin. Moses and the leaders then saw God from a distance on a pavement looking like sapphire stone under His feet, as clear as heaven to them. Moses was then called up to meet Him face to face on the tempestuous mountain to receive the words of the LORD written by His finger on stone tablets which we call the Ten Commandments the words of command to His people. God’s glory of unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) like a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:28-29) rested on the mountain and kept everyone but Moses at bay. He stayed there forty days communing with the LORD and receiving His word. Do we spend time with Him every day to hear His word and speak with Him as Moses gave us the example while serving Him? We have seen God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6) who gave us His word in print but also written on our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3) by His regenerating Spirit that we might serve Him in spirit and in truth in the unbreakable covenant (Hebrews 12:24, 13:20-21) in His blood that makes us complete and completely able to do His will as pleasing children. This kingdom cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28) to make us fear losing ground in our salvation because this covenant is our absolutely certain hope in the word and work of Christ. We have seen God and He has given us His word.
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