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| .1
And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab,
and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. |
1 -
Thou
and ... A large number of key men were invited to worship at
a distance. Compare the disciples in Gethsemane mr1437.
2 - Moses alone We see two levels of authority. God distinguishes between leaders of higher authority and others. |
| .3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. | 3 - All the words God gave these to Moses after he spoke the ten commandments and are recorded from ex2022 through chapter 23. |
| .4
And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning,
and builded an altar under the hill [at the foot of the mountain], and
twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. 6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. |
4
- Moses wrote The words referred to in the previous verse.
These commands of God were applications of the ten commandments.
4 - Under the hill Or "at the foot of the mountain" NKJV. This was in contrast to the obelisks set up on "high places" by the heathen nations. 5 - Young men In contrast to the "elders." God's work includes everyone. I wonder if these weren't the men whose strong muscles had actually set up the pillars. |
Ruins of a high place for heathen worship at Petra (in ancient Edom) 2ch2520. Image may be from Corel |
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| .7
And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people:
and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. |
7
- We will do Affirmation of the covenant.
8 - Sprinkled it on the people The only time in the OT when this was done. |
| .9
Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders
of Israel:
.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. |
10
- Saw the God of Israel Wasn't this impossible ex3320?
They would not have seen His face but perhaps His glory.
10 - Sapphire From cappiyr. A stone more valuable than diamond. Blue sapphire is the most prized variety. Compare other occurrences of this Hebrew word: ex2818, ex3911, jb2816, la0407, ez0126, ez1001, ez2813, And in Greek, sappherios, re2119. 10 - Body of heaven Sky color, blue as sapphire or perhaps reflecting sapphire. 11 - Laid not His hand God did not strike them dead. 11 - Eat and drink Consider that this foreshadowed the Lord's supper 1co1125. This was in the presence of God. This with elements of the covenant sealed the marriage between God and the people. The Lord's supper is reestablishment of a friendship. |
| .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.
.13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. |
12
- Come up ... tablets of stone Earlier
the ten commandments had been spoken from Sinai by God ex20.
12 - Of stone Literally, "of the stone." The Hebrew indicates an object previously mentioned, v10. It would be the stone pavement on which God stood. Thus He takes a piece of His throne and gives it to us he0108 as an eternal emblem of His holiness which is our foundation! 13 - I have written He wrote on stone tablets de0910. They were two according to ancient custom or preserving records. One was a copy. 13 - Minister See 2ki0443. |
| .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.
15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. 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. 17 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. .18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. |
18 - In the mount forty days Also ex3428. Moses' explanation before his death mentions fasting de0909. Also Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days and nights before beginning His ministry mt04. |
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God's Eternal Throne and Law
Many today believe that the specific laws given in the ten commandments ex20 are no longer important. A careful study shows that they are essential now and forever. To begin see the first verses of this chapter above. then especially verses 9 and 10.
Ezekiel 1:22-25 helps us understand more. The prophet saw the same throne with an expanse or firmament above. The blue in Exodus 24 above apparently was the same as the firmament.
In giving the commandments on tablets of stone, God is giving us a piece of His throne! What better security could we have? Jesus is promised the throne in he0108. And He has promised that we may join Him on His Father's throne re0321. The commandments are eternal according to ps11107,8 and ps08934. Nothing will change in the divine law according to mt 0517,18. The covenant never ends ex3116.
This throne of pure blue sapphire may be seen as equivalent to Christ, the rock that followed the children of Israel in the wilderness 1co1001-4. The blue is seen in the tassels on the hem of Christ's garment when touched by the bleeding woman lu0843,4.
Garments of blue, purple and scarlet were for the sanctuary holy place ex3901, The pure blue is missing in the mother of prostitutes re1703-6, representing the fallen church which claims to be the true bride of Christ re1807. If you have seen pictures of popes and cardinals you will remember the two dominant colors.
No commandment has been removed from the ten. Jesus did not teach this nor did His followers after His death.