The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon "Confirming the Covenant."
The fact that God is a personal God is reflected in two particulars: his involvement in our daily lives and his care for us. Put differently, God’s presence in our lives and provision for our needs are together powerful evidence that he gets personal. Both his presence and his provision are evident in the ratification of the covenant mediated by Moses. The confirmation of that covenant is described in Exodus 24:1-11.
God’s provision of what the Israelites needed is evident in the giving of the Mosaic Covenant. The book of Genesis records God’s promise to Abraham to make him into a great nation (12:2). By the time the book ends, his descendants through Isaac and Jacob number just seventy (Ge 46:27; cf. Ex 1:5)—hardly enough to call a nation. So, a family goes down into Egypt (Ge 47), but four hundred years later a nascent nation comes up out of Egypt (Ex 14), exactly as God had said (Ge 15:16). Nascent because the emancipated Israelites required two additional things before becoming a nation—law and land. Can a nation even exist without law to found it and without law to govern it? Hardly, so God gives the Israelites law, namely, the Mosaic Covenant, including the Decalogue (Ex 20:1-21), the Book of the Covenant (20:22-23:33), and the ceremonial regulations, pertaining to worship (Lev 1-27)—all of which are destined to become the law of the land. Serving as the nation’s constitution, the covenant is the source of Israel’s criminal and civil, regulatory and religious statutes. Every aspect of the life in Israel is governed by the terms of the law given to Moses—even much later during the monarchy, kings are to be keepers of the covenant. After giving them law, forty years later, the Lord then gives them land, namely, the promised land of Canaan (Jos 1-21).
God’s presence in their lives is evident in the confirmation of the covenant. He speaks directly to Moses and to the other seventy-three people he invites to approach him. And while “Moses alone is to approach the Lord” (v. 2) whereas the others are to “worship at a distance” (v. 1), the Lord is still present with them all. The next day, Moses builds an altar, representing the Lord, and across from it—face to face, as it were—he sets up twelve stone pillars, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. All of this is in preparation for the offering of sacrifices, the blood of which will be used in the ratification of the covenant to identify the parties involved and the meat of which will be used in the fellowship meal to follow, celebrating the parties new relationship. The Lord consumes the burnt offering entirely and shares the meat of the fellowship offering around the table with his guests. On the significance of such a meal, on commentator writes: “Seventy-four people ascended Mount Sinai to represent all Israel in the covenant meal (see comments on vv. 1-2), a special eating ceremony between parties to the covenant without which the covenant would not have been understood to make them allies/friends/kin. In the ancient world (and many places in the modern world) people would not eat together if they were not somehow allies or family. Eating was understood to convey acceptance, to declare approval of those with whom one dined . . . so eating a formal meal with others was understood to demonstrate mutual agreement, cooperation, acceptance, and respect” (Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus, vol. 2, NAC, 555-56). Apparently, the seventy-four see “the God of Israel” (vv. 9-10) while participating in the fellowship meal. One would expect a personal encounter of this sort to result in death, but in this case “God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank” (v. 11). Theirs was a unique experience of God’s presence. They ate and drank with him!
As New Testament Christians, our relationship to God is defined in terms of the New Covenant. Verse 8 mentions “the blood of the covenant,” referring to the blood of the animals sacrificed in connection with the ratification of the Old Covenant. Note that the same expression appears on the lips of our Lord in connection with the Lord’s Supper. He tells his disciples: “This is my blood of the covenant” (Mk 14:24; Mt 26:28; cf. Lk 22:20). He speaks these words in anticipation of his crucifixion. One commentator writes: “Christ Himself would be, on the cross, not only the mediator of a covenant (like Moses), but also the sacrifice that initiated that covenant” (R. Alan Cole, Exodus, TOTC, 186, italics added). And as often as we eat at the Lord’s table, we remember our New Covenant relationship to God—ratified by Christ through his death and marked by the Holy Spirit’s presence in us—until our Savior returns.
Central Message of the Text
The Old Covenant, mediated by Moses, was ratified by the blood of animals, whereas the New better Covenant, mediated by Christ, was ratified by his own blood shed on the cross.
Family Talk
Preparation is key, as any leader (or parent) will tell you. My family would say I border on over-preparing, but I know if I don't plan ahead, things won’t happen. We prepare for the week by planning our meals and calendars. We prepare for the next day at school by packing lunches and backpacks and ensuring a good nights’ sleep. I plan grocery store trips around nap time, snack availability, and the barometric pressure (just kidding!). We prepare for a date night by getting a babysitter and getting dressed up. I spend a lot of my time getting ready for something! But how much time do I spend preparing to meet with God? Too often, my time with God during the week is an afterthought instead of an anticipated event. That doesn’t mean those moments aren’t precious, but my anticipation and preparation usually don’t match the value of that time. How do we prepare our families to meet with God, specifically on Sunday mornings? Fortunately, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we don’t have to prepare like the Israelites did (imagine if blood sprinkling was part of our Sunday morning routine!), but that doesn’t mean we should approach God’s presence casually. It is good in God’s presence and a privilege to be there, so spend a few extra minutes in preparation with your families for Sunday morning this week. Build anticipation and excitement for the fellowship that we enjoy with our Savior and other believers. And remember that our amazing worship services are only shadows of what we will enjoy when we fully enter the presence of God in Heaven!