How Was the Covenant Established in Exodus 24?

In Exodus 24, the covenant was established as the word of the LORD was proclaimed, recorded, and read aloud. The people twice promised to obey what they had heard, and Moses identified the sacrificial blood as the blood of the covenant that the LORD had made with them. Exodus 24 traces this process step by step—from hearing the word and declaring the blood of the covenant to Moses remaining on the mountain.

The People Responded in Unison to the Word They Heard

Moses told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD. They responded with one voice, promising to obey everything the LORD had commanded. Rather than offering separate opinions, they answered together in response to the word they had heard.

Moses did not stop with an oral proclamation. He wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning, he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. These pillars clearly identified the people who had received the LORD’s word.

The Book of the Covenant Was Read Aloud, and the People Responded Again

Young Israelite men presented burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as fellowship offerings. Moses placed half the blood in bowls and splashed the other half against the altar. He then took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud for the people to hear.

The order matters. At first, the people heard the words Moses proclaimed and promised to obey them. After the written Book of the Covenant was read aloud, they again pledged to obey all the words of the LORD. By repeating their response, they made clear what they had heard and what they were promising to do.

Moses sprinkled the remaining blood on the people and declared that it was the blood of the covenant the LORD had made with them in accordance with all these words. The passage does not conclude the covenant ceremony with the people’s resolve alone. The written word, their repeated response, the sacrifices, and Moses’ declaration concerning the blood all belong to one unfolding event. The people now stood as a community bound in covenant with the LORD concerning everything they had heard.

The Representatives Ate and Drank in God’s Presence

Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel went up the mountain. They saw the God of Israel, and beneath his feet was something like a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. God did not raise his hand against these leaders of Israel. They saw God, and they ate and drank.

This scene is not separate from the covenant ceremony that came before it. After the people heard the word, responded, and received the declaration of the covenant blood, their representatives ascended to the LORD and ate and drank in his presence. Yet they did not all approach to the same distance. From the beginning, Moses alone was permitted to draw near to the LORD, while the others were told to worship from a distance.

Moses Waited for the Call Before Entering the Cloud

The LORD told Moses to come up the mountain and remain there. He also promised to give him the stone tablets containing the law and commandments that the LORD himself had written for the instruction of the people. Moses set out with Joshua and told the elders to wait until he returned. He also arranged for anyone with a dispute to go to Aaron and Hur.

When Moses climbed the mountain, a cloud covered it. The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh day, the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. Although Moses had already ascended the mountain, he did not immediately enter the cloud. He remained there until he was called.

To the Israelites, the glory of the LORD on the mountaintop looked like a consuming fire. Moses entered the cloud and remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. The word read aloud before the people now leads into the account of Moses receiving the stone tablets written by the LORD himself. The covenant in Exodus 24 was established through the proclamation, recording, and public reading of the word; the people’s two promises to obey; and the declaration of the blood of the covenant.

One action you can take today is to read Exodus 24 for yourself and mark the two places where the people repeat their response. This will help you trace the covenant ceremony’s sequence of hearing the word, confirming it, and then responding.