Romans 8 declares us to be victors in Christ. In all we do, we must trust in HIS word to bring us through the trials and tribulations before us.
We should declare as the people declared on Exodus 24:7b
and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
Our declaration should be attached to good works in HIS name, Ephesians 2:10.
I am writing this during the December 2023 Christmas season. May we all endeavor to worship the LORD JESUS CHRIST in all HIS glory and splendor. GOD to shine HIS glorious face on all who call on HIM in truth and in spirit.
GOD is praised when we carry out HIS full counsel.
Merry Christmas everyone and have a prosperous New Year in CHRIST Name.
Wow , thank you Earl , I shall be reading Revelation soon and I shall keep your comments in mind when I do . I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't received many answers to my question . I know it's a tough one but I would love to hear people's opinions , I hope that we are not scared of saying what we think in case we make fools of ourselves . I was a bit nervous about putting my ideas out there in case people thought I was stupid/ crazy but I'm glad I took a chance , if I hadn't done so I wouldn't have got your interesting response , thanks again , I guess we are the brave ones !
Agreed. When I post on my Bible reading (no in Exodus) I am not proposing that what I write is necessarily correct interpretation nor am I not open for correction and elaboration from others. As you said, some of it comes down to simply opinion or understanding with my limited knowledge or lack of training in the original languages or customs of the Biblical time periods.
So, I don't mind at all if someone 'calls me out" on what I write. I am simply going through the chapter, paraphrasing what I am understanding, and trying to convey connections I discover between the chapter under review and other portions of Scripture and doctrine that I know. So, feel free to interject anytime. I am so fallible! And I guess, I don't feel inhibited about sharing this way. Others may not be so open as I am. But I feel if I do not share my ideas with other believers, I will not be in a place to be corrected or instructed by someone who knows much more than myself.
Have a good evening, David, thank you for "chiming in".
Gig Thanks for clarification when the scripture is worked too many times it's from the readers point of view and not what God mean't which is challenging given the
Languages and customs it was translated from. One of the most challenging
Fields to me is understanding the bible is an eastern book a lot written viewed from an eastern mind.
I can see your point here. My point was that this sealing of the covenant is similar in pattern and shadow to the sealing of the New Covenant with the blood of Jesus. I don't believe I said that the animal blood equated to Jesus' blood. I did not mean that. I was just commenting that the blood was sprinkled on the altar unto YHWH to seal the covenant from His end and on the people for the sealing of the covenant from their end. But if you took it another way, I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I know that it is only the blood of Jesus that propitiates any sins, not animal blood. It is the sacrifice of Jesus that brings forgiveness of sins, not the sacrifice of animals.
Exodus 24 continued. So, it seems that this pavement would be made of all the primary colors that would together make all the colors of the rainbow. It was clear and transparent, without blurring, flaw, or imperfection. How awesome that would be to behold! I wonder how it affected Aaron, his sons, and the 70 elders? I also wonder if the people below saw any of this.
It says "But YHWH did not lay His hand on these nobles (elders)". I think this means that He didn't slay or harm them for seeing this manifestation of Himself because he chose to reveal Himself this way, knowing what man can take of His glory and not be consumed. During this visitation of YHWH, the 74 ate and drank with God. Not that God ate and drank, but that the 74 had a ceremonial meal for the sealing of the covenant. The blood sprinkled on the altar symbolized God's oath and the sprinkled blood on the people symbolized the Israelites' oath concerning this new covenant.
Next, YHHW calls Moses and Joshua up further on the mountain to the cloud that surrounded the top of the mountain. I like how God said, Come up to me on the mountain. He says He will give Moses tablets of stone that have the law and commandments that God Himself had written on the stone tablets. Moses is instructed to teach these to the people. Moses told the elders, Aaron and Aaron's sons to stay where they are and be regents (leaders and judges in Moses' stead for the Israelites.
The glory of the YHWH rested upon Mt. Sinai, covering the mountain for six days. Perhaps Moses went up the mountain on the first day of the week and on the seventh day (the Sabbath) YHWH to Moses out of the cloud.
It says that the sight of the glory of God was like a consuming fire for the Israelites below. Moses went into the cloud and was there for 40 days and 40 nights with YHWH.
Thus ends this chapter, leaving us in suspense! These people experience so many amazing things with YHWH. Surely this experience would be life changing!, But we shall see.
I guess I had never thought of the blood of Jesus going two ways like this. After Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar He read the covenant that he had written down to the Israelites. Again, the Israelites said in unison that they would do all that YHWH had said to be obedient to the covenant (and Him). Then , after the people consented to the covenant, he sprinkled the blood on the Israelites. Interesting how Moses says This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to these words is so similar to what Jesus said at the Last Supper concerning the New Covenant of His shed blood for us.
So both parties of the covenant had assented to the covenant with Moses being the mediator, just like Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant between YHWH and mankind.
After this. Moses took Aaron, Aaron's sons and 70 elders up the mountain as YHWH had instructed him to do. And when they had gone up the mountain as far as YHWH had instructed it says that they saw the God of Israel. Now I do not think that they saw him face to face (which I believe means in all of His glory or the completeness of His essence) because no man can see God face to face and live. It is said that Jesus is the only One who has seen God face to face and He lived because He is the eternal Son of God and saw Him face to face eternally prior to his incarnation. Likely, these people saw aspects of God's glory that God knew would not slay them. So, the text describes what they saw. It is not very detailed, but I think that God showed just enough of his glory to convince them that YHWH was indeed there, but not enough for them to be able to create an image of Him to be worshipped.
The pavement under God's feet was like sapphire. I read up on this and I learned that sapphire, ruby, and topaz are all of the same genus. Sapphire can be blue to green, rubies are red, and topaz is yellow. rainbow (just like it says in Revelations).
Moses had gone up the mountain to be with YHWH and hear from Him. From chapter 20 (the giving of the 10 commandments) through this chapter God had been speaking to Moses on the mountain the laws/covenant and Moses has gone down to tell the people what YHWH said to them and what they were to do in obedience to YHWH.
In chapter 24, God tells Moses to bring Aaron, Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders, but specifies that Moses is the only one who will come near to YHWH. the other 73 are to worship YHWH on the mountain from afar. So perhaps they were midway up the mountain and the rest of the Israelites were before the mountain, but not on it.
Before the 74 went up the mountain (Vs. 1-2) Moses went down and told the people all the words and judgments YHWH had given to them via Moses. And all the people responded together as if one voice vowing to do all that YHWH has said for them to do.
Then Moses wrote down all that YHWH had told him on the mountain. I am sure YHWH helped Moses remember everything accurately.
The next morning, early, Moses built an altar at the base of the mountain and also arranged twelve stone pillars (I assume near the altar). The altar represented YHWH and the pillars represented all of Israelite (the 12 tribes). Then Moses sent young men to get livestock to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to YHWH. The text mentions oxen as being sacrificed. It doesn't say where the sacrifices were done, but apparently not on the altar, perhaps there was a nearby place to slaughter the animals and burn them.
Next, Moses took half the blood and sprinkled it on the altar to YHWH and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the people.
This is how this covenant was sealed, by blood. The blood sprinkled on the altar was towards YHWH to propitiate the sins of the people and the blood sprinkled on the people was for them to be made partakers of the covenant being recipients of the effects of the blood. Same as with Jesus.
"And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments."
Exodus 24:9-11 did say that the 74 people did see God, but what did God reveal to them about Himself? "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." That's all they saw - what God chose to reveal to them.
Even Moses when He asked God to show him "His Glory", God obliged saying, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." ( Exodus 33:19-23).
So you will need to discern how God manifested Himself to some people & what they saw & understood from that sight. Was the sight sufficient to satisfy their anticipation & hope? I doubt they were disappointed, rather, overwhelmed & left in awe & fearful at this revelation.
The chapter says they saw God and then we have people in the comments saying no they did not because seeing him means they will not survive. Then why would the book say that?
No one here knows for sure. All we have are the words spoken from testimony. We need to stop over analyzing and making further confusion.
No, they did not see God, nor can any man see Him & continue to remain alive - such is the Majesty & Holiness of the Almighty ( Exodus 33:20), that sinners such as us would instantly dissolve at such a revelation . Even Moses, who begged to see God (to see His Glory) was not permitted, but God made a concession to him by walking by Moses, covering his eyes & only allowing His "back parts" to be seen ( Exodus 33:12-23).
So in Exodus 24:10, the four plus 70 of the elders of Israel, were only permitted to see God in a very limited way (we're not told this time what was seen except for the sapphire stone beneath Him & the appearance of the heavenlies around Him. They saw no body or shape, but what God chose to reveal to them. Even the Apostle Paul in his transportation into Heaven, heard such wonderful words that could not be spoken about to anyone ( 2 Corinthians 12:1-4) - and I sometimes wonder what Paul also saw there. Whatever he heard & saw, he revealed to us with the heavenly wisdom displayed in his letters to the Churches.
I believe they only saw a representation of God which really could not be described in human language. However the writer had done a good job of putting it in a way that we can understand. 1 John 3:2 explains it best. When we see him we will know what and how he looks.
That is letting people know that to see YA aka G D is something that only the pure in heart shall see YA aka G d! If you read verse 1 Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel and worship ye afar off. - they were close enough to see his form and his feet only, it didn't mention his face or features. Matthew 5:8 Blessed ae the pure in heart, for they will see God. I saw him...
Great question. Since God is invisible Colossians 1:15 whatever people saw was a physical representation of Him or just his glory Exodus 33:19, but perhaps lacking in his true essence, because to truly see Him, people would die: Exodus 33:20.
Seeing God and His Glory, is to wake up every morning, and see the goodness of His Light surrounding you. The calmness, the strength He gives you for the day, waking up in His Light of the sun shining bright on us. His Son died for our sins we commit living in this world of evilness. We must pray at the start of the day, to keep Gods Protection around us.Every day we wake up is a Blessing!!
10 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.
11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
(They actually saw God, and did eat and drink. They had to prepared themselves to see him, so keep reading and studying.)
God is love,I can't imagine a day without Him,His love comfort us,I will praise God in days of happiness nor sadness because He will answer me when I call Him in troubles,let no man says there's no God in their hearts God is forever... God be my Sharon Amen
All they saw was a cloud. But they heard his voice. No man has seen God. (fully) He did let Moses see his back parts as he passed by. Usually when it says a person saw God, they saw a cloud or maybe something like Moses did in the burning bush. Also when it says God told someone to do this or that, it was by voice or by an angel.
Matthew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Exodus Chapter 24:10 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. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
open question; on exodus 24:10, what are the elders seeing here? Was this an interpretation of his presence constrained by human vocabulary/interpretation or simply the reverential description of the writer of this biblical book? Looking for insightful answers.
Edwina Hawley, I by all Scripture disagree that Moses and his holy entourage actually saw God. Moses saw glimpses of God and his entourage saw even less over the years in the wilderness. This chapter talks about seeing clouds and a sapphire pavement for God 's feet but like Matthew Henry said in his commentary they did not see enough of God to create a sort of imagine. John 1:8 says, "No man hath seen God at anytime the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him ". 1 Cor. 13:12 says, "For now we see through a glass, darkly but then face to face: now I know in part but then shall I know even as also I am known ". To see God in his glory for a man would be like taking a trip to the Sun when he get near he would simply be destroyed. Imagine how bright our Holy God is. God bless us all and in the understanding of his Word. Glory be to Jehovah in the highest through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
God knows his own way to manifest us as his own people. His ways is higher than our ways and his thoughts is higher than our thoughts. He knows how to provide us his message and protection in any situation may have. Our God is true and there is no other God before him. Our Heavenly Father show 's his mercy and grace to his people because of his love he sent his only Son Jesus Christ to redeemed the world for us to be save and have life. Keep thanking God and praise Jesus for his blood that sheds for us. Jesus loves you and his words is true and purified 7 times.
I believe they saw Jesus. I believe the reason He said no one has seen the Father except the Son was because He was the Father and the Son. He was God Almighty and as Isaiah said it - the Everlasting Father. I can 't explain it but I believe it.
We should declare as the people declared on Exodus 24:7b
and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
Our declaration should be attached to good works in HIS name, Ephesians 2:10.
I am writing this during the December 2023 Christmas season. May we all endeavor to worship the LORD JESUS CHRIST in all HIS glory and splendor. GOD to shine HIS glorious face on all who call on HIM in truth and in spirit.
GOD is praised when we carry out HIS full counsel.
Merry Christmas everyone and have a prosperous New Year in CHRIST Name.
Agreed. When I post on my Bible reading (no in Exodus) I am not proposing that what I write is necessarily correct interpretation nor am I not open for correction and elaboration from others. As you said, some of it comes down to simply opinion or understanding with my limited knowledge or lack of training in the original languages or customs of the Biblical time periods.
So, I don't mind at all if someone 'calls me out" on what I write. I am simply going through the chapter, paraphrasing what I am understanding, and trying to convey connections I discover between the chapter under review and other portions of Scripture and doctrine that I know. So, feel free to interject anytime. I am so fallible! And I guess, I don't feel inhibited about sharing this way. Others may not be so open as I am. But I feel if I do not share my ideas with other believers, I will not be in a place to be corrected or instructed by someone who knows much more than myself.
Have a good evening, David, thank you for "chiming in".
Languages and customs it was translated from. One of the most challenging
Fields to me is understanding the bible is an eastern book a lot written viewed from an eastern mind.
I can see your point here. My point was that this sealing of the covenant is similar in pattern and shadow to the sealing of the New Covenant with the blood of Jesus. I don't believe I said that the animal blood equated to Jesus' blood. I did not mean that. I was just commenting that the blood was sprinkled on the altar unto YHWH to seal the covenant from His end and on the people for the sealing of the covenant from their end. But if you took it another way, I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I know that it is only the blood of Jesus that propitiates any sins, not animal blood. It is the sacrifice of Jesus that brings forgiveness of sins, not the sacrifice of animals.
That's opinion and adding that which is not their and I'm very aware that
Those sacrifices were an indicator of that which is to come. But in
Hebrews it says those sacrifices weren't good enough so let's not add to
God's Word.
It says "But YHWH did not lay His hand on these nobles (elders)". I think this means that He didn't slay or harm them for seeing this manifestation of Himself because he chose to reveal Himself this way, knowing what man can take of His glory and not be consumed. During this visitation of YHWH, the 74 ate and drank with God. Not that God ate and drank, but that the 74 had a ceremonial meal for the sealing of the covenant. The blood sprinkled on the altar symbolized God's oath and the sprinkled blood on the people symbolized the Israelites' oath concerning this new covenant.
Next, YHHW calls Moses and Joshua up further on the mountain to the cloud that surrounded the top of the mountain. I like how God said, Come up to me on the mountain. He says He will give Moses tablets of stone that have the law and commandments that God Himself had written on the stone tablets. Moses is instructed to teach these to the people. Moses told the elders, Aaron and Aaron's sons to stay where they are and be regents (leaders and judges in Moses' stead for the Israelites.
The glory of the YHWH rested upon Mt. Sinai, covering the mountain for six days. Perhaps Moses went up the mountain on the first day of the week and on the seventh day (the Sabbath) YHWH to Moses out of the cloud.
It says that the sight of the glory of God was like a consuming fire for the Israelites below. Moses went into the cloud and was there for 40 days and 40 nights with YHWH.
Thus ends this chapter, leaving us in suspense! These people experience so many amazing things with YHWH. Surely this experience would be life changing!, But we shall see.
I guess I had never thought of the blood of Jesus going two ways like this. After Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar He read the covenant that he had written down to the Israelites. Again, the Israelites said in unison that they would do all that YHWH had said to be obedient to the covenant (and Him). Then , after the people consented to the covenant, he sprinkled the blood on the Israelites. Interesting how Moses says This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to these words is so similar to what Jesus said at the Last Supper concerning the New Covenant of His shed blood for us.
So both parties of the covenant had assented to the covenant with Moses being the mediator, just like Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant between YHWH and mankind.
After this. Moses took Aaron, Aaron's sons and 70 elders up the mountain as YHWH had instructed him to do. And when they had gone up the mountain as far as YHWH had instructed it says that they saw the God of Israel. Now I do not think that they saw him face to face (which I believe means in all of His glory or the completeness of His essence) because no man can see God face to face and live. It is said that Jesus is the only One who has seen God face to face and He lived because He is the eternal Son of God and saw Him face to face eternally prior to his incarnation. Likely, these people saw aspects of God's glory that God knew would not slay them. So, the text describes what they saw. It is not very detailed, but I think that God showed just enough of his glory to convince them that YHWH was indeed there, but not enough for them to be able to create an image of Him to be worshipped.
The pavement under God's feet was like sapphire. I read up on this and I learned that sapphire, ruby, and topaz are all of the same genus. Sapphire can be blue to green, rubies are red, and topaz is yellow. rainbow (just like it says in Revelations).
..continued
In chapter 24, God tells Moses to bring Aaron, Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders, but specifies that Moses is the only one who will come near to YHWH. the other 73 are to worship YHWH on the mountain from afar. So perhaps they were midway up the mountain and the rest of the Israelites were before the mountain, but not on it.
Before the 74 went up the mountain (Vs. 1-2) Moses went down and told the people all the words and judgments YHWH had given to them via Moses. And all the people responded together as if one voice vowing to do all that YHWH has said for them to do.
Then Moses wrote down all that YHWH had told him on the mountain. I am sure YHWH helped Moses remember everything accurately.
The next morning, early, Moses built an altar at the base of the mountain and also arranged twelve stone pillars (I assume near the altar). The altar represented YHWH and the pillars represented all of Israelite (the 12 tribes). Then Moses sent young men to get livestock to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to YHWH. The text mentions oxen as being sacrificed. It doesn't say where the sacrifices were done, but apparently not on the altar, perhaps there was a nearby place to slaughter the animals and burn them.
Next, Moses took half the blood and sprinkled it on the altar to YHWH and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the people.
This is how this covenant was sealed, by blood. The blood sprinkled on the altar was towards YHWH to propitiate the sins of the people and the blood sprinkled on the people was for them to be made partakers of the covenant being recipients of the effects of the blood. Same as with Jesus.
"And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments."
Even Moses when He asked God to show him "His Glory", God obliged saying, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." ( Exodus 33:19-23).
So you will need to discern how God manifested Himself to some people & what they saw & understood from that sight. Was the sight sufficient to satisfy their anticipation & hope? I doubt they were disappointed, rather, overwhelmed & left in awe & fearful at this revelation.
No one here knows for sure. All we have are the words spoken from testimony. We need to stop over analyzing and making further confusion.
So in Exodus 24:10, the four plus 70 of the elders of Israel, were only permitted to see God in a very limited way (we're not told this time what was seen except for the sapphire stone beneath Him & the appearance of the heavenlies around Him. They saw no body or shape, but what God chose to reveal to them. Even the Apostle Paul in his transportation into Heaven, heard such wonderful words that could not be spoken about to anyone ( 2 Corinthians 12:1-4) - and I sometimes wonder what Paul also saw there. Whatever he heard & saw, he revealed to us with the heavenly wisdom displayed in his letters to the Churches.
11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.
(They actually saw God, and did eat and drink. They had to prepared themselves to see him, so keep reading and studying.)