Exodus 24:1-11
They Saw the God of Israel
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders—and you are to worship at a distance.
2Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but the others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him.”
3When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.”
4And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5Then he sent out some young men of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.
6Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splattered on the altar.
7Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
8So Moses took the blood, splattered it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
10and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.
11But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.
Berean Standard Bible
The covenant is accepted with words and blood, then Moses enters the cloud on the mountain.
These commands address a real covenant community and take harm, testimony, property, worship, and vulnerable neighbors seriously. Read them first as moral instruction for that community. Do not lift one ancient case out of its setting and pretend it answers every modern legal question by itself.
Write one sentence the household wants to remember and place it somewhere it will be seen again. Memory in Exodus is meant to guide the next act of obedience.
Let the final response be measured by faithfulness, not by how impressive it sounds. Let the family keep one clear thread from “They Saw the God of Israel” in view during the week, and return to it when circumstances make faith feel less tidy than it sounded at the table.
Questions
1 What is happening in this reading?
AnswerThe covenant is accepted with words and blood, then Moses enters the cloud on the mountain. It invites the family to see who is protected, who carries responsibility, and what kind of harm the command takes seriously rather than reducing the unit to a single inspirational sentence.
2 What should we notice?
AnswerNotice the words, actions, relationships, and limits in the reading. Ask who speaks, who acts, who is vulnerable, and who is accountable. The concrete details around “They Saw the God of Israel” are part of the meaning, not background decoration.
3 What response does it invite?
AnswerIt invites honest attention and responsible trust. The household does not need to copy every action described. It can receive the warning, promise, command, or example that is actually present and ask how faithfulness would look at home.
4 What could a family practice?
AnswerA family could name one promise and one responsibility from the reading, then choose a small act that joins them. Explain why that practice belongs to “They Saw the God of Israel,” rather than treating the reading as a general prompt to be nicer. Keep the response concrete enough to recognize when it has been done.
What This Means for Us
“They Saw the God of Israel” gives the household a clear place to notice truth, power, repair, and the protection of neighbors. The text does not ask us to pretend that the pressure, cost, or unfinished work is absent.
Ask where this reading touches your household's use of power, memory, speech, work, worship, or care for people who depend on you. Keep the question close to home. Do not use Exodus as a quick verdict on another person's faith while avoiding the responsibility it places in front of you.
Choose one truthful response for the week. It may be a prayer, a repair, a shared task, a boundary, an act of welcome, or a remembered promise. Let it be concrete enough that the family can recognize it when it has been done.
Prayer
We pray: Holy God, keep us from turning this reading into a weapon or a performance. Give us attentive hearts, steady hands, and mercy for the people at our table. Help us obey the next thing You make clear. Amen.