Exodus 24 Commentary
The Law (the Covenant) is reduced to ink and paper. It becomes a book. The people respond in grace to the contractual conditions. It’s a proud moment. But the response remains promissory and Israel is yet to be tested.
Before this point, the LORD verbally repeated the covenant to Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. After this point, the covenant would be written down and passed on from generation to generation. We have a copy of the same covenant in the form of the Bible whose pages we are now flipping.
Of course, we have two sets of books. One set comprises the Book Moses writes and contains many instructions of what would be called sub-laws. The other set would be the tablets of stone written by the figure of the LORD God. Verses 4 and 12.
Joshua is Moses’ aide. He is probably with Moses whenever Moses is called up to Mount Sinai. And he could easily be the pen in Moses’ hand!
Verses 9 to 11 present yet another high point for Israel. Moses, the leading priests, and the leaders all see the physical manifestation of the presence of God. This follows moments of obedience from them. They are all in it. This is what obedience brings to the saint – the very presence of El-Shaddai.
We see Moses perform priestly functions. Could this be the benefit of staying with a priest for a long time? We know there wasn’t much of that at Pharaoh’s palace!
Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with… This should sound familiar, right?
The LORD calls Moses up the mountain for a handover ceremony. He stays up on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. It is so strange! But it appears time stopped for Moses. The glory of God kept the mountain on fire all these days. The elders were kept waiting. It’s another key moment for Israel.
The key concept here is the mention of the glory of God or the physical manifestation of God. God is always present everywhere. But when the LORD decides to show up or make His presence to be sensed by our physical senses – sight and hearing…, we refer to it as the Glory of God.
It is just a physical manifestation. We interact with the LORD by faith. The faith is that the LORD is here with me and there with you even as you read these prints. This is so even when you cannot physically see Him or sense His presence.
Faith tells you to appreciate the presence of God when you are all by yourself and must behave accordingly. Faith tells you not to touch what must not be touched because you fear God. As the Bible puts it: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 6.
“For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.” Verse 16b. Six days? Whatever the LORD God is doing! Creation? Whatever it is, you know it’s important!
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