EXODUS 24
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. 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.”– Exodus 24:1-8
EXODUS 24 COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND THE ISRAELITES
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The Lord spoke all the laws that he requires from his people through Moses
And Moses wrote down all the words that God has spoken
Then the next day, he got up early to built an altar at the foot of the mountain
He placed twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel
Then he sent young men to offer burnt and peace offerings
And the blood became the symbol of their covenant with the Lord.
This narrative explains how God himself (through Moses) gave his laws to his own people. The promises that God made to provide and rescue his people were solidified with the burnt offerings and peace offerings of oxen. The half of the blood of these animals were placed in a basin and the other part of it was thrown against the altar. It was the blood that solidified the treaty between two parties. The Israelites agreed to follow the laws of the Lord as part of this covenant. God in turn will do his part to rescue them and give them the land he promised.
REFLECTION
- How does this covenant still holds true for all Christians today?
