Exodus 24 — Sketch

Approaching God

Big Idea:

• God tells the Israelite elders to worship at a distance while Moses comes up to God.

• Moses then tells the Israelites about God’s laws. They respond with, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”

• Early the following day, Moses builds an altar at the foot of the mountain and sets up 12 stone pillars. The Israelites offer burnt offerings.

• Moses reads to Israel from the Book of the Covenant.

• Moses sprinkles the Israelites with blood from the sacrifice and tells them it’s the blood of God’s covenant with them.

• Moses and the elders go farther up the mountain and see God. Under God’s feet is “something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.”

• God tells Moses to come up the mountain and get the stone tablets with the law on them.

• The cloud of God’s glory settles on the mountain, and Moses climbs up into it.

Jesus in This Chapter:

This chapter is a little bizarre. While worshipping God with sacrifices, Moses builds a Hebrew Stonehenge and starts baptizing the people in blood. Suddenly, God appears to the elders. Hebrews 9:18-20 alludes to this event and puts it into perspective for us. The blood Moses sprinkled on the people cleansed them so they could be in God’s presence. This is a symbol of the blood of Christ, which cleanses us so we can be in relationship with God. Jesus’ sacrifice takes away our sin, allowing us to come to God with freedom and confidence.

(Originally drawn October 7, 2010)