Exodus 24 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Exodus 24 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• God delivered the Israelites from slavery in approximately 1491 B.C.

• The events of Exodus 24 took place 4 months after the Hebrews left Egypt (19:1).

CHARACTERS:

• God – The Lord descended on Mount Sinai in chapter 19. In Exodus 23, God spoke with Moses on the mountain and gave him His law for the nation of Israel.   

• Moses – A Hebrew who grew up in the house of Pharaoh. He fled Egypt in Exodus 2 and went to live in Midian. God called him back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from slavery.

• Aaron – Moses’ brother who helped him lead the Israelites.

• Nadab and Abihu – Sons of Aaron

• 70 Elders – They accompanied Moses and Aaron to Mount Sinai when they met with God.

WHERE:

• Moses and the Israelites were encamped near Mount Sinai.

OUTLINE:

• MOSES TELLS ISRAEL THE WORDS OF THE LORD (24:1-8):

  • After speaking with Moses through the last several chapters, God told him to return to the people and bring Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 elders of the people to come and “worship from afar.”

  • Moses went and told the people all the commands and laws of the Lord.

  • They responded, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

  • Moses wrote down all the words of God.

  • In the morning, he built an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai and erected 12 pillars which represented the 12 tribes of Israel.

  • Oxen were sacrificed on the altar and half of their blood was thrown against the altar and the other half was put in basins.

  • Moses read the laws of God to the people, threw the blood on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

• MOSES, AARON, NADAB, ABIHU, AND THE 70 ELDERS MEET WITH GOD (24:9-18):

  • These 74 men partially ascended Mount Sinai and “saw the God of Israel.”

  • The text says there was a “pavement of sapphire stone under His feet.”

  • The men ate and drank on the mountain but didn’t approach God.

  • God called for Moses to go up further on the mountain and meet with Him so He could give him tablets of stone whereon were written the “law and the commandments.”

  • Moses took his assistant Joshua up higher on the mountain which was covered by a cloud.

  • God’s glory dwelt on the mountain for 6 days covered by the cloud.

  • On the 7th day, God called Moses and he went into the cloud to meet with God and he remained there 40 days.

  • “Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of all the people of Israel.”

APPLICATION:

• In this chapter, we see God establishing a new covenant with new promises and new laws with His people.

• The covenant was instituted with blood, in this case the blood of oxen (24:6-8).

• In the scriptures that we call the New Testament, we see Jesus instituting a new covenant, with new promises, and new laws just before He died on the cross.

• “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).

• The new covenant was instituted by Jesus’ blood when He died on the cross.

• The old covenant and its laws applied to the Israelite people. The new covenant and its laws apply to people who live post-crucifixion.