Exodus 23-24: “The Civil Law Is Given, Part 2 / The Covenant Is Ratified By Sprinkling Of Blood”

By

Jim Bomkamp

Back          Bible Studies                Home Page

1.                  INTRO:

 

1.1.            In our last study, we looked at chapters 21-22 of the book of Exodus.

 

1.1.1.      We saw previously that when the Lord spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the people as the mountain quaked and smoked and the trumpets blasted, that they asked Moses to talk to the Lord from now on, and then tell them what the Lord had said.  Therefore, the rest of the laws of God were spoken from the Lord only to Moses.

 

1.1.2.      We looked at Moses receiving from the Lord that part of the Law of Moses called, the “Civil Laws.”  These were instituted and directly communicated by the Lord to Israel, and we saw first of all that they reveal a morality that is far beyond that of the nations in that day.  We noted that the book of Leviticus includes the “Ceremonial Laws” of the Law of Moses. 

 

1.1.3.      Secondly, we focused on the fact that these “Civil Laws” revealed to us the fairness, goodness, and justice of God.  Likewise, all nations derive to some degree their laws from these laws of the book of Exodus. 

 

1.1.4.      We looked at Psalm 19:7-10 and what it tells us about the quality of God’s law, “7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”

 

1.2.            In our study today, we are going to look at chapters 23-24 of the book of Exodus.

 

1.2.1.      In chapter 23 we will complete looking at the reception of the “Civil Laws” from God.

 

1.2.2.      In chapter 24, we will see that the Lord calls Moses, Nadab and Abihu (the eldest sons of Aaron), and seventy elders of Israel up on the mountain, with Moses alone allowed to come near the Lord.

 

1.2.3.      Next, they will all go down the mountain to the people, and Moses will recount to the people all of the things that the Lord had commanded them.  The people agree to do all of the things which the Law commanded them.

 

1.2.4.      We will then look at the inaugeration of the old covenant which occurred by the sprinkling of blood on the children of Israel.

 

1.2.5.      Moses, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel went back up on the mountain, and the Lord appeared to them in His glory.  In ratifying this covenant, they then ate a meal before the Lord.

 

1.2.6.      Finally, Moses went back up on the mountain with Joshua, leaving Aaron and Hur and the seventy elders in charge over the people, and the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone, and Moses stayed there before the Lord for forty days and nights, without even eating or drinking.

 

1.2.7.      The Teacher’s Commentary writes the following about the Law of Moses:

 

In the Law, Israel had a sharp and clear portrait of the moral character of her God. In the Law, men could see love and righteousness blend, and could understand God’s commitment to do right by all persons. The Law’s revelation of morality also served as a standard by which men could measure themselves. God had announced, “Be holy, because I am holy” (Lev. 11:44). The Law’s careful delineation of holy behavior let people match their deeds to the standards which God presented as right and good.

But when God’s people did measure themselves against the Law, a striking message was heard! The men and women who had experienced redemption from Egypt discovered that they were not holy. Law demonstrated their sin.

The Law, even when first given, did not produce righteousness. Instead it revealed human unrighteousness. Through the Law men had the opportunity to discover their true state; to become conscious of the reality of their sin and need. This role of the Law continues today. It is stressed often in the New Testament. “We know,” says Paul, “that whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the Law; rather, through the Law we become conscious of sin” (Rom. 3:19–20).

Law, then, was never intended to produce righteousness. It was instead designed to help us see our need of forgiveness, and lead us to search out a righteousness that comes through faith.

But this message has often been missed. People come to the Law, but fail to see in it either God’s heart—or their own. They miss the heartbeat of love that the Law reveals, and they treat it as a mere rule book. They treat the divine revelation as though it were a set of do’s and don’ts through which a person might gain God’s favor, and earn His approval.

Isaiah cried out against such a distortion of Law’s message, and against reducing righteousness to rule-keeping. In the Law, Isaiah reminded Israel, God had spoken and had said:

“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and “This is the place of repose”—but they would not listen.

 

2.                 VS 23:1-3  - “1 “You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. 2 “You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute.”  -  The Lord gives us prohibitions against giving false testimony for any reason

 

2.1.         Giving a ‘false report’ is a breaking of the ninth commandment to not bear false witness.

 

2.2.         The Lord tells us that following ‘the masses in doing evil’ is no excuse for it, and wrong.

 

2.3.         The Lord tells that if you bear false witness in order to ‘turn aside after a multitude’ (or to be persuaded by a multitude) in order ‘to pervert justice’ that this is wrong.

 

2.4.         Finally, the Lord tells us that if you are ‘partial to a poor man’ in a dispute and thus bear false witness, that this is wrong as well.

 

3.                 VS 23:4-5  - “4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. 5 “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.”  -  The Lord gives us some requirements concerning looking out for your neighbor and his animals

 

3.1.         The Lord tells us that if our neighbor’s ox or donkey has gotten loose and is wandering away, that you are supposed to return it to him.

 

3.2.         The second requirement of the law here is that if you happen to see your neighbor’s donkey having collapsed under its load, that you shall release it from its load and return it to him.

 

4.                 VS 23:6-9  - “6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. 7 “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty. 8 “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.  9 “You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.” -  The Lord prohibits perverting justice in any way, killing innocent or righteous people, acquitting the guilty, taking a bribe, and oppressing a stranger

 

4.1.         The Lord expressly prohibits the perversion of justice when it comes to any kind of disputes between people.  A false charge or the killing of innocent or righteous people will incur God’s wrath.

 

4.2.         The taking of bribes for any purpose as well as the oppressing of strangers is strictly forbidden by the Lord.  God reminds His people that they used to be strangers in the land of Egypt so that they will have empathy upon strangers.  Israel was meant to be a light to the nations, not the oppressor of the nations.

 

5.                 VS 23:10-11  - “10 “You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, 11 but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.” -  The Lord commands that every seventh year that you could not sow and reap in your field, vineyard or olive grove so that the needy of the people could eat from them

 

5.1.         What is legislated here refers to the “Sabbatical year.”  Every seventh year your field, vineyards and olive groves had to lay at rest.

 

5.2.         This institute allowed for the poor to come and to plant in your field or eat from any free standing grain or vine.

 

6.                 VS 23:12  - “12 “Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves.” -  The Lord commands for a seventh day rest for every person, as well as his ox, donkey, son of his female slave, and a stranger staying with him

 

6.1.         The Lord reminds His people that they are not supposed to do any work on the seventh day of the week, but then He expands this and tells them that their ox and donkey were also to rest on that day, as we as the son of their female slave and the stranger in their house.

 

6.2.         Basically, a man, his family, his slaves, the strangers living in his house, and his animals are supposed to observe a seventh day of rest every weekis people that they are to .

 

7.                 VS 23:13  - “13 “Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.” -  The Lord tells the Israelites to not to even mention the name of other gods

 

7.1.         The Lord tells the Israelis that they are to be on their guard concerning everything in the law that He has told them to do or not to do.

 

7.2.         The Lord tells the Israelites that they are not even to ‘mention the name of other gods’ from their mouths.

 

8.                 VS 23:14-19  - “14 “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 15 “You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. 16 “Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. 18 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor is the fat of My feast to remain overnight until morning. 19 “You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God. “You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.” -  The Lord commands the Israelites that they shall come up to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of the Harvest of the First Fruits, and the Feast of Ingathering

 

8.1.         There were three feasts that the Lord required all Israeli men to attend each year (though many women also attended):

 

8.1.1.  Feast of Unleaven Bread (or the Passover).

8.1.2.  Feast of the Harvest of the First Fruits (or Pentecost).

8.1.3.  Feast of Ingathering (or the Feast of Tabernacles-a reminder of the huts they lived in during their wilderness wanderings).

 

8.2.         The Lord forbids the offering of the blood of the sacrifices with leavened bread, and also the fat of the feast was never to remain overnight until the morning.

 

8.3.         The Lord requires the first fruits of their soil to be given to the Lord.

 

8.4.         The Lord also prohibits the boiling of a young goat in the milk of its mother.

 

8.4.1.  Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. writes in “A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, “A prohibition against imitating the superstitious rites of the idolaters in Egypt, who, at the end of their harvest, seethed a kid in its mother’s milk and sprinkled the broth as a magical charm on their gardens and fields, to render them more productive the following season.”

 

9.                 VS 23:20-23  - “20 “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. 22 “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 “For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.” -  The Lord promises Israel that He is going to send an angel before them to guard them and bring them to the place He has prepared for them, and if they will obey his voice and do all that he says that the Lord will go before them and bring them into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and the Lord will completely destroy those nations

 

9.1.         The word ‘angel’ means “messenger,” and often in the Old Testament the angel of the Lord was a pre-incarnation appearance the Lord Jesus Christ.  It seems implied that this sections of scripture is one of those inferences because it says here of this angel:  ‘My name is in him.’  Plus, the Israelites were required to obey the voice of this angel.

 

9.2.         The Lord promises divine help of the Israelites by the angel of the Lord.  He will be an enemy to their enemies, and He will ‘completely destroy them.’

 

10.            VS 23:24-30  - “24 “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces. 25 “But you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. 26 “There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 “I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 “I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29 “I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 “I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.” -  The Lord tells the Israelites that they shall not worship the gods of the nations in the land of Canaan nor do according to their deeds, and that the Lord will bless their bread and water and remove sickness from their midst, and also drive out the nations with hornets

 

10.1.    It is important for us to keep in mind that at this point in time the Lord was doing something very unusual.  He was in the process of making a covenant between Himself and a nation.  Only once has the Lord ever done this, and even then it was done only so that He could send His Son, Jesus Christ, to come and be born a virgin and live as an Israelite, and then one day grow up and suffer and die upon a cross so that He could be sin sacrifice for mankind enabling mankind to come into personal relationship with the Lord through the atoning work of His blood.  In doing this He was fulfilling the Abrahammic Covenant of bringing blessing to all peoples.  In doing this, it would be essential that the nation drive out or destroy all of the pagan nations within the land of Canaan that the Lord was giving to them.  If they did not destroy these nations then they would be caught up in the pagan practices of those nations and thus Jesus Christ could not have the heritage that He needed to fulfill His mission and purpose.  The Lord did not lead the nation of Israel to destroy any other peoples than those who lived in the land of Canaan, and He would never require this sort of a thing again.

 

10.2.    The Lord gives the children of Israel several commandments dealing with how they were to deal with the gods of the nations in the land of Canaan they were going in to inherit:

 

10.2.1.They were not to worship those gods or serve them.

 

10.2.2.They were not to do according to the deeds of those pagan peoples.

 

10.2.3.They were to ‘utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.’

 

10.2.4.They were to serve the Lord God alone.

 

10.3.    If they will do these things regarding those nations and their gods, this is what the Lord promises He will do for the Israelites:

 

10.3.1.No one will be miscarrying or barren.

 

10.3.2.Longevity (‘I will fulfill the number of your days.’).

 

10.3.3.‘Send My terror ahead of you.’

 

10.3.4.‘Throw into confusion all the people among whom you come.’

 

10.3.5.‘Make all your enemies turn their backs to you.’

 

10.3.6.‘Send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you’ (‘little by little’). 

 

11.            VS 23:31-33  - “31 “I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. 32 “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33 “They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”” -  The Lord tells the Israelites that He will fix their boundary from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, that He will deliver the nations into their hands so that they might drive them out before them, and then shall make no covenant with the nations nor allow them to live in their land

 

11.1.    The Lord tells the Israelites that if they will be committed to utterly destroy the pagan nations in the land of Canaan, along with their pagan worship and gods, that He will fix the boundary of the nation ‘from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines’ (or Mediterranean), that the Lord will ‘deliver the inhabitants of the land’ into their hand.

 

11.2.    The Lord tells the Israelites that they were to ‘make no covenant with them or with their gods.’ 

 

11.3.    The reason why those nations were to be utterly destroyed, along with their pagan gods and worship, is because if those were allowed to live that ‘they will make you sin against’ the Lord, and ‘be a snare to’ them.

 

12.            VS 24:1-2  - “1 Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. 2 “Moses alone, however, shall come near to the Lord, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.”” -  The Lord tells Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders to come up to the mountain with him to worship, but only Moses was to come up near to the Lord

 

12.1.    The Lord determines that though Nadab and Abihu and the seventy elders were to come up to the mountain to worship, that only Moses was to ‘come near’ to the Lord.

 

12.2.    The Lord tells Moses, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders to ‘come up to the Lord,’ and this symbolizes the fact that man cannot come into the Lord’s presence unless he come by invitation of the Lord and according to His proscribed means.

 

12.3.    Moses alone was called to come up near to the Lord, and he alone will go up into the cloud to be with the Lord alone, and the reason why the Lord chose just Moses for this is because the Lord had chosen him to be the mediator between man and God, just in typological form as the Lord Jesus Christ is the one mediator between man and God:   1 Timothy 2:5:  “5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

 

13.            VS 24:3  - “3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!”” -  Moses told the children of Israel all of the words of the Lord’s ordinances and the people with one voice told him that they would do all of the words which the Lord had spoken

 

13.1.    When Moses recounts to the people all of the words that the Lord had spoken to him in the Civil Laws (they had already had the Lord speak the Ten Commandments directly to them), they ‘with one voice’ tell him that they will obey ‘all the words which the Lord has spoken.’

 

13.2.    They didn’t realize as of yet just how hard it would be to keep the Laws of the Lord.

 

14.            VS 24:4-6  - “4 Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.” -  Moses wrote down all of the words of the Lord, and then arose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain for the twelve tribes of Israel, and he sent men of the sons of Israel and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord, and Moses took half of the blood and put in basins and the other half he sprinkled on the altar

 

14.1.    Moses writes down ‘all the words of the Lord’ which He has spoken in the law so that he and the children of Israel can be sure to obey them.

 

14.2.    Early the next morning, Moses ‘built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.’  Then, Moses had some young men offer ‘burnt offerings’ and also sacrifice some ‘young bulls’ as peace offerings to the Lord.

 

14.3.    Half of the blood from the offerings was sprinkled on the altar then.

 

15.            VS 24:7-8  - “7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” 8 So 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 in accordance with all these words.”” -  Moses read the book of the covenant to the people and they vowed again to do all that the Lord had commanded, then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people telling them that it was the ‘blood of the covenant’ which the Lord had made with them

 

15.1.    Moses now sprinkled the rest of the blood on the ‘book of the covenant’ of the law which he had previously written, and on the people themselves.

 

15.2.    Some believe that Moses didn’t sprinkle the blood on the people directly but on each of the twelve stones and thus on the people.

 

15.3.    Moses’ words are interesting here because they are recalled by Jesus in His Last Supper observance of the Passover Feast with His disciples:  ‘Behold the blood of the covenant’ which the Lord was making with them.  We read Jesus words on that night in Luke 22:20:  “20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”  Jesus’ words were commented upon in 1 Corinthians 11:25-26: “25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

 

15.4.    Surely, the sprinkling of this blood in order to make this covenant must have impressed the Israelites of the fact that there must be an atoning sacrifice and the shedding of blood in order for a person and his/her worship to be accepted by the Lord.  A person’s works alone cannot qualify him to be accepted into God’s presence, it must be by God’s grace and there must be an acceptable substitute sacrifice made for him, in order for him to be accepted by God.  Hebrews 9:15-28 tells us that covenants are ratified by the death of the one who made it, and by blood:  “15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

 

15.5.    The Bible Knowledge Commentary has written the following about what was happening between the Lord and Israel now that this covenant was inaugurated:

 

The Mosaic Covenant had been confirmed (24:1-11) and Israel was then a theocracy, a government or commonwealth under God. Having been redeemed from bondage by God and now in a covenant under His laws, God’s people were then enlightened as to the proper way to worship Him. So Moses was called into God’s presence to receive the Decalogue in stone along with other commands (24:12) and he returned 40 days later (31:18; 34:28). In that period of time God communicated to Moses the form of Israel’s worship. The tabernacle was to become the focus of Israel’s worship of God. This lengthy section (24:12-31:18) deals with ordinances pertaining to the sanctuary and priestly ministry—ceremonial laws that undergirded the covenant.

 

16.            VS 24:9-11  - “9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. 11 Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.” -  Moses went with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel and under His feet their appeared to be a pavement of sapphire as clear as the sky itself, and they ate and drank

 

16.1.    This scene has been called “the Old Testament Mount of Transfiguration” because in no other place in the Old Testament is the Lord revealed to His people in His glory as here on the mountain on this day.

 

16.2.    It is interesting that this is yet another instance in the scripture where God’s people saw the Lord and yet lived to tell about it.  However, the Lord’s appearance is evidently so awesome that everyone’s eyes glanced down such that Moses only describes His feet and below. 

 

16.3.    Sapphires are very expensive previous gems and are a sky-blue or light azure color.  They see the Lord’s feet under ‘a pavement of sapphire’ that is ‘clear as the sky.’

 

16.4.    Covenants were often enacted by having a meal with the one you were covenanting with, and here Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel eat a meal a drink there before the Lord.

 

16.5.    This meal eaten by Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel before the Lord in His glory is a picture of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  When the Lord returns for the church, the church will come before Him in His glory and eat a meal together.  This will most likely occur after the rapture of the church and during the 7 year Tribulation of the book of Revelation.

 

17.            VS 24:12-23  - “12 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.” 15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17 And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. 18 Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” -  The Lord called Moses to come up on the mountain and He would give to him stone tablets with the law and the commandment which He had given to them, and Moses took Joshua up with him and left the rest of the leaders with the people at the bottom of the mountain, and Moses was upon on the mountain for forty days and nights while the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top

 

17.1.    The Lord tells Moses here that He wants him to come up on the mountain for an extended period of time.

 

17.2.    The Lord tells Moses that He will give to him on the mountain ‘stone tablets with the law and the commandment’ which He had written for their instruction

 

17.3.    Moses took Joshua this time and left behind the seventy elders along with Aaron and Hur, to oversee the children of Israel and be judges for them.

 

17.4.    The cloud and the glory of God ‘covered the mountain.’  The, ‘on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.’ Then, Moses ‘entered the midst of the cloud’ and ‘went up to the mountain.’ 

 

17.5.    In Deuteronomy 9:9, Moses writes about how the Lord miraculously sustained him up on Mt. Sinai for these forty days and nights it states that he did not eat or drink water:  “9 When I went up to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord had made with you, then I remained on the mountain forty days and nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water.”

 

17.6.    The children of Israel saw the mountain at this time as being ‘like a consuming fire.’

 

17.7.    The number 40 symbolizes completion of testing or a trial.  It rained on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights before the flood.  Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness being tested before God called him to deliver Israel.  Moses was up on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights receiving the laws of God and in a sense being tested.  Because of their rebellion, the children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness being tested before God allowed them to go into the land of Canaan.  Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights being tested before He began His ministry.

 

18.            CONCLUSION:

 

18.1.    As we mentioned in our last study, when we realize the goodness, holiness, fairness, and righteousness of the Lord as revealed in His law, then we know that He knows our human condition and always what will be best for our lives.  We know that we can trust him with our lives and that what He desires for our lives is always the very best that could happen to us. 

 

18.2.    We ought to rejoice in the Lord and the blood of the new covenant that the Lord has made with us.  His blood is the atonement (covering) for our sins, and through His blood we are brought directly in His presence and are accepted by Him, the righteousness of Jesus Christ applied to our life.

               

Back          Bible Studies                Home Page