Commentary - Exodus 24:9-11

Bird's-eye view

This brief passage in Exodus 24 is one of the most remarkable moments in the Old Testament. After the formal ratification of the covenant, sealed with blood (Ex. 24:3-8), the representatives of Israel are summoned into the presence of God. This is not just a distant observation; it is an invitation to fellowship. What we have here is a formal covenant meal, a celebratory feast that seals the newly established relationship between Yahweh and His people. It is a stunning picture of mediated access to the holy God, a foreshadowing of the ultimate fellowship we have through Jesus Christ. The scene is drenched in glory, revealing the majesty of Israel's King, and yet it is a scene of intimate communion. They see God, and they live. Not only do they live, but they eat and drink with Him. This is the heart of covenant relationship: God dwelling with man.

The structure of the event is crucial. First comes the sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, what we might call the guilt offering. This deals with the sin that separates man from God. Then comes the ascent up the mountain, an act of consecration, offering themselves to God. And finally, there is the meal, the peace offering, which is communion and fellowship with God. This three-fold pattern of confession, consecration, and communion is the essential grammar of true worship, both then and now. This passage is therefore a paradigm for how sinners may approach a holy God, not on their own terms, but through the blood of a covenant mediator, to enjoy the profound blessing of His presence.

Outline

Context In Exodus

This event is the capstone of the covenant-making ceremony at Sinai. In chapters 19-23, God has spoken His law, the terms of the covenant. In the first part of chapter 24, Moses has relayed these words to the people, they have agreed, and the covenant has been formally ratified through a blood sacrifice. The blood of the covenant has been sprinkled on the altar and on the people, signifying a binding oath and purification.

What follows in our text is not another negotiation, but a celebration. The deal is done. The relationship is established. Now, the representatives of the people are invited to the covenant-ratification banquet. This is not an afterthought; it is the goal of the whole proceeding. The law was given, and the sacrifice was made, precisely so that this kind of fellowship could happen. This meal on the mountain demonstrates that the purpose of God's law is not to keep people at a distance, but to provide the way for them to draw near and feast with Him.

Key Issues

Commentary

9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,

The ascent up the mountain is a formal and ordered affair. This is not a casual mob scene. God is holy, and He sets the terms of approach. Moses, the chief mediator, leads the way. With him are Aaron, the designated high priest, and his two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, who were in line for the priesthood. And then seventy elders, who represent the entire nation of Israel. This is a federal representation. These men go up the mountain on behalf of all the people. What they see, Israel sees. The covenant God makes is not with a loose collection of individuals, but with a corporate body, a nation. Nadab and Abihu are a tragic premonition here. They are granted this incredible privilege, to see the God of Israel, and yet later they will presume upon this access and offer unauthorized fire, for which they will be consumed (Lev. 10:1-2). Proximity to glory is a dangerous thing if not accompanied by reverence and obedience. Privilege does not guarantee fidelity.

10 and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.

Now, we must tread carefully here. The Scripture says elsewhere that no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18). This means they did not see the unmediated essence of the Godhead. What they saw was a theophany, a visible manifestation of the invisible God. Specifically, they saw the pre-incarnate Christ, the Word of God, who has always been the one who reveals the Father. To see Him is to see the God of Israel. And what a sight it was. The description focuses not on a form or a face, but on what was under His feet. This is a common feature in throne-room visions in Scripture; the focus is on the foundation, the stability, the glory of His royal court. Think of Ezekiel's vision of the wheeled throne-chariot (Ezek. 1). Here, the floor is a pavement of sapphire, a deep, brilliant blue stone, described as being as clear as the sky. The color blue in Scripture often signifies the heavens, the divine, and royalty. What they are seeing is that the God of Israel reigns from the heavens. His throne is established upon the very clarity and brilliance of the celestial sphere. He is not a local, earth-bound deity like the idols of Egypt. He is the transcendent King of all creation, and the ground He stands on is more glorious than anything on earth.

11 Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

This is the climax, and it is stunning. The normal, default reaction of a holy God to the presence of sinful man is judgment. For a sinner to see God is to die. Isaiah knew this when he saw the Lord high and lifted up: "Woe is me! For I am lost" (Isa. 6:5). So the fact that God did not "stretch out His hand" against them is a profound statement of grace. Why did He not? Because of the blood of the covenant that had just been sprinkled. They were there under the protection of the substitutionary sacrifice. Their sin had been covered, and so they could stand, or rather sit, in the presence of Majesty and not be consumed. And what did they do in that holy presence? They beheld God, and they ate and drank. This is not two separate activities, but one unified experience. Their beholding of God was the context for their eating and drinking. This was a meal of fellowship, a peace offering. They were having dinner with God. This is the very definition of communion. Worship, in its fullest sense, is not just about bringing our sacrifices of praise; it is about God inviting us to His table to feast with Him. This meal on the mountain is a tangible picture of the gospel. Through the blood of the covenant, we are not just spared from God's wrath, but we are invited into intimate, joyful, table fellowship with Him. This is what Christ secured for us, and this is what we celebrate every time we come to the Lord's Table.

Application

This passage is not just a fascinating historical account; it is a foundational lesson in the nature of true worship. We cannot approach God on our own terms. We must come through a mediator, represented here by Moses and the elders, but fulfilled perfectly in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our access to God is not based on our own righteousness, but is purchased by the blood of the covenant, the blood of Jesus.

Furthermore, the goal of our redemption is not simply fire insurance. The goal is fellowship. God saved us so that we could eat and drink with Him. This is the heart of what we do when we gather for worship on the Lord's Day. Through the preaching of the Word, through prayer, through song, and supremely in the Lord's Supper, we are brought into the presence of God to behold His glory and to feast with Him. We must never treat this as a mundane routine. It is a re-enactment of this glorious scene on Sinai, only better. We do not see a manifestation under His feet; we see, by faith, the crucified and risen Christ Himself, and we sit at His table as honored guests. This is our highest privilege, and we should approach it with the same awe, reverence, and profound gratitude as these elders on the mountain.