COME AS A CHILD LESSON 152 RATIFICATION OF GOD'S COVENANT WITH ISRAEL

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

WANT TO EXPERIENCE THE PERFECT MOUNTAIN VACATION?  HERE IT IS:

After Moses had received the commandments from God, it was time for God to confirm His covenant with the people of Israel. 

Everything is all spelled out for us in Exodus 24; which is one of those chapters that I have mentioned earlier; one of those types that on the surface appears boring and repetitive and full of strange details; but you must not neglect to study and look closer because this is one of the most magnificent chapters in all of the scriptures for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Everything happened in stages as Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and all of the 70 Elders of Israel led the worship from the foot of the mountain.  Moses explained all of the words of God to the people and they responded in unison saying:  “Everything the LORD has said we will do!

The first part of making a covenant is for one party to agree with the terms of the other.  Israel agreed with God’s terms.  No one protested; no one asked for changes; they all agreed.

So Moses wrote down everything that the LORD had said.  Then he rose early the next day and built an altar at the foot of the mountain.  The altar represented God’s part in the covenant.  Then he set up twelve stone pillars which would represent the twelve tribes of Israel and their parts in the covenant. 

Moses sent the young men to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices of young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD.  For covenants to be official sacrifices must take place.

Moses took half of the blood of the young bulls and put it into bowls and the other half he splashed against the altar.  The splashing of blood against the altar represented God’s promise of the covenant.    Then Moses took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people.  This was the word of God as explained to Moses stating all of the conditions that the covenant contained. 

The people AGAIN  responded that they would do everything the LORD had said.  They all promised to obey every word.  So we see the Word of God is represented by the reading of the book, and the word of the people is represented as they speak and promise to obey.  Each party testifies to the conditions of the covenant that apply to them. 

At that point Moses took the other half of the blood and sprinkled it on the people (or most likely the twelve pillars that represented the people) saying:  This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words. The sprinkling of the blood on both parties seals the covenant between them. 

Note here that until a covenant was made between the two parties (God and Israel) they could not have communion together.  However, after the proclaiming of the Covenant, Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up the mountain and saw the God of Israel! 

Just stop right here and ponder this.  Is it not the most amazing thing you have ever heard of occurring within the Old Testament times? 

All of the leaders of Israel were allowed to SEE GOD IN PERSON!  They did not have to stand at a distance and they did not have to send a representative; they had an open invitation from God saying; “Come!” 

Before it had always only been only Moses, and up until this point in time even he was not allowed to see the FULL PRESENCE of God by himself.   Now ALL the leaders were allowed to draw close to God and observe this Holy One that they worshipped together in unison. 

Unfortunately, There is SO LITTLE DETAIL in the descriptions of this.  You even have to  wonder if God had told them not to speak of the details.  There is enough, however for you to know that it DID actually happen and they WERE allowed to see God and live to tell about it.   

They described what they saw in this way:

“Under His feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.  But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God and they ate and drank."

Notice how quickly the details of their seeing God are described? You can run right over that if you aren't careful!

Then the scriptures go on to say something even more amazing; not only did they see God but they actually ATE A MEAL WITH GOD.  This is SO VERY significant in about a million ways.

I have to think of Abraham under the tree showing hospitality to the three visitors; and remember how he was careful to serve them his best meal that was majestically prepared.  Now GOD is returning the favor; He is serving His chosen people a meal!

I have to think of the toast of a bride and groom as they come to their wedding reception!  The covenant with Israel was God's marriage to them!  They had just taken some important vows together and it was now time to celebrate their agreement!

Of course if you are like me the next thing that comes to mind is the experience of Holy Communion.  In so many ways we all have been given the opportunity to become a lot like those ancient elders.  We are invited to come and eat and drink with God in celebration of our covenant of salvation; the one provided to us by Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom!

These ancient people have agreed to a covenant bringing them into complete communion with God and He wants to celebrate this with a feast!  

Isn’t this always the way God does things?  Why would we be be surprised? 

The leaders of Israel are allowed to visit with and eat and drink with God up on His Holy Mountain, then return to their everyday mundane lives in the wilderness.  This is such a mighty miracle that I almost feel like the whole of the scriptures are now explained altogether in this passage, and we can just end here. 

Nothing could be more wonderful than a covenant between God and man where they both are perfectly at peace in each other’s presence and are feasting at a table together!  That is the ultimate end of all of the reason for the existence of mankind; to be a friend to God and to serve Him forever. 

I have to think that on that special day the people of Israel got a blessed glimpse of just what Heaven is like all the time. 

This very small little passage cannot be overlooked or taken lightly.  All of the promises that God had given to Abraham back in Genesis Chapter 15 are now ratified right here in Exodus Chapter 24. 

God promised Abraham that his people would become a great nation.  God is now spelling out how He will begin to establish that nation as He leads them on into the promised-land.

God promised Abraham that his descendants would own the land where He had walked for as far as Abraham could see in all directions.  This was about to happen – soon! 

God is also promising the People of Israel again in this passage that they would own that land and it will be very soon in the progression of their time.  He explains to them that He will drive the present inhabitants of the land out in stages so that the land will not be left totally barren and unoccupied before they are able to grow to the point of filling it up and caring for it themselves.

. 

It seems that every possible provision has been made. 

If you were to compare all of the treaties and covenants that have been written and ratified on this earth by mankind; nothing would compare to how God was now giving this Covenant to Israel.  It is thorough and complete.  All of the stipulations are spelled out in the giving of the law.  Both parties have put their stamp of approval on all of the agreement through their written word and spoken word and by celebrating it in a festive way involving food and drink afterward.  It was the most grand of all occasions in history up until that point; and possibly all the way up until the Resurrection of Christ.

And that is a good point to compare.  This was a covenant for the Israelites, but now we are living in a day where we have a renewed covenant sealed with the blood of Christ.  This day in time was great for all of those Old Testament people; but how significant could it be for all of us living now?

I tell you it IS very significant.  Never doubt that! 

This 24^th Chapter of Exodus and the ratification of the Covenant of God and Israel is a transitional point of history.  We cannot possibly understand the message and the meaning of the Old Testament apart from first understanding this covenant with Israel, just as we could not have comprehended the covenant with Israel if we had not first studied the original covenant with Abraham. 

Furthermore; we cannot even BEGIN to understand the New Testament Covenant apart from first understanding this Old Testament Covenant.  The Mosaic Covenant is key to understanding the formation of Christianity as we know it today. 

We have already seen over and over how God works in patterns.  After the ratification of this covenant He will show even more of this in the creation of the wilderness tabernacle, then the temple.  God always starts out with a simple concept and builds upon that foundation until we can begin to grasp the full meaning of where He is going with things.  

It is the same similar concept when understanding covenants.  The concept of covenants and how they are formed must be understood in order to grasp that the gospel is the proclamation of a covenant instituted by Our LORD, Jesus Christ.  God started this concept with Noah and expounded upon it with Abraham, then He ratified it here on the Mountain with Israel, and with Israel we are seeing the foundation being laid for a much more significant covenant; one that will bring salvation to all nations, not just Israel. 

Israel was the pattern set in place to teach the whole world what God wants His people to be like.  The understanding of covenants started with them in order to be a blessing to all of us.

I highly recommend reading and studying Exodus Chapter 24 in more detail and praying for God to give you full clarification of this teaching.  It is very rich and absolutely full of meaning.  If you are mining for gold or diamonds you will not get them in your hands by talking to the people on the streets who have been there.  They may give you some helpful information, but you must go there yourself to find your treasure.   

Pull out the scriptures and do word studies, ponder and meditate, read passages before and after a passage to obtain a FULL grasp of what was really happening and why.  Most of all pray and ask God for understanding.  He will grant your prayer, and like these people who lived so long ago who had the unheard of privilege of seeing God with their own eyes, observing what His throne room was like, and even sharing a holy meal with Him in celebration of their covenant; God will grant these same pleasures to you!  He will open your eyes and make His holy scriptures clear to you.  You can feast on his inspired word and your meal will be a huge celebration. 

One thing that caught my attention in the brief description that we were given about the seeing of God in this chapter was the description they gave of the experience in Exodus 24: 9 – 11:  Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel.  Under His feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.  But God did not raise His hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God and they ate and drank.

This meal in the presence of God was the final ratification of the Covenant. 

As we noted earlier, they saw God and lived, and we also noted that this was not unusual to find the two parties of a covenant eating a covenant meal together.

 Once we “get” the “covenant” part of this celebration; we definitely also have to stop to ask just what exactly did these leaders see? 

We hear them speak of seeing God and seeing His feet.  They state that the area of the feet of God was like sapphire, like the clear blue pavement under them.  So all we really know at all is that God had feet resting on something that looked like sapphire and there was a clear blue pavement under them.  Then the fact occurs to some that the reason they only describe the feet of God was because they were prostrate in worship and awe of Him.  They were in a state of total fear and humility, bowing very low at His feet in honor and respect.

We do know however, from some other texts of scriptures describing God enthroned in heaven that there are also some other possible explanations for this.  Let’s look at the wording of Ezekiel 1: 4-28. 

Ezekiel 1:4:-28:    And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire in-folding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

⁵ Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

⁶ And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

⁷ And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.

⁸ And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

⁹ Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

¹⁰ As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

¹¹ Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

¹² And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

¹⁴ And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

¹⁵ Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

¹⁶The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

¹⁷ When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.

¹⁸ As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

¹⁹ And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

²⁰ Wheresoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

²¹ When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

²² And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

²³ And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: everyone had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

²⁴ And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

²⁵ And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

²⁶ And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

²⁷ And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

²⁸ As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Can you hear and see some words that are familiar when you read that scripture passage? 

Could both scriptures be describing the same place? 

Now be patient with me for a moment and let’s look at Revelation 4:1-6:  After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”  At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.   And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.  Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.  From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.    Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

Doesn’t this passage sound familiar too?  There are so many similar words in these two passages of Ezekiel’s vision and John’s vision and the one we are studying. 

Both describe a crystal like floor on which the throne of God stands very much like the crystal clear sapphire pavement mentioned in our passage.  When Ezekiel speaks of it the crystal floor is above the heads of the four living creatures.  Also this is the case in other passages we can find in the scriptures. 

We can also note that in all passages the one who is enthroned appears to have human like characteristics. 

God seems to be progressively revealed in each of these passages according to the progression and passing of time.  Perhaps the Elders of Israel saw God enthroned from UNDER the crystal floor and they were looking through it.  That way they would have only seen the feet of God above them through the floor. 

Perhaps when Ezekiel saw the vision he was closer than the Elders of Israel in our passage of study.  Perhaps he was looking from a different angle than they were. 

John, in the Revelation passage, however; sees God enthroned from heaven.  It would seem that his view of God is not restricted at all! 

See how the visions increase with the progression of time here, and note that the later the time period of history; the more that is revealed of the presence of God to the viewers.

 

Perhaps the view of the Elders of Israel was through a glass floor and at a distance and that would possibly explain why Moses asked to see the face of God later; as if he had never seen it before. 

The point here is that perhaps the Elders of Israel did not see God as up close and intimate as Ezekiel and John; but they DID see Him, which is still a GREAT miracle. 

We only have to know that all of these things took place in order to ratify the Mosaic Covenant. 

There is also a ratification process involved with the current Covenant of God with His people today.  You can read about it in Romans 10:8-10; “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” – that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Understand that both covenants require ratification.  In the first case, the elders had to agree and visit God then they celebrated by communing with Him in a feast in His presence.  In the second case, the covenant of Salvation; you must confess and believe in order to ratify the covenant.   Today too, after ratification of the Covenant with God; you may participate in communion as a great thanksgiving celebration.  

Can you see these patterns that were laid out by God?   

Sometime later, after the Mosaic Covenant was ratified; God called down to Moses again and asked him to come up to the Mountain again.  God had written the commandments down with His own finger and He wanted to give them to Moses.  Joshua went part of the way with Moses and then waited on Moses to return.  

Moses waits for six days and then he sees the cloud descending on the top of the mountain.  On the Seventh Day the LORD called out to Moses to come before him and Moses walks into the cloud of God’s glory.  This must have been The Sabbath Day, the special 7^th Day that God sets aside to be with mankind in a different way from the daily, a time of worship and rest.  Moses was inside that cloud for 40 days and 40 nights.  He had left Aaron and Hur in charge of the people while he and Joshua were up on the Mountain.