In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Welcome back to Purify the Heart. This is Pastor Zachary Courie. In Exodus 23, we heard more laws from the Lord on dealing justly, directions for worship, and the Lord’s assurance of the conquest of the Promised Land. In Exodus 24, the Sinaitic covenant between the Lord and the Israelites is confirmed with blood upon their vowing to do all that the Lord has commanded. Here we go!
Exodus 24
24 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”
3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 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 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”
15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24:1–18, ESV)
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
When the Lord calls Moses with Aaron and his sons, and seventy of the elders of Israel, up into the mountain, only Moses may come near the Lord. Moses is like a son to the Lord, and the others can only be close to the Lord by being close to Moses. What Moses says is what the Lord says, because He is the Prophet, or mouthpiece, of God. This first and foremost points us to Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, in whom the Father abides, and with whom the Father is One. Whoever is close to Christ is close to the Father. The closeness of Christ then points us to all of Christ’s ordained ministers, starting with the Prophets and the Apostles, and then to all pastors who faithfully preach the Gospel and rightly administer the Sacraments. To be close to them is to be close to the Lord. What does that closeness look like? Receiving Christ from them in the way He’s promised to give Himself through them: in the ministry of Word & Sacraments. Just as the Israelites receiving from Moses meant receiving from the Lord, so also all people today who receive from faithful pastors are receiving from Christ, in His stead and by His command.
Also in our text, we see the Mosaic covenant being ratified. This covenant is what’s known as a “bilateral covenant”. In other words, it’s a two-way street. The Lord has His part to do by distributing blessings and curses in accord with the law, and the people’s part is obedience. Both parties of the covenant have something to do. But it’s imperative to understand that these same people are already under another covenant at this time, and that is the Abrahamic covenant. That covenant was a unilateral covenant. In other words, the Lord made promises of what He would do for the other party, and the other party does nothing but receive the work of the Lord. That covenant was established with Abraham and passed on to all the households of future generations by all the males being circumcised to ensure they were rightful heirs of that covenant.
Listen to St. Paul explain these ideas and their connection to Christ in Galatians 3:10-29:
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:10–29, ESV)
Let us pray. Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment, You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Thanks for joining me to Purify the Heart! Tomorrow, in Exodus 25, we begin to hear the instructions that the Lord gives to Moses on the top of the mountain regarding the construction and contents of the tabernacle. Until then, grace be with you. Amen.
