THURSDAY
When we fast forward to Exodus 24, we see the covenant confirmed. The confirmation ceremony consists of three parts:
- ceremonial meal between the parties
- taking of the oath
- provision for receiving the official text of the covenant.
Exodus 24 (NIV) 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.”
The 12 pillars are likely representatives of the “witnesses” to the covenant. Since this covenant is between God and all the people there, there are no other witnesses. Normally the witnesses called would be the god(s) of the people entering into this covenant. Moses sets up pillars to represent the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his 12 sons. These are historical witnesses.
In verse 7 the people take their formal oath, binding themselves to the terms of the covenant.
This is a blood oath—a sacred binding covenant. Moses divides the blood from the sacrifice into two halves. He pours one half out on the altar, symbolically pouring it out on God. The other half he sprinkles on the people, again ceremonially calling them to this binding oath.
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.
The precious stone, here, is a part of the ephod of the high priest. It is in Isaiah’s and Ezekiel’s visions, and it is in the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21.
The eating and drinking at the end of verse 10 is the ceremonial meal the two parties would share at a covenant ceremony. Sharing a meal implies fellowship and community. What better way to confirm a covenant relationship.
In verses 10 and 11, we read that the people saw God. Yet, in Exodus 33:20 we read that “no one can see God and live.” So how do we square these two? First, the verb “see” can imply experience as well (see Ps. 27:4). In Exodus 33 Moses sees “the back of God.” God declares that he cannot see his face. The face implies the fullness of God’s glory. “Seeing God” here in chapter 24, I would suggest implies them seeing a portion of God’s glory. This is likely similar to Isaiah’s vision of God (Isa. 6), Ezekiel’s vision (Eze. 1), and John’s vision (Rev. 4).
This helps to make sense of the pavement of lapis lazuli under God’s feet. Isaiah only reported on the hem of God’s robe filling the temple (Isa. 6:1) and Ezekiel saw “something like a throne.” (Ez. 1:26) John, in describing the one seated on the throne, says he had the appearance of jasper and ruby (Rv. 4:3). Their reports are decidedly limited, as words can only describe so much in the experience of God.
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 commandments I have written for their instruction.”
This is the final portion of the covenant confirmation ceremony—the official records that each party keeps.
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.
God’s glory is described in many different ways throughout this book. Again, it is an attempt to describe the indescribable with the only language available to us. Similar to the burning bush, God’s glory appears as a consuming fire on the mountain. We discussed in a previous devotional the significance of God appearing as a fire (see 
Meeting with God).
Reflection
Remember, this is the people of Israel agreeing to the terms of the covenant relationship with Yahweh. We will talk about this tomorrow, but this is a type pointing ahead to our accepting the terms of the new covenant relationship through Jesus. Our covenant ceremony is baptism and the regular reminder of our covenant is communion. How does this scene in Exodus enrich your understanding of your covenant relationship with God?