Seeing God Through the Word and the Blood • Exodus 24

Devotional

Day 1: Moses Ascends Alone, Jesus Brings Us Near

The mountain smoked. Thunder shook the earth. The people trembled far below as Moses climbed Sinai alone. Yet this ancient scene points beyond itself: where Moses could only approach as a mediator, Jesus became the final mediator who brings us into God’s presence. The blood of bulls and goats could never fully bridge the gap, but Christ’s sacrifice tears the veil. His ascent to the Father opens the way for all who trust Him to draw near without fear. [29:56]

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
(1 Timothy 2:5, NKJV)

Reflection: When have you hesitated to approach God because of shame or fear? How does Jesus’ role as your mediator change your confidence in prayer?

Day 2: Every Jot and Tittle Matters

The smallest Hebrew letter—yod—resembles an apostrophe. A tittle is the serif on a letter’s edge. Yet Jesus declared even these minutiae carry divine authority. Like Moses chiseling stone tablets, God embedded eternal truth in every syllable of Scripture. To dismiss portions of His Word is to reject the Author. Our call isn’t to edit but to cherish the whole counsel of God, trusting its perfection even when culture deems it obsolete. [33:28]

“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
(Matthew 5:18, NKJV)

Reflection: Which biblical teachings do you find easiest to rationalize away? How might honoring Scripture’s “jots and tittles” deepen your walk with Christ?

Day 3: Altars Before Agreements

Moses built the altar before reading the covenant. Burnt offerings rose in smoke—total consecration to God. Peace offerings sizzled on coals—communion through sacrifice. No relationship with God exists apart from atonement. Like Israel, we stand forgiven not because we vowed obedience, but because blood was spilled. The altar always precedes the law, grace before demands, Christ’s cross before our commitment. [34:50]

“And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar.”
(Exodus 24:6, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you tried to earn God’s favor through performance? How does the altar’s priority free you to rest in Christ’s finished work?

Day 4: Blood-Sprinkled Covenant Feast

They came for a sermon but left drenched in ox blood. Moses’ shocking act imprinted this truth: covenants require death. Centuries later, Jesus lifted a cup saying, “This is My blood of the new covenant.” His sacrifice alone seals our peace with God. The elders’ meal on Sinai’s slopes foreshadows our eternal feast—where the Lamb’s blood-bought guests will dine face-to-face with their King. [48:17]

“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
(Matthew 26:28, NKJV)

Reflection: What everyday moment could remind you of your blood-bought covenant with Christ? How might gratitude for His sacrifice reshape that routine?

Day 5: Forty Days Expose Our Need

Seventy-four men saw God’s sapphire throne yet crafted a golden calf weeks later. Forty days without Moses revealed their hearts: zealous vows couldn’t overcome sinful nature. Our forty-day trials—waiting rooms, silent heavens, relentless temptations—expose the same truth. We need more than laws and leaders; we need a Savior who climbs mountains we cannot ascend and atones for failures we cannot undo. [01:07:47]

“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”
(Revelation 1:5, NKJV)

Reflection: What recurring struggle reminds you of your need for a Savior? How does Christ’s finished work on the mountain of Calvary answer that need today?

Sermon Summary

Exodus 24 opens with the Lord calling Moses near and bringing Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders up to worship from afar. Moses stands as the chosen intermediary, not just because Israel asked for one, but because the Lord appointed him. Moses receives the word, speaks the word, and represents the people before God. Deuteronomy later promises a prophet like Moses, and Acts points to Jesus as the true fulfillment, the one sent down as the Word incarnate in order to bring others up.

The written word matters because Moses writes all the words of the Lord. The written word is not loose, adjustable, or culturally bendable. Jesus says not one jot or tittle will pass away until all is fulfilled. God’s word is perfect, and the problem is not that the word needs to change. The problem is that imperfect people try to change the perfect word to accommodate imperfection.

The altar comes immediately after the written word because the answer to man’s failure is sacrifice. God sets the standard, man falls short, and the altar stands as the place where innocent blood is shed. The burnt offering pictures complete consecration, and the peace offering pictures fellowship with God based on sacrifice. Both point straight to Jesus, who is offered completely and who makes peace through the blood of his cross.

The blood becomes the center of the covenant. Half is sprinkled on the altar, satisfying God’s justice symbolically, and half is sprinkled on the people, applying the merits of the sacrifice to them. The blood connects the people to the altar, and the altar becomes the means of connection with the Lord. Jesus takes that imagery and says, “This cup is the blood of the new covenant,” shed for the remission of sins.

The elders then go up, see the God of Israel, and eat and drink in his presence. No sinful man can see God and live, yet John explains that the Son has declared him. The God they see is the pre-incarnate Christ, the one who makes God known. The whole scene looks ahead to Jesus, who came down, offered himself, applies his blood by faith, and brings his people up to see him face to face.

The forty days on the mountain become a test. Moses receives revelation, but Israel waits below. Their repeated promise, “All that the Lord has said, we will do,” collapses into idolatry. The waiting reveals the truth: man needs more than commands, more than intention, and more than performance. Man needs a Savior.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Perfect word exposes imperfect people. The written word does not bend because human weakness prefers it softer. God’s law is perfect, settled, and sufficient, and the human problem is not lack of clarity but lack of righteousness. The altar appears because the perfect word exposes a need that only sacrifice can answer. [33:28]
2. The altar answers human failure. The altar stands where self-confidence dies. God’s standard is not lowered to make sinners comfortable, and sinners are not accepted because they tried hard enough. Sacrifice becomes the place where guilt is dealt with, consecration becomes possible, and fellowship can begin. [34:34]
3. Blood connects people to God. The blood on the altar satisfies justice, and the blood on the people applies the merit of the sacrifice. That picture is not religious decoration, but covenant reality. Access to God rests on life poured out, not on human performance offered up. [48:17]
4. Christ makes the unseen God known. The elders see the God of Israel and live because the Son declares the Father. The pre-incarnate Christ stands behind those Old Testament appearances where sinful people tremble and yet survive. God is not made safe by lowering his holiness, but by revealing himself through the Mediator. [53:43]
5. Waiting reveals the heart’s need. The forty days do not create Israel’s failure, but they reveal it. Good intentions and public promises cannot carry the weight of obedience when fear, delay, and desire press in. The test proves that God’s people need more than a covenant document; they need a Savior.

## [66:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:38] - Announcements and Upcoming Baptisms
[23:21] - Sinai, Fear, and Moses the Mediator
[26:46] - The Prophet Like Moses
[29:07] - Jesus Comes Down to Bring People Up
[31:17] - Moses Writes the Words of the Lord
[34:34] - The Altar Answers Man’s Failure
[36:19] - Young Men Serving the Lord
[39:16] - Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings
[43:20] - The Life Is in the Blood
[47:47] - The Blood of the Covenant
[51:02] - The Elders See God and Eat
[57:51] - Stone Tablets and Unchanging Truth
[60:17] - Joshua Learns by Serving
[66:32] - Forty Days of Testing and Waiting

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Exodus 24:1-18 (NKJV)
(Read the full passage to capture the covenant ceremony, blood sprinkling, and Moses’ ascent.)

Observation Questions

In Exodus 24:3-8, what three actions did Moses take with the blood of the covenant, and what did each action symbolize?
What did the elders of Israel experience after the blood was sprinkled on them and the altar (Exodus 24:9-11)? How does this contrast with their earlier fear in Exodus 20:19?
According to the sermon, why did God command Moses to write His words down (Exodus 24:4), and how does Jesus affirm the permanence of Scripture in Matthew 5:18? [33:28]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think the blood was split into two parts—sprinkled on the altar and on the people—instead of just one? What does this teach about how God’s justice and mercy work together?
The elders saw God and ate with Him (Exodus 24:11), yet Scripture says no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). How does John 1:18 resolve this tension, and what does this reveal about Jesus’ role in the Old Testament?
The sermon states, “The forty days revealed Israel’s need for a Savior, not just commands.” Why did their promises to obey God (Exodus 24:3,7) fail during the waiting period, and how does this mirror human efforts to earn righteousness? [01:06:32]

Application Questions

The blood of the covenant was applied to the people after the altar. How does this order challenge the mindset of trying to “clean up your life” before approaching God? What step can you take this week to rely on Christ’s sacrifice instead of your performance?
The written Word was central to Israel’s covenant (Exodus 24:4). Are there areas where you’ve been tempted to adjust or downplay God’s commands to fit cultural norms or personal preferences? How can you reaffirm Scripture’s authority in those areas? [34:12]
The elders ate and drank in God’s presence (Exodus 24:11), foreshadowing fellowship with Christ. How does regularly participating in communion or worship remind you of your peace with God?
Israel’s failure during the forty days exposed their need for grace. When has a season of waiting or testing revealed your own limitations? How did that deepen your dependence on Jesus?
The sermon emphasizes that “the altar is where self-confidence dies.” What habit, relationship, or decision do you need to bring to the “altar” of Christ’s sacrifice this week to surrender control? [34:34]

Sermon Clips

33s

#GraceNotWorks

“``Hey. Listen. If if you're here and you've been trusting in your own works, you'll never have peace because you'll always wonder if you've done enough or not. The the bad news is that you you can never do enough. The good news is that he did it for you. If you come to Christ and trust in him, no matter what you've done, he'll forgive you. If you turn from your sin and place your trust in Jesus, he'll accept you, and the way will be open.”

43s

#WordAndAltar

“God's word is perfect. The problem is we're not. So notice what happens in the text. The word's written, and then the first thing that Moses does is he builds an altar. A place where sacrifices could be offered, a place where innocent animals could be sacrificed. And it's just the flow of this is perfect because the answer to man's imperfection, man's failure, man's shortcoming, and sin was the altar. It was the sacrifice. So you have the standards put before you. We fail to meet the standards, and God's prescription was the altar the altar.”

43s

#JesusPaidItAll

“And that's the reality is we all need a savior who came down, who spake spoke the word, who became flesh, because not one of us could save ourselves. Not one of us could perform perfectly. Not one of us could qualify to go up because of our performance. God's standard is perfect. Anything less than perfection keeps us out. We needed a savior. So he came, and he became our burnt offering. He became our peace offering. He made the way. His blood satisfied God's righteous wrath towards man's rebellion and sin. His blood is applied to our lives when we put our faith in him.”

50s

#WeNeedASavior

“They said three times, all that you said will do, all that you said will do, all that he said will do. And now you have forty days of waiting, and we'll see how they do. And tragically, what he discovers when he comes back is they they couldn't do it. They turned to idolatry. They worshiped a golden calf, and Moses' brother Aaron failed miserably. So the waiting revealed Israel couldn't do what they determined to do. In fact, it revealed that they could not relate to God based on their performance. It related it revealed to them that they needed more than just the word. They needed a savior. They needed a savior.”

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Seeing God Through the Word and the Blood • Exodus 24

Devotional

Day 1: Moses Ascends Alone, Jesus Brings Us Near

Day 2: Every Jot and Tittle Matters

Day 3: Altars Before Agreements

Day 4: Blood-Sprinkled Covenant Feast

Day 5: Forty Days Expose Our Need

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Seeing God Through the Word and the Blood • Exodus 24

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