Exodus 24
Exodus 24:1-18 (NLT)
1 Then the LORD instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance.
2 Only Moses is allowed to come near to the LORD. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”
3 Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the LORD had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded.”
4 Then Moses carefully wrote down all the LORD’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.
6 Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.
7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded. We will obey.”
8 Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the LORD has made with you in giving you these instructions.”
9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain.
10 There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself.
11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.”
13 So Moses and his assistant Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.
14 Moses told the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come back. Aaron and Hur are here with you. If anyone has a dispute while I am gone, consult with them.”
15 Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it.
16 And the glory of the LORD settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from inside the cloud.
17 To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the LORD appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.
18 Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
In the initial movements, when God began to impart His will and direction to His people, there was a great deal of excitement and a willingness to comply with everything He required. They had already experienced His incredible power in demonstration with the plagues and deliverance at the sea, but now the glory of His very presence would occupy the mountain. Emphasis on the danger of looking on Him unworthily caused them to respond with loud declarations of their intention to do everything He commanded. They seemed to be in full compliance with the purpose of this encounter. However, there was no preparation for just how long this would take. It would be far more than the events of former visitations. Moses’ leaders and elders were privileged to ascend the mountain somewhat, where they fellowshiped in that Presence around a meal with no ramifications. Then, though, there was day after passing day of Moses’ ascension to the mountain top, where they had no assurance that he was even alive anymore. Each day of separation from that first day of expectation was a lessening of excitement and intensity of commitment to whatever God was imparting to them through their leader. That they were not personally knowing the wonder of His presence caused their belief in and honor of it to wane to the point of disregard and complete abandonment of once bold declarations of compliance.
To be a part of the many who join in celebrated excitement over God’s movements doesn’t guarantee participation in their true purpose and mission. The danger for them was being separated from the place where the glory dwelt. Left to their own wondering thoughts, there was inevitably diminished concern for honoring Him as their only God. By His grace and mercy, He has dealt with this issue with the blood of Jesus. The veil has been rent, and a privileged seat has been prepared right at His side for everyone who will ascend there with boldness and confidence. Depending on someone else for this allows each passing moment to bring separation not only from the glory, but also from any belief or commitment that once seemed so authentic. How necessary it is to make the throne a personal destination and residence for every subsequent day from that initial moment of excitement. Way beyond that first moment is a reception of direction and revelation only imparted through extended exposure.