You may remember that in Exodus 20:19, the people were afraid of God speaking directly to them in case they would die, so they asked Moses to intercede for them and that God would speak directly to him and for him to repeat God’s words to them.
We come to chapter 24 and in verses 1-3, God tells Moses to bring Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy elders to come to The LORD and worship from a distance, but Moses alone was to go near to The LORD. The others and the rest of the people were not to go near to The LORD up the mountain. Moses told the people all that The LORD had said and His laws, and all the people answered in unison, “All the words which the LORD has said we will do.”
In verses 4-8, maybe Moses considered it too easy for them to say that they would obey all that he had relayed to them, so he wrote it down for them. This would give them less excuse for not remembering it all. Moses rose up early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. There were burnt offerings and peace offerings of oxen to The LORD. He probably asked young men because it would take strength and agility to perform it although Moses had already built the altar. He took half the blood and put it in basins and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. He then read before the people, the Book of the Covenant, presumably what God had said, and Moses had written down. Again, the people responded by saying, “All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.” He then sprinkled the blood on the people. Thus was the receiving of the covenant and showing that they and God were bound by it.
Let us remember that we are covered by the blood of the New Covenant, which is the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for our sin. This is the only means of our salvation. Jesus, when instituting The Lord’s Supper in Matthew 26:28, said, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Moses went up and the seventy-three men who were at a distance had an amazing experience (v9-11). We read that they saw God. It is difficult to know exactly what they saw. It is thought that it was a vision because elsewhere we read that ‘No man has seen God at any time’ (John 1:18). God said to Moses in Exodus 33:20, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me and live.”
Under His feet appeared as a paved work of sapphire and it was clear like the heavens. In Revelation 4:6, we read about a sea of glass before God’s throne in John’s vision. This could have been very similar. God did not lay His hands on them, and they ate and drank. They had fellowship together in God’s presence.
God called Moses up the mountain and told him that He would give him the law and commandments which He had written so that he could teach the people (v12). Moses took Joshua and they went up the mountain (v13). He told the elders to wait with Aaron and Hur, who would deal with any problems until they returned (v14). Moses went up the mountain (v15) leaving Joshua at some point and Moses went alone to meet with God and a cloud covered the mountain (v15,16). Joshua was very loyal and patient as he was left alone for over forty days. The glory of The LORD covered the mountain in a cloud, but to the people down below it appeared as a consuming fire (v17) and God called to Moses after six days to go into the midst of the cloud and was there forty days and forty nights (v18).
It was a solemn, even dangerous place for Moses to be, even Joshua could not go there, but it was in God’s holy presence and Moses was protected by God. We are encouraged to enter God’s presence boldly and approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) and find help in every time of need.
