EXODUS
CHAPTER 24
Israel accepts word of the Lord by covenant—Moses sprinkles the blood of the covenant—He and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel see God—The Lord calls Moses into mount to receive the tables of stone and commandments.
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 ye afar off. [
Moses has already received the instruction from the Lord - now he is
joined 73 others that will receive great spiritual blessing upon the
mount or temple. This group is acting as the voice for the people - they
are the representatives for the people who will act in radifing the voice
of the people to the Lord.]
2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; 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 judgments: and
all the people answered with one voice,
and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. [ The
people consented of their own free will to obey the Lord - Law of common
consent. They radified the commandments. ]
4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar [ Same thing that Adam and Eve did as they left the garden, that Noah did as he returned to dry ground, same thing as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. So as he builds the altar he begins to point their attention toward Jesus Christ. ] under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.
6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; [ They kill some oxen to sacrifice them. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins ] and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
[ Half the blood he puts 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 hath said will we do,
and be obedient. [ Again the people sustain the Lord and the covenants that he has given them.
]
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, [ He throws half of the blood in the basins on the people. ] and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, [ The animal has been sacrificed in similitude of Christ, half the blood has been put on the altar and now half the blood is put on the people, the altar representing God saying now this is a real covenant that you are making with God, saying we will follow. ] which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
10 And they saw the
God of Israel: [ At this point Moses and the other
73 men joining him on the mount all see the Lord on the mountain, but the general withdrawal of the people demonstrated their need for more preparation (see Ex 20:18–19). ] and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
12 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it 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 children of Israel.
18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
[ In Hebrew numerology means “the amount of time needed to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.” It may be an actual forty days and forty nights, but it is not meant to be taken literally. Examples: It rains for forty days and forty nights; Moses is upon the Mount for forty days and forty nights; Jesus is in the wilderness communing with God for forty days and forty nights; Jonah has to teach the people of Nineveh for forty days and forty nights—each signifying the length of time needed to accomplish what needed to be accomplished. Same length of time as Noah, 40 days and 40 nights to cleanse the earth with water, now fire. Forthy symbolically means purification. Jesus fasted for 40 days to begin his ministry. Elijah will do the same thing. They will wander in the desert for 40 years. ]