Exodus 24:9

The Bible says in Exodus 24:9-11, “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.” The last part of Exodus 24:10 gives us an amazing description of certain aspects of God. Evidently the elders did not see God’s face, but they did see His feet. What they saw under God’s feet was great beauty, and an image of heaven. A sapphire stone is one the truly beautiful stones on the earth that we value even today. Blue is the most common color for sapphires, and must have been the color seen here in Exodus chapter 24, because what was seen under God’s feet was compared to the “body of heaven.” Notice that Moses did not say that what he saw under God’s feet was a sapphire stone, but he used the words “as it were.” In other words what Moses saw was a beautiful blue, and the only way that he could describe it was to use the most beautiful blue color found on earth (the sapphire) and the clear blueness of heaven itself.

Under God’s feet was “as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.” The phrase “under His feet” is symbolic of that which God rules over. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” As the children of Israel prepared to move into the Promised Land with many enemies and obstacles in their way, it was important that they be reminded of the almighty power of God, and that they be reminded of the fact that God is in control of this earth. If God wants them to go into the Promised Land, God will take care of the enemies and God will provide because God is in control of His universe and of everything that happens in it. If you are a believer, you can look at your life and realize the same truth. Whatever you must face in your life, God will be there using all things to accomplish His will for you, because there is “under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.”

The Bible says in Exodus 24:12-18, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.” Exodus 24:12 gives a spiritual truth that is very important to understand. This important truth has several points to it: God communicates with mankind. God communicates with a written word. God tells His believers to teach that word to others.

God said to Moses in Exodus 24:12, “and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.” The fact that God gives a written word is found several times in the Bible. For example, it says in Second Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The word “scripture” means “writings.” God said to Isaiah in Isaiah 30:8, “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.” God said to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 30:2, “Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.” The Bible says in Habbakuk 2:2, “And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” Jesus said to John in Revelation 1:19, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.”

God has given to us a written word. That certainly seems like a very logical way for God to communicate with us. By having a written word, we can study that Word in order to find out exactly what God says. We do not have to rely upon hearsay or someone else’s opinion. We can be absolutely certain of what God has to say to us. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” If God has taken the time and effort to give us a written word, the word must be very important indeed. And if God has taken the time and effort to give us the written Word, that Word would not have much usefulness unless we can be sure that the Word has not changed since it was given. This is an area where modern theologians have made mistakes. Humanistic and intellectual approaches have caused many modern theologians to deny the veracity and immutability of the written Word of God. Because of their spiritual problems and lack of spiritual insight, they are ignorant of the fact that the same power of God that gave the written Word has also preserved the written word. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, til all be fulfilled.” It also says in the great Psalm of praise in Psalm 100:5, “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

God gave Moses a written Word. Notice what God told Moses to do with the written Word. God told Moses in Exodus 24:12, “teach them.” Moses was told to teach the people. In order to teach, you must know your subject matter. In order for a Christian to teach the Bible, that Christian must know the Bible. Therefore, one of the purposes for your life is to study and learn the Word of God so that you can teach it to others. Paul wrote to Timothy in Second Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

God said to Moses in Exodus 24:14, “Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.” God was taking Moses up into the mountain, and Moses would be there for forty days and forty nights. Moses was a very responsible person, and he was probably thinking, “O no, I will not be able to fulfill my responsibilities among the people if I go up into the mountain.” But God wanted to make it clear to Moses that there were others who could take on Moses’ responsibilities. That is always the case. God can replace you if He sees the need to do so. It is God’s work anyway, not your work. Anything that truly gets done for the glory of Christ, will be God doing it, and He can accomplish those same things through someone else. Of course, this shows what a great privilege it is to be given something to do for God. He could have chosen someone else to do your task in life, and He will eventually; but for now He has chosen you. Obviously, when you die and leave this earth, God will give your work to someone else; but what if He wants to give it to someone else now? Are you close enough to God to understand His leading, and are you surrendered to Him so that you are willing to answer another call?

Moses was called to go up into the mountain. He was called to go and be closer to God than he had been before. Going up into the mountain symbolizes that. Your mountain may be a sick bed where you are called to lie down and meditate on Christ and draw closer to Him. Your mountain may be the result of family problems that cause you to lose a relationship that you once valued. Your mountain may be a situation in life that causes you to be cast out or hated. Whatever it is, God allowed it to happen in your life for a reason. When Moses went up into the mountain he was alone with God. God might call you to leave family and friends, and to take a path in life that will isolate you more from people. The call to the Christian life certainly has an element of that to it. Jesus said in Matthew 10:37, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” What God wants to see happen in your life is that you love Him and that you value your relationship with Jesus above all others. Are you ready to go up into the mountain and be alone with God?

Notice that Exodus 24:18 says that “Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.” We do not know exactly why a period of forty days and forty nights was chosen, but it is important to notice that the exact same time frame was chosen for Jesus to spend in the wilderness before He started His public ministry. The Bible says in Matthew 4:1-2, “Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.” When the law was given to Moses, Moses went up into the mount for forty days and forty nights. The giving of the law was one of the greatest events in the history of the human race. The law reflected God’s righteousness, and the law was a means for human beings to show they could please God through their own efforts and works, if they could keep it without fail. But human beings failed to keep the law because of the weaknesses and frailties of their human nature. Jesus took care of this sin problem of human beings by bringing grace. Jesus obeyed the law and never sinned. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice that makes the covenant of grace possible. We can now obtain the righteousness of the law through faith in Christ. It says in John 1:17, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

If you have not yet experienced the grace and truth that comes through Jesus Christ, today you can confess your sins to Jesus and receive Him as your Savior. He is risen from the dead. He is alive. He can and will save you if you call upon Him. It says in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

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