March 30, 2023

The Covenant is Confirmed

Exodus 24

Travis Harris
Thursday's Devo

March 30, 2023

Thursday's Devo

March 30, 2023

Thursday's Devo

March 30, 2023

Thursday's Devo

March 30, 2023

Big Idea

God reveals the way and His will through His Word.

Key Verse | Exodus 24:7

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient."

Exodus 24

The Covenant Confirmed

1 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. 1 24:3 Or all the just decrees And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”

15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Footnotes

[1] 24:3 Or all the just decrees

S2:064 Exodus 24

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Exodus 24

The key verse (Exodus 24:7) tells us Israel heard what God had spoken through Moses, and they devoted themselves to being obedient to it. They raised their hands and said, "We will follow you, God!" They took a step of faith by sacrificing animals, confirming this dedication by throwing blood on the altar and on themselves. However, if you've read the Old Testament, you know Israel still doubted and doesn't stay faithful to this pledge very long.

What do you think of when you hear the word obedience? For some, this may evoke a fear of performing a set of tasks or rules. That's what comes immediately to my mind. Israel commits to obey . . . can they? Can I? As a new believer, I was overwhelmed by the idea of remaining obedient to all the "rules," especially when I failed to do that consistently.

It is true that when we make the decision to accept Christ, He calls us to deny ourselves and obey. In Matthew 16:24-25, Jesus tells us to take up our cross, losing our lives that we would follow Him. He also says in John 14:21 that we show our love for God by obeying His commandments.

The good news for Israel is that, in Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to remain faithful even in their disobedience. In the same way, God remained faithful to Israel despite their sin, we experience the fulfillment of God's covenant in our lives through Christ.

When we find ourselves questioning our ability to abide, John 14:16-20 comforts us. We are not only covered in the blood of Jesus, but we are also sent an advocate (the Spirit) to aid us in our day-to-day lives. If you are overwhelmed today by the constant struggle to be obedient or to be perfect, rest in the truth that God sees you, He gave you a Helper, and He has made a way for you despite how you perform.

This month's memory verse

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

– John 14:27

Discussion Questions

1. Have you made the decision to commit to a relationship with God?

2. The declaration made by Israel comes after they have seen God providentially and miraculously bring them out of Egypt and away from slavery. How has God revealed Himself to you in the past or present?

2. When are you hesitant to obey God personally? What might obedience look like for you in your workplace, home, and social circles today?

3. What is burdening you as you attempt to follow and abide with Jesus this week? Bring that to the Lord in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7) and to faithful community in your life (Galatians 6:2).

4. Exodus 24:17 describes how God appeared on top of the mountain as a glorious fire devouring the mountain. Tremble at the glory of God! What characteristic of God can you stand in awe of today?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

GM Travis! Great devo and great link back to Abraham, God’s faithfulness, and our disobedience. Q1. Yes. I came via the late arrivals lobby after a long-delayed flight. Q2. Oh man. My gratitude prayers start with salvation, sanctification, and glorification. Right after that comes His patience, mercy, and grace. Q3. I’m still struggling with a works mentality. Part of that is gratitude. But it’s mostly trying to live up to the gift I’ve received. Q4. His patience. He takes ashes and creates beauty. Incredible patience and care. Flashback - February 2014. Initial Linger conference at Watermark. A panel on stage of Tullian Tchividjian, Todd Wagner, J.P., Matt Chandler, and John Piper answered questions. One questioner asked whether or not a person could/should expect to hear God speak to him audibly. Each person answered in order as they passed the mic.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

When it came to John Piper, he picked up the mic and looked out at the crowd. Then he said, “If you want to hear the voice of God…read the Bible OUT LOUD.” Then he put down the mic. Complete silence from the crowd. Then laughter. So, I don’t need theophanies to hear God’s voice. Even more, the ESV app allows me to have it read to me. OUT LOUD I can choose accent and gender of the voice. The key is that regardless of how I hear God speak to me I am called to the same response as the elders and the people. Confirmation and acceptance of my covenant with God means death to my old life. And…a new life with 7,487 promises including joy, peace, and rest, (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20, John 15:10-11, Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 11:28-30).
HS

Hugh Stephenson

“No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a “white funeral” — the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream. There must be a “white funeral,” a death with only one resurrection— a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose— to be a witness for Him.” Please read the entire devo, https://utmost.org/do-you-walk-in-white/ One of the key promises- I will be tested and tempted. It will seem constant and unceasing. It will wear me out. There will be times that it seems too overwhelming to bear, (Genesis 3:1, Isaiah 41:10, Hebrews 4:14-16).
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: Ex 24:3 Ex 24:3 (NASB) Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and >>>all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!”<<< This is the Mosaic Covenant — Israel’s agreement to keep the Torah; in return G-d would be their G-d. Re: Ex 24:4 Ex 24:4 (NASB) >>>Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD.<<< Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. I No “Oral Torah” is mentioned. Re: Ex 24:8 Ex 24:8 (NASB) So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold >>>the blood of the covenant,<<< which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” c.f. Jer 31:31-33; Lk 22:20 Re: Ex 24:10-11 Ex 24:10-11 (NASB) 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. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and >>>they saw God,<<< and they ate and drank. Re: Ex 24:18 Ex 24:18 (NASB) Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and >>>Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.<<<
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thank you, Travis! I loved reading Moses' words, "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words." I am very sure they were ringing in Jesus' soul when He said, at the Last Supper, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28) When Moses said these powerful words, in the chapter that is the high point of the entire book of Exodus, I wonder what it was like for the pre-incarnate Christ, sitting on His throne in heaven, to look forward down the halls of time and know He would almost repeat them, but apply them to HIS blood, about to be shed for all mankind. Moses could not know that his words were a foreshadowing of the most phenomenal gift we would ever know . . . but the Father, the Son, and the Spirit did.
CL

Chris Landry

Thanks Travis! I recognized you from the coffee shop when I saw your picture! The cross reference to John 14:18 is the comfort I needed to hear today. I'll meditate on that verse. I think if we don't rely on the Spirit, we can feel exasperated by our inability to be obedient to the point of perfection. "As per my note" a few days ago....the law is an imprisoning warden and the Gospel is a chain breaker. Obedience outside of the chains is more John 10:10 type of stuff for me. It's life....abundantly. So, let us not live as orphans. Let's us find comfort in our Abba so we can be obedient through the Spirit, yet without chains.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. Yes. 2. I needed a product off the top, top shelf at a grocery store. Another customer who was taller than me was nice and got the product down for me. 2. I have been hesitant to obey God in the past in social situations because I thought it would be a problem. Making the change to consider God’s ideas in social situations has definitely been worth it and a lot of people are very happy with God. In activities obedience may be praying before I go to activities and considering God’s views as I complete any activity. Throughout activities, I use and encourage others to use the good values of God and Jesus. People enjoy it and have initiated the good values themselves. We talk Bible and church attendance as appropriate if anyone needs details. 3. I am just working to be patient. My birth mother decided to introduce me to her parents(my grandparents), some of her sisters(my aunts) and brothers(my uncles), and some of my cousins. The lawyers want to talk with them and keep things level so it continues to move forward nicely. Prayer: God thank you for my mother father and her friends working at life as you would. Thank you for her love to help everyone do their best. Thank you for the honesty of my mother and my father as they explain things. May they stay working in life as you do. May they stay believing in you and believing in themselves. Amen. 4. I can stand in awe of God’s words, His consistency, His love for each of us, and His encouragement for each of us to use our best abilities whenever possible.
MS

Michael Scaman

12 memorial pillars were set up as this was epoch and to be remembered with a book of the covenant read. And Epoch contrasts: On the one hand the seventy elders were called up the mountain and ate and drank with God on some surreal sapphire glassy clear paved place On the other hand fire and thunder as God have the commandments Is something where the people would ask Moses not to speak directly to them, rather through Moses.