Exodus 24:9-18
~15 min read
💭 Consider this: Are you getting closer and closer to God every day? Why or why not? What does your ability to respond to God’s invitation reveal about His character?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 24:9–18. At the beginning of this chapter, we learn about God calling out to the children of Israel to come for worship. Like most typical worships, there was the hearing of God's word, and they promised to obey. But their obedience could never be perfect, so God provided the atonement for their sins through the blood of the animal that was shed. Once their sins were washed away by the blood, they could then draw near to God. At every step of the way, it was God who initiated the invitation. It was Him who called the people to come for worship. From issuing the call for worship to speaking to them through His word, to the provision of atonement for their sins, it was God who initiated the invitation.
Dear friend, if God did not invite you and me to come to Him for salvation, we would still be wandering in the wilderness of sin, is it not true? Today we are able to worship God, to call out to Him in prayers, to render our voices to praise Him, and to serve Him. It is all because He has made it possible through invitation.
Here in this passage, we want to learn how the children of Israel responded to God's invitation and the things they have experienced. The title of our message is "Responding to God's Invitation."
I. They Saw God
Our first point is: They Saw God. Let us begin with verse 9-11 of Exodus chapter 24: “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles” - referring to the leaders - “of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink” (Exodus 24:9–11).
Moses represented the prophets. Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu belonged to the tribe of Levi and were called to be priests; they represented the priests. The seventy elders represented the children of Israel. So here, we see all the people were involved in the worship, and the Bible tells us they saw the God of Israel.
Now, this passage poses certain problems for Bible scholars because no one can see God and live, as later on in Exodus 33:20 the Bible will tell us. So how could they see God and not die? Basically there are several views in regards to this issue.
The first view is that this ‘seeing God’ was only an intellectual perception, not a real perceiving with the eyes. But this cannot be true because twice in this passage we are told they saw God and the original Hebrew word for "saw" was not the usual word for ‘to see’; it was a stronger and more intense term, which means ‘to fix their gaze.’
The second view is that they were able to see God and not die because verse 11 says ‘God laid not his hand on them,’ which means God knew they would die if they saw Him under normal circumstances. That was why He withheld His divine hand of judgment and did not strike them dead.
The third view is that they saw God, as in they saw only His glory. In other words, they did not even dare to lift up their eyes to look at God. They fell on their faces and they could only see His feet. They could only describe what was on the floor, as verse 10 tells us: "And there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." A sapphire is a brilliant blue stone that usually is not transparent, but on this occasion, it was as clear as the blue sky. That is the meaning of "as it were the body of heaven in his clearness."
The fourth view is that what they saw was a theophany. A theophany is the appearance of God in human form, which means they saw the second person in the triune God, the Lord Jesus Christ. That was why Moses did not use the usual name ‘Lord’ or ‘Jehovah,’ which would refer to the Father, but he simply used the name ‘God’ or ‘Elohim.’
I think, apart from view number one, all the other views are possible, and we do not need to be dogmatic about it.
Now, since they saw God, there are also these speculations as to what God looks like, but the Bible is silent. Nowhere in the scriptures does it reveal to us what God looks like, and so we should not speculate, because it is not God's will for us to do that. Do you realise that people like to speculate what God looks like, which is the reason why people worship idols? An idol is a representation of the god they worship. It symbolises the god, how he looks like.
It could be the statue of a man that is supposed to be Jesus. No one knows what Christ looks like, and yet man still wants to represent Him with an image. Each time the idol worshipper looks at the statue, the image will be embedded in his mind, and whenever he prays or worships, he will be thinking of that false image. In reality, he is worshipping a false god and it is so difficult to remove that false image from his mind. That is what Satan wants to do — to deceive people into worshipping a false god.
God does not want us to misrepresent Him with anything. Nothing in this world can ever represent our Almighty God. He wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. So He has given to us this command: ‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.’
The Canaanites and Egyptians were always making images of god to look at, and they reduced Him to the form of human beings and animals. Sadly, in a few days’ time or a few weeks’ time, the children of Israel would do exactly the same thing, and they would build this golden calf to represent God. They were not satisfied with the glory they saw on that mountain. They wanted to have a god they could touch with their hands and see with their eyes. They wanted to see God right away.
Are there such people today? Most certainly. There are some people who say, ‘If only I could see God, then I would believe Him.’ But they have it backwards. God has revealed enough of Himself in His word and in His creation for man to know Him and love Him. The gift of seeing God spiritually has to be by faith. To all those people who say, ‘I have to see it to believe it,’ God says, ‘You will not see it unless you believe. If you believe, then you will see.’
So Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders were called to worship God. They heard the word, their sins were atoned for through the blood of the covenant, and then they were brought into God's presence where they could gaze upon His glory. It was a foretaste of heaven.
This is also a picture of our salvation. There was a time when you and I were separated from God because of our sins. Like the Israelites, we were law-breakers. But God has accepted the atonement for our sins through the death and blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. By faith, we believed and after we were saved, we were welcomed into His presence, and we could see God through His word. Each time we read the Bible, we see our Almighty God. We could see God through His creation. We marvel at the things that God has created. We could see God as we interpret the different circumstances of life. We know that nothing happens by chance nor coincidence, and we see the hand of God working at every step of the way. One day, the longing of our hearts to see God will be fully satisfied, and we will see Him face to face. That day will come.
II. They Communed With God
Our second point is: They Communed with God. Look at the second part of verse 11: And they “did eat and drink.” The Bible does not tell us what they ate and drank. Most likely, they ate what was left of the fellowship offerings that they had sacrificed to the Lord in verse 5. But whatever they ate and drank, the sharing of food and drink symbolises their communion with God.
Oftentimes, the Bible describes our relationship with God in terms of sharing a meal. King David said, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies" (Psalm 23:5). When we commune with God, our hearts are at peace, even though we may be surrounded by enemies, adversities, and afflictions. The prophet Isaiah said that one day the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast or banquet for people from every nation to sit at His table (Isaiah 25:6).
In the New Testament, Jesus described His kingdom in terms of eating and drinking. Jesus said, "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 8:11). In other words, the invitation to join in the feast is not only for the Jews, but for the people all over the world. That was why, when the Jews refused to accept the gospel of salvation, Jesus said, ‘Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as you shall find, bid them, call them, to come for the marriage feast’ (Matthew 22:9), referring to the Gentiles. In other words, only those who are saved will come to feast with God, will come to join in the banquet, and they will commune with God.
Our Almighty God is always handing out invitations to come to His feast. Every time the gospel is preached, people are invited to eat and drink with God. One day, God will host the last and longest banquet of all, which Revelation 19:9 says is "the marriage supper of the Lamb" in heaven, and that will be a feast for all the believers throughout all ages.
Dear friend, every time we receive a wedding invitation, there is an RSVP, which in French means ‘please respond.’ The couple who invites us wants us to respond whether we will come or not. Likewise, God wants us to respond, and the only way to respond is to believe in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for salvation. Have you responded to God's invitation? If you have, then one day you will sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven that will never end. You will commune with God forever and ever.
III. Moses Entered Into God’s Glory
Our third and final point is: Moses entered into God's glory. Look at verse 12: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them." (Exodus 24:12). After the people had finished eating and drinking, God invited Moses alone to come closer, to go up the mountain. The purpose was to give him the Ten Commandments, which were written on stone tablets. According to Deuteronomy 4:13, they were written on two stone tablets. These were the same tablets that Moses angrily dashed to the ground when he saw the Israelites dancing around the golden calf. Later on, the Ten Commandments were rewritten; we will come to that in Exodus chapter 34.
By the way, there are some liberal scholars who say that the Mosaic Law was collected from the wisdom of the ancient world. That is not true, because notice: God said, "which I have written" (Exodus 24:12). These commandments that Moses received came directly from God Himself. If these commandments were just words of man's wisdom, then you and I have the liberty to obey or not to obey. If these commandments were the words of God, then we must obey, period. There is no ‘and,’ ‘if,’ or ‘but.’ We must obey.
Verse 13: "And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God." (Exodus 24:13). Joshua would be the next leader after Moses, and here he was serving Moses, as in learning valuable lessons in the ministry. This was God's pattern for developing spiritual leadership. We learn to lead by observing and serving alongside someone else.
By way of testimony, before I was ordained as a pastor, I had to study Pastor Steven Khoo. He taught me how to minister, what to say, what not to say, how to conduct the Lord's Supper, the holy matrimony, funeral services, baptism, and so forth. We may be able to learn the theories of all these spiritual activities, but to be effective, to understand the practical aspects of it, we have to observe and learn by coming alongside someone else.
This principle also applies to all the preachers, elders, deacons, fellowship leaders, and Sunday school teachers. We have to train those people who are called to serve by taking them under our wings, like Moses did to Joshua, teaching them how to lead and how to serve by our lives. This is God's pattern for developing spiritual leadership.
Verse 14: "And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them." (Exodus 24:14). It is the duty of the leader to delegate responsibilities to others in his absence when he's not around. In case there are disagreements and difficulties, the people need to know who is in charge, and the people in charge have to be faithful and trustworthy. With this in mind, Moses appointed his brother Aaron and Hur to be the leaders. At that time, it seemed to be a good choice because, after all, these men had helped to defeat the Amalekites. Remember how they lifted Moses' hands during the battle? You can read about that in Exodus chapter 17. So, Moses thought that was a good choice, or so he thought. Unfortunately, when he came down from the mountain after 40 days, he realised that with Aaron and Hur as the leaders, the people had built the golden calf. How sad!
What can we learn from here? Humanly speaking, we can only do so much. We can only make sure that the ministry is passed on to people whom we know are faithful and trustworthy, but there is no guarantee. We cannot see the heart, nor can we tell the future. Sometimes people may pretend to be faithful, or they may change along the way. Initially, they may be faithful, but along the way, they may go astray. However, we have to play our part in making sure that things are done right, and then entrust the whole matter into God's hands. The Church, the ministries, the fellowship groups—they all belong to God. Only God alone is in control of all things.
Verse 15: "And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount." (Exodus 24:15). At this point, the Bible did not mention Joshua, so only Moses alone went up the mountain. Verse 16: "And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud." (Exodus 24:16). "And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel." (Exodus 24:17). You can imagine what an amazing picture it was, looking from the foot of the mountain. The children of Israel saw the glory of God like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.
And where was Moses? He was not standing at a distance, looking at God's cloud of glory. He was right there. In fact, he entered into the midst of the cloud of glory, as verse 18 tells us: "And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount:” - which means he ascended unto the summit of the mountain, to the top of the mountain - “and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights." (Exodus 24:18).
Let us pause for a moment and consider the life of Moses. Moses had been getting closer and closer to God ever since he met God at the burning bush. He had seen the glory of God revealed in the burning bush, in the ten plagues, in the opening of the Red Sea, in sending manna from heaven, and water from the rock, in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. And now, he was given the privilege to enter into God's cloud of glory, and there he communed with God for 40 days and 40 nights.
Allow me to quote one theologian who said this: ‘This entering into God's cloud of glory and communing with Him for 40 days and 40 nights is but a glimpse of heaven. As the believer lives his life, he draws closer and closer to God. He sees more and more of God's glory, until finally he enters into His glory and communes with Him forever and ever.’
Dear friend, that is also a picture of us as believers. God has come to us in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who was sent to be our Saviour. Jesus came down from heaven and revealed the glory of God, as John 1:14 says: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Our spiritual eyes are opened; we were saved by grace and through faith, and from then onwards, as we live our days on this earth, as we commune with our Almighty God, we are getting closer and closer to Him. We see His power and glory manifested through our lives as He uses us to bring people to salvation, as we face the trials of life with His strength, as we experience His hand of provision and protection, as we receive His blessings and comfort. Our life is all about God's glory. We are saved for His glory, and we manifest His glory through our lives.
One day, our Lord Jesus will come in the clouds for each and every one of us. When we are still alive, we will be raptured to meet Him. If we have died, our bodies will be raised from our graves to be united with our souls in a glorified body. We will enter into His glory and commune with Him, not only for 40 days and 40 nights but forever and ever.
Dear friend, our lives begins with God's glory and ends with His glory. Have you responded to God's invitation to come to Him? Have you seen God with your spiritual eyes? Have you been communing with Him? Are you getting closer and closer to God, eagerly waiting for the day to come when you will enter into His glory?
I pray that all of us, our lives, will be like this: we saw Him, we communed with Him, and we have entered into His glory. One day, we will be fully satisfied because we will be in His glory forever and ever.
Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, indeed, as we consider this portion of Scripture, there are so many wonderful lessons we can learn. At every step of the way in our salvation, Thou art the one who initiates the invitation. If Thou hast not called us and invited us to come to Thee for salvation, none of us would be saved. We would still be wandering in the wilderness of sin and die a terrible death, condemned forever and ever. But in Thy great mercy, Thou hast called us, and Thou hast sent Thy only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to save us through His atoning death and the shedding of His precious blood on the Cross. We are saved.
And as we live our days on this earth, our spiritual eyes are opened, and we see Thee so clearly in Thy Word, in Thy creation, and in the way we interpret the different circumstances of life. Truly, at every step of the way, Thou art working in each and every one of our lives. And as we commune with Thee, as we draw closer and closer to Thee, we eagerly wait for the day when we will enter into Thy glory and commune with Thee forever and ever.
Oh Lord, we eagerly wait for this day. Some of us are in our evening years; perhaps our days on this earth are numbered. But we are not fearful. Instead, we are excited because death will usher us into Thy glorious presence, and then we will be with Thee forever. That is the desire of our hearts, and we pray that all of us will live our lives to draw closer and closer to Thee. We give Thee thanks, and we pray all this in Jesus' name.Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
