The Book, The Blood, and The Glory of God | Exodus 24:1-18

There are many things that make weddings wonderful. From this pastor’s point of view, however, there is moment in a wedding ceremony that tops them all. As touching as is the bride’s procession on her father’s arm, as important as is God’s Word addressing the couple during the meditation, as solemn as is the couple’s exchanging of vows, and, of course, as highly anticipated as is the kiss, for this pastor, the most poignant moment is when I get to say, “These vows which you have now made before God and these witnesses, I do now confirm in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And in accordance with the authority vested in me as a minister of the gospel, and by the State of SD, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You are no longer two. God has joined you together. And may no one, and no thing separate you.” That’s it. That’s the most sacred moment. That moment of consecration, that moment of formalization of the marriage covenant. The vows, as important as they are, are just words. The kiss is just lips touching. UNTIL that moment. And what a moment it is.

We are now over half-way through the book of Exodus, and what a journey it has been. Think back on all the dramatic moments. The burning bush. The ten plagues. The crossing of the Red Sea. The Ten Commandments. But my dear friends, there is no scene in the book of Exodus, and no moment more dramatic, more poignant than the one described here in chap. 24. Because here, is the most holy moment. Here is the confirmation of covenant between God and His people. Here is the moment of formalization of the sacred relationship, established by God, in which He covenants to belong to His people and His people belong to Him. This is the moment the entire book of Exodus has been waiting for. So, I invite you to please stand for the processional, as it were. Here come the bride and groom. And follow along as I read Ex. 24.

“Then 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. Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”

And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. 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. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD.

And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against 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.”

And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel. They beheld God, and ate and drank.

The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”

So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”

 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD dwelt 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.

 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

—Exodus 24:1-18

The book of Exodus was originally addressing those people of Israel who had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. But now they were encamped on the east bank of the Jordan River. They are about to cross over into the Promised Land. They are about to begin a new chapter. They are about to step into a place they had never been before. And engage with people groups they had not known before. And like us, when we are about to cross over a threshold into something new, something completely different, there is an obvious mixture of eager anticipation, as well as some degree of elevated anxiety. The people were aware of an eye-witness report of Giants in the land. The place they were about to set foot was inhabited by hostile forces with grim and battle-tested warriors. They clearly understood they were about to get into a fight. And because God was in it, they anticipated miracles, but not without set-backs. They could expect days of victory, but not without some losses. There would no doubt be times of joy-filled wonder, as well as days marked by inevitable heartache. And the message of the book of Exodus was intended to strengthen their faith, and deepen their courage, and engender assurance that God was with them through it all. This new chapter – this new place of residence was the fulfillment of God’s promise.

 Way back in Ex. 3, God had said,

“I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

—Exodus 3:8

In Ex. 6, God had said,

“I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham . . . I will give it to you for a possession.”

—Exodus 6:8

Those Israelites standing on the verge of the fulfillment of this promise would have been familiar with God’s word in Ex. 33:1,

“Depart. Go up from here . . . to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

—Exodus 33:1

I expect there are those of you here today, who are on the verge of something new. You are standing on the “east band of the Jordan” – so to speak. There’s something before you with a divinely blended mixture of knowns and unknowns. And there you stand, armed with some confidence engendering promises – specific promises that God has made. And those promises are designed to give you traction on those dark days, and resilience in those troubled times. But how do you know? How can you be sure God will keep every promise, and bring you all the way home?

 The message of Ex. 24 is that God’s covenant relationship with his people is unchanging on the best days and the worst days. His commitment to fulfilling His promises for you is unchanging in sickness or in health. For richer or for poorer. When you are gaining or losing. Living or dying. 

So, how does what happens in Ex. 24 do that? How did Ex. 24 strengthen the faith of the Israelites – who were about to enter the promised land? How did this chapter engender assurance that God was unwaveringly for them and not against them? That God will never leave them nor forsake them? God confirms his relationship with them through His covenant. And so that there is no question, no doubt, nothing left for misunderstanding, God 1) marks his covenant with a ceremony. 2) God confirms his covenant in writing and in blood. 3) God celebrates his covenant with a meal. 4) God stamps a guarantee on his covenant through a display of his glory. God’s covenant continues to function for us today, communicating his gracious commitment to our eternal well-being. So, first,

God Marks the Significance of His Covenant with a Ceremony

God had sent out “save the date” invitations to this ceremony well in advance. In Ex. 6, God says, 

 “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.”

—Exodus 6:7

Then again in Ex. 19.

 “You yourselves have seen . . . how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 

Now . . . you shall be my treasured possession among all the peoples . . . and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

—Exodus 19:4-6

 And that’s when things get serious. Ex. 19 ends with God inviting Moses to come up, and telling Moses to go down. 

 Then in Ex. 20-23, we hear the substance of the God’s Covenant – the substance of how God and His people relate to one another. But then the narrative picks up again in Ex. 24:1.

 “Then 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.”

—Exodus 24:1

And that meeting is then described in Ex. 24:9-11. Meanwhile, Ex. 24:2 says,

 “Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

—Exodus 24:2

And that meeting is described in Ex. 24:12-18. Why does the author do that? Kind of confusing? Well, if it accomplishes nothing else, it forces us to slow down and pay attention to what is certainly one of the most momentous occasions in redemptive history. What we’re seeing here is the acceptance of God’s covenant conditions, and the culmination of God’s covenant promises, in a ceremony - a ceremony much like a wedding – the wedding between God and His bride. 

Why do we have weddings? Why all hoopla? Why spend all that money? After all, it’s not the ceremony that makes us married. No. It’s not. And certainly, this text is not intended to inform us as to the extent of people’s wedding budgets. 

But this text does teach us that covenant relationships, significant covenant relationships (like marriage) matter to God! And because they matter to God, they should be marked. And God marks the significance – the eternal significance of His covenant with his people with a ceremony. He marks it with a day and a moment in time so that they remember. Ceremonies are powerful and full of meaning. God knows it. That’s why He commends them and commands them.

You see, there were days ahead for those Israelites. There were days on the horizon - cloudy days, bad days, bloody days, dying days - days when a meaningful and memorable marker (like this covenant ratification ceremony) would serve them, and strengthen them, and sustain, and restrain them from all manner of temptations to compromise the significance of their covenant relationship with God. Second,

God Confirms the Solemnity of His Covenant In Writing and In Blood

God spares no expense in communicating the sobering solemnity of His relationship with His people. The terms of the covenant were spelled out in writing in Ex. 20-23. And in Ex. 24:3 it says,

 “Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”

—Exodus 24:3

Verse 4 goes on to say, “And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD.”

Putting things in writing is essential for remembering. Putting it in writing is essential for communicating God’s will. Putting it writing is essential for our life together as God’s people. We are God’s people because we are people of God’s Word.

 And then, in the second half of v. 4, Moses builds an altar.

“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. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD.

 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar.”

—Exodus 24:4b-6

The altar represents God and how one is to approach God – namely, through a sacrifice for sins. The twelve pillars represent each of the tribes of Israel. And as those blood sacrifices were made, it took the people right back in their memory to the Passover – where the blood of the sacrifice was the only explanation for why they were not killed.

And while the pillars represent the people as one party in the covenant relationship, the blood that Moses’ collects clearly identifies God as the other party in the covenant relationship. And the throwing of the blood by Moses, on to the altar signifies the acceptance of the people by God.

And then, to emphasize even more emphatically the solemnity of it all, in v. 7 Moses reads the book of the Covenant again. 

“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.”

—Exodus 24:7

The earlier reading invited commitment. It communicated intent. The second reading, together with the second pledge of obedience, is now made acceptable on the basis of the blood sacrifice. So, don’t miss it. The commitment by God to his people, and the commitment of the people to God – this is no uninformed commitment. Everyone knows exactly what they are doing. The people heard and understood God’s Word. They saw and understood the meaning of the blood. And they are resolved to obey the one who so graciously, and freely, and sovereignly, and decisively delivered them.

And then, the experience they would never forget.

“And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

—Exodus 24:8

One can only imagine being sprinkled with the blood from animals freshly sacrificed. It is solemn. It is serious. It is bloody. This is the moment when they, the other party in this covenant relationship, are set apart as God’s holy nation, set apart as a kingdom of priests who shall represent God among the nations who reside in the land they are about to enter. Can you imagine blood landing on you? This blood benefitting you? This blood sealing your identity and confirming your intention to obey? Oh, and don’t forget. It’s ALL grace. It’s ALL because of the gracious initiative and covenant invitation of God. You didn’t earn it. You didn’t deserve it. You’re only responding in the only appropriate way. Trust and obey. Thirdly,

God Celebrates the Blessing of His Covenant With Table Fellowship

What happens next is astonishing and only possible because of the covenant which God has so graciously established, and the people have so gladly received.

“Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel. They beheld God, and ate and drank.”

—Exodus 24:9-11

God did not lay his hand on them. Rather than slaying them, God seats them at his table. Because of the book and the blood, they experienced fellowship with God. They saw Him. Actually, they just saw his feet – or maybe their gaze never went higher than the pavement under God’s feet. And from that vantage point, they ate and drank – certainly one of the most remarkable meals recorded in all Scripture. But it’s not about the food at this wedding reception. It’s what the meal signifies. It’s all about the relationship between God and his people - the friendship between God and his people - intimacy between God and his people. The blessing of the covenant is God himself. 

The writer of the book of Hebrews remembered that day. 

 “When every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats . . . sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 

— Hebrews 9:19-20

And he shows how what happened in Ex. 24 foreshadowed the one who is greater than Moses – one who offered a sacrifice, not temporary, but once for all.

“Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins . . . By a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified . . . and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full of assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

— Hebrews 10:12, 14, 21-22

 As we enter our “whatever is next”, we will inevitably continue to fight against indwelling/remaining sin until our dying breath. But we fight with a freedom from guilt and guilty conscience before God because our hearts have been sprinkled clean. Those who have trusted in the once for all sacrifice of Jesus for their sins, their hearts have been sprinkled clean. And those whose hearts have been sprinkled clean cannot be unsprinkled, because Jesus’ sacrifice is once for all.  

If you have a conscience, and have some awareness of your guilt before God, and it dogs you because you’re aware you’ve offended God, and there is nothing you can do to satisfy His wrath against your sins – then remember God’s covenant with you in Christ. When you trust Jesus and accept his sacrifice, it is once for all. Your guilty conscience is now eternally sprinkled clean! You are forgiven for your sins, and have no ground for fear of future wrath. And one day we will see his face! And we will eat and drink with him, and enjoy him, for we have been invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb! Phil Ryken writes,

“God is always busy handing out invitations to his feast. Every time the gospel is preached, people are invited to eat and drink with God. God is getting ready to throw the last and longest banquet of all . . . The way to RSVP for that great banquet is to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.”

Now, we’ve seen the significance of God’s covenant, and the solemnity of God’s covenant, and the way by which God draws into the blessing of His Covenant. But how can we be sure God will have us and hold us from this day on? 

God Guarantees His Covenant Through a Display of His Glory

Ex. 24:16 says, “The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai . . . (17) The appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire.”

 When the term “glory of God” occurs in the Bible, as it does here, it refers, in general, to the public display of God’s infinite attributes, his various perfections, and his intrinsic weightiness. 

 So how do we know God won’t bail on us? In Ex. 25-27, God is about to give specific instructions for constructing a tabernacle – a portable sanctuary for his presence. That’s because God intends to come down and dwell with his people. And that’s because the aim of God’s covenant with is that He might reside with His people. And the display of His glory in Ex. 24 anticipates the day when that will happen in Ex. 40. But more significantly it anticipates that day of days when God came down, and made himself supremely visible in the person and new covenant work of the incarnate Christ. God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” And the fulfillment of each and every promise included in God’s covenant, find their yes – their guarantee in him. That is why it is through him, our Lord Jesus Christ, that we utter our Amen to the glory of God.

 Whatever new season, new chapter, new place, new thing you are on the verge of, God will never leave you, nor forsake you. He will be with you always, even to the end of the age. God’s covenant tells you so. Let’s pray.