Exodus 24

This section of Exodus includes basic laws that deal especially with the protection of human life and property. By accepting “the book of the covenant” (24:3–8), the people entered into a special relationship with Jehovah and obligated themselves to obey Him. These laws were not arbitrary; they’re based on the character of God and the unchanging moral principles expressed in the Ten Commandments.

Law is powerless to change human nature; it can only protect life and property by regulating human behavior. One of the most dangerous and disastrous periods in Jewish history was the time of the judges when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The enforcing of good laws doesn’t guarantee a perfect society, but it does promote order and prevent anarchy.

The Israelites would remain at Sinai about eleven months, and then they would journey to KadeshBarnea where they were to enter the land (Num. 10:11—14:45). Failing to trust God and claim their inheritance, they were condemned to journey in the wilderness until the generation twenty years old and upward had all died, except for Caleb and Joshua. For thirty-eight years, God would guide His people and then bring them back to the borders of Canaan to enter and claim the land.

The angel here is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Angel of the Covenant (Ex. 14:19). Only He can pardon transgressions and only in Him is the wonderful name of the Lord. God had prepared a place for His earthly people (23:20) just as Jesus is preparing a place for His heavenly people (John 14:1–6). If they followed the Lord, He would meet all their needs and defeat all their enemies.

Once again, the Lord warned them about the sin of idolatry, worshipping the false gods of the nations around them, the nations that they would defeat. If Israel devoted themselves wholly to the Lord, He would go before them, confound their enemies, and enable them to conquer the land. Indeed, the “terror of God” did go before Israel and weaken the people in the land (Josh. 2:11; Ex. 15:16). The “hornet” in 23: could well have been the insect that we know, because the people of the East respect the hornet (Deut. 7:20; Josh. 24:12). The Hebrew word is similar to the word for Egypt (zirah/mizraim), so some students believe that the reference is to the Egyptian armies that frequently invaded Canaan before the Jews arrived. In Isaiah 7:18, Egypt is compared to a fly and Assyria to a bee.

It took Joshua and his army about seven years to conquer the land, and the victory was followed by a “mopping up” operation. God planned that they take the land gradually so they could control things, but some of the tribes never did fully conquer the territory that was assigned to them (Judg. 1—2). God set the boundaries of the land (Gen. 15:18–21), and they were reached during the time of David and Solomon (2 Sam. 8:1–14; 1 Kings 4:20–25), but when the nation divided, they began to lose territory to their enemies.

Faithful to His promises in Exodus 6:6–8, the Lord delivered His people from Egypt (Ex. 1—18) and at Sinai “adopted” them to Himself as His special treasure (Ex. 19—24; Rom. 9:4). Now He was about to fulfill the rest of that promise by coming to the camp of Israel to dwell with His people (Ex. 25—40).

In order to do this, the Lord needed two things: a place for His glory to dwell and servants to minister to Him in that place. Therefore, He commanded the Jews to build the tabernacle and to set apart the tribe of Levi to serve Him. The building of the tabernacle and the ordaining of the priesthood are the two major themes of Exodus 25—40.

Throughout the book of Genesis, the Lord had walked with His people—Adam and Eve (3:8), Enoch (5:22–24), Noah (6:9), and the patriarchs (17:1; 24:40; 48:15), but now He would dwell with them (Ex. 25:8, 45–46; 29:44–46). Having the Lord dwelling in the camp was a great privilege for the nation of Israel (Rom. 9:4–5), for no other nation had the living God in their midst. But the privilege brought with it a great responsibility, for it meant that the camp of Israel had to be a holy place where a holy God could dwell.

These sixteen chapters record much more than the historical events surrounding the construction of the tabernacle and the inauguration of the priesthood. What Moses wrote reveals some profound spiritual truths about a holy God and how we should approach Him in worship and serve Him “acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28).

The first two verses connect with 20:21, when God called Moses to ascend Sinai and bring with him the seventy elders, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu. Moses shared the words of God with the people, and once again they promised to obey everything God told them to do (24:3; 19:8). He then wrote down all that God had said, which means the Ten Commandments and the book of the covenant.

But it would take more than promises to ratify the book of the covenant, and Moses took care of that the next morning. He built an altar to the Lord and then set up twelve pillar-like stones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The young men set aside to serve as priests offered sacrifices to the Lord, because it was necessary to seal the covenant with blood. Some of the blood was sprinkled on the altar, signifying that God had forgiven His people of their sins.

Moses then read the book of the covenant to the people and they affirmed their willingness to obey. Moses took the rest of the blood in the basins and sprinkled both the Book and the people (24:8; Heb. 9:19–20), thus ratifying the covenant. Israel had to realize their responsibility to obey the laws of the Lord. The covenant was now ratified by blood, and God would hold them to their promises. After all, they expected God to keep His promises!

The promise of the Lord in Exodus 6:6–8 was now about to move into its third phase. God had redeemed His people (Ex. 1—18) and taken them to Himself as His people (Ex. 19—24); and now He was about to come and dwell among them and be their God (Ex. 25—40). The last section of Exodus will focus on the design, construction, and dedication of the tabernacle, and it’s a section rich in spiritual truth and practical lessons.

Worshipping God is the highest privilege and the greatest responsibility of the Christian life, because God is the highest Being in the universe and the One to whom we must one day give account. Everything that we are and do flows out of our relationship with the Lord. God created us in His image so we might love Him and have fellowship with Him, not because we have to but because we want to. God is seeking people who will worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23–24).

Climbing higher. At the base of the mountain, taking care not to get too close, the people of Israel waited for the words of the Lord. Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders ascended higher and met with the Lord (Ex. 24:9–11), and then Moses and Joshua moved even higher (vv. 13–14). Finally, Moses alone went up higher and there saw the glory of the Lord (vv. 15–17).

All of this is an illustration of the important truth that we must grow in our worship experience with the Lord, and we are the ones who decide how “high” we will go. The people at the base of the mountain were afraid to hear God’s voice and were satisfied to hear Moses speak to them (20:18–19), but Moses not only heard God’s voice but saw God’s glory! How tragic it is when God’s people settle for the lowest level when there are new heights of blessing for those who seek God with their whole hearts.

Israel had to worship at a distance, because that was God’s command, but God summons believers today to enter into His presence through “the new and living way” (Heb. 10:19–25). “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). We don’t come fearfully to a stormy mountain but confidently to a glorious heavenly city where our names are written down as citizens of heaven (Heb. 12:18–24).

Communing with God (vv. 9–11). When the Scripture says that the seventy-four men “saw God,” this doesn’t mean they beheld God in His essential being, for this isn’t possible (John 1:18). They saw some of God’s glory and they probably saw the throne of God on the sapphire pavement (see Ezek. 1:26), but the invisible God was hidden from them. After this vision of God, they shared a fellowship meal that climaxed the ratifying of the covenant. To eat together was a mark of friendship and agreement. God is glorious and high and lifted up, but He also condescends to fellowship with us!

Tarrying with God (vv. 12–18). God called Moses to go even higher so that He might give him the tables of stone on which He had written the Ten Commandments. This is the first mention of the tables of the law in Scripture. The glory cloud “abode” on Mount Sinai, and the Hebrew word translated “abode” is shekinah, a word that both Jewish and Christian theologians use to describe the presence of God. It’s translated “dwell” in 25: and 29:45–46. The blazing fire on the mount reminds us that “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). Moses remained on the mount with God for forty days and forty nights (see Matt. 4:1–2), and during that time, God gave him the plans for the tabernacle and the priesthood.

God designs the plan (25:9, 40; 26:30) Whenever God does a work, He has a plan for that work, whether it’s building the tabernacle or the temple (1 Chron. 28:11–12, 18–19), a local church (Phil. 2:12–13), or the individual Christian life and ministry (Eph. 2:10). God warned Moses to make everything according to the pattern revealed to him on the mount (Ex. 25:40; Heb. 8:5).

The earthly tabernacle was a copy of the heavenly tabernacle where our Lord now ministers to and for His people (Heb. 8:1–5; 9:1). The book of Revelation mentions a brazen altar (6:9–11), an altar of incense (8:3–5), a throne (4:2), elders/priests (vv. 4–5), lamps (v. 5), a “sea” (v. 6), and cherubim (vv. 6–7), all of which parallel the main furnishings of the earthly tabernacle. It’s a basic principle of ministry that we follow the pattern given from heaven, not the pattern of this world (Rom. 12:2).

Worship: The Lord Dwells with His