Exodus 24

1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off.
2 And Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.
3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rights, 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 rose up early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mount and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 And he sent the young men of the sons of Israel, who had offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of bullocks unto the LORD.
6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7 And he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people, and they said, All that the LORD has said we will do, and we will hear.
8 Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,
10 and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone like unto the heaven when it is clear.
11 But he did not lay his hand upon the princes of the sons of Israel, and they saw God and ate and drank.
12 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount and wait there, and I will give thee tables of stone and the law and commandments which I have written to teach them.
13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua, and Moses went up into the mount of God.
14 And he said unto the elders, wait here for us until we come again unto you; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; if anyone has any matters to settle, let him come unto them.
15 Then Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days, and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the sons of Israel.
18 And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mount, and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 24 Commentary

Chapter 24

Moses is called up into the mountain, The people promise obedience. (1-8) The glory of the Lord appears. (9-11) Moses goes up into the mountain. (12-18)

Verses 1-8 A solemn covenant was made between God and Israel. Very solemn it was, typifying the covenant of grace between God and believers, through Christ. As soon as God separated to himself a peculiar people, he governed them by a written word, as he has done ever since. God's covenants and commands are so just in themselves, and so much for our good, that the more we think of them, and the more plainly and fully they are set before us, the more reason we may see to comply with them. The blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on the altar, on the book, and on the people. Neither their persons, their moral obedience, nor religious services, would meet with acceptance from a holy God, except through the shedding and sprinkling' of blood. Also the blessings granted unto them were all of mercy; and the Lord would deal with them in kindness. Thus the sinner, by faith in the blood of Christ, renders willing and acceptable obedience.

Verses 9-11 The elders saw the God of Israel; they had some glimpse of his glory, though whatever they saw, it was something of which no image or picture could be made, yet enough to satisfy them that God was with them of a truth. Nothing is described but what was under his feet. The sapphires are the pavement under his feet; let us put all the wealth of this world under our feet, and not in our hearts. Thus the believer sees in the face of Jesus Christ, far clearer discoveries of the glorious justice and holiness of God, than ever he saw under terrifying convictions; and through the Saviour, holds communion with a holy God.

Verses 12-18 A cloud covered the mount six days; a token of God's special presence there. Moses was sure that he who called him up would protect him. Even those glorious attributes of God which are most terrible to the wicked, the saints with humble reverence rejoice in. And through faith in the atoning Sacrifice, we hope for greater honour than Moses ever enjoyed on earth. Now we see through a glass darkly, but when he shall appear, then face to face. This vision of God will continue with equal, if not increasing brightness of joy; not for a few days only, but through eternity.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 24

In this chapter we have an account that Moses was ordered to come up to the Lord alone, Ex 24:1,2, but that before he did go up, he related to the people all the above laws delivered to him, which they promised obedience to, and so a covenant was made between God and the people by sacrifice, and by the sprinkling of blood, Ex 24:3-8, upon which he and Aaron, and his two sons and seventy elders of Israel, went up part of the mountain, and had a vision of God, Ex 24:9-11, when Moses with Joshua was called, and went up higher, until at length he entered into the cloud where the Lord was, and continued forty days and forty nights, Ex 24:12-18.

Exodus 24 Commentaries

The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010