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Exodus 24

1
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 a distance.
2
Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near. The people shall not go up with him.”
3
Moses came and told the people all the LORD’s words, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken will we do.”
4
Moses wrote all the LORD’s words, then rose up early in the morning and built an altar at the base of the mountain, with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5
He sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of cattle to the LORD.
6
Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7
He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “We will do all that the LORD has said, and be obedient.”
8
Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.”
9
Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.
10
They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness.
11
He didn’t lay his hand on the nobles of the children of Israel. They saw God, and ate and drank.
12
The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay here, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commands that I have written, that you may teach them.”
13
Moses rose up with Joshua, his servant, and Moses went up onto God’s Mountain.
14
He said to the elders, “Wait here for us, until we come again to you. Behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever is involved in a dispute can go to them.”
15
Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
16
The LORD’s glory settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. The seventh day he called to Moses out of the middle of the cloud.
17
The appearance of the LORD’s glory was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
18
Moses entered into the middle of the cloud, and went up on the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter describes the formal ratification of the covenant between the LORD and Israel at Mount Sinai, culminating in Moses’ ascent into the divine presence to receive the law. It marks a pivotal moment in Israel’s relationship with God—establishing both the basis of their obedience and the mediatorial role of Moses, while setting the stage for the giving of the law on the tablets.

Flow.

  • God calls Moses, Aaron, his sons, and the elders to worship at a distance, with Moses alone privileged to approach (vv. 1–2).
  • Moses recounts the words and ordinances to the people, who unanimously pledge obedience; he writes them down, builds an altar, and ratifies the covenant with blood (vv. 3–8).
  • Moses and designated leaders ascend the mountain, where they see a vision of God’s majestic presence and share a covenant meal (vv. 9–11).
  • Moses is summoned further up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, enters the cloud, and remains forty days and nights (vv. 12–18).

Connections. Following chapter 23, which contains the "Book of the Covenant" (laws and ordinances given to Moses), chapter 24 enacts that covenant formally through ritual and communal affirmation. The people’s response, “All the LORD has spoken we will do,” confirms their covenant commitment, grounding the relationship established in the preceding laws. This ritual preparation positions Moses to ascend and receive the tablets directly from God, which chapter 25 takes up by detailing the instructions for the tabernacle and worship—now framed by the ratified covenant and divine glory now dwelling visibly on the mountain.

What it teaches. The chapter reveals that covenant relationship with God is established by His initiative, ratified by blood, and requires a mediator. The blood of the sacrifices, sprinkled on both altar and people, signifies atonement and binding obligation under the covenant (WCF 7.5–6; HC LD 15). That God reveals His glory yet does not consume the elders underscores His grace in condescension (Ps. 65:4; WCF 7.1). Moses’ ascent into the cloud, where God’s glory appears as consuming fire, emphasizes God’s holiness and the necessity of mediation (HC LD 3), prefiguring Christ as the ultimate Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5; HC LD 16).

Apply. Trust in the Mediator who has entered God’s presence with His own blood to secure your covenant standing.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.