Exodus, Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Verses 1-18: The Covenant Confirmed

1. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance,
2. but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”
3. When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.”
4. Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
5. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD.
6. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar.
7. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.”
8. 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 you in accordance with all these words.”
9. Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up
10. and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.
11. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
12. The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.”
13. Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God.
14. He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”
15. When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,
16. and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.
17. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
18. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Interpretation: Exodus 24 documents a critical juncture in the formation of Israel’s identity as a covenant community bound to God. The collective affirmation “Everything the LORD has said we will do” underscores their commitment to obey God’s laws, marking the official acceptance of the covenant. The ceremony of reading the covenant and sprinkling blood symbolizes the sealing of the agreement, signifying life and purification, and binding the community to God. The shared meal of Moses, Aaron, and the elders in God’s presence represents fellowship and communion with the divine, highlighting the gravity and sanctity of the covenant relationship. Moses’ ascent to Mount Sinai to receive the tablets of stone signifies the divine origin of the law and the mediation role of Moses between God and the people. The cloud and the fire on the mountain visually represent God’s majestic and holy presence, emphasizing the transcendence and immanence of God in guiding and sanctifying His people. This event sets the foundation for Israel’s religious and moral life, emphasizing the centrality of obedience to God’s law in maintaining the covenant relationship.