Introduction: Read Exodus24

It is not easy to enter into the events described in Exodus 24. They are outside our experience - almost alien to the way the Christian lives today. However it is possible to identify three themes which do have lessons to teach us. They are: Religious Enthusiasm, Ratified by Blood and Relationship to God.

(1) Religious Enthusiasm.

The covenant or agreement between God and his people is not as clearly stated in this passage as, for example, in Deut5to8. There is a succinct statement of the covenant in Dt5v32: So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or the left. Walk in all the way the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. To put it simply: God would consider the Israelites his people if they obeyed his commands. As his people they would conquer the Promised Land, settle and prosper in it.

The Israelites accepted this agreement enthusiastically. They said en mass, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey." This promise was made knowing what keeping the law involved. Most had instructed them in it.

LESSONS:

(a) Enthusiasm is good especially when it is unanimous and without dissenting voices. It ensures a good start. It would have been sad if the Israelites had been half-hearted about being God's people and entering the Promised Land. The outlook would have been hopeless if the people had not warmly embraced the Covenant.

It was always heartening to observe the keenness of a new intake of pupils to secondary school. They listened carefully, did what they were told, covered their books, wrote neatly, underlined headings and put up their hands to answer questions. At least they got off to a good start!

It is encouraging whenever a new initiative - like starting a village cricket club - is welcomed enthusiastically. In such circumstances there is a good chance of all the posts being filled.

So it is tremendous when a church has a group of young converts starting out on the Christian life. They bring energy, vitality, hope and joy to a church. For the last 20 years there has not been a conversion at my own fellowship - and it is depressing to say the least. Once the birth rate drops the population is in danger of dying out!

(b) Initial enthusiasm is not enough - especially when an enterprise is difficult and we are unaware of the deceitfulness of our hearts. The Israelites broke the covenant God made with them in only a few days. They bullied Aaron into making a golden calf and then worshipped it.

After a couple of months the novelty of being at a new school wears off and pupils are no longer bright eyed and bushy tailed. They begin to get blasé about their work and slip into bad habits. It is at this juncture that the teacher needs to crack the whip!

The same thing can happen in marriage. When the romance wears off and husband and wife begin to take each other for granted disillusionment can set in.

So it is with new converts to Christianity. Many start well who later fall away. Jesus described this sort of convert in his Parable of the Sower. Some seed fell on stony ground where there was no depth of soil. This seed germinated rapidly and there was a sudden burst of growth but in time of drought it withered and died. Some new Christians are just like this. They start well but temptations arise, Satan is active and the old nature asserts itself. Almost before they have begun these converts are back in the world.

(c) How can perseverance be stimulated? I think Christian leaders could learn something from the school teacher!

• I quickly identified a pupil whose performance was dropping off and then spoke to that pupil individually. I would let the pupil know how pleased I was with his earlier work and how disappointed that the stadard of recent work had declined. A pastor or elder should carefully monitor new converts and give them a lot of individual attention.

• I made sure that I maintained my enthusiasm and taught to the best of my ability. I tried hard to make my lessons stimulating and challenging. It is very important that new converts are taught well and involved in worthwhile activities. Church attendance should be something Christians look forward to!

• I would periodically gee up my pupils by telling them how much they had to gain by doing well in their studies and also how much they had to lose by doing badly. The Christian teacher needs to remind his hearers how much is at stake. It is only those who persevere to the end who will be saved. Those who fall away will be lost for ever.

• One of the things that facilitates learning is a good spirit. This is the result of good leadership and everybody pulling together.

  The kind of church that is best for young converts is one where there is a collective effort - where there are no drones. When Christians work hard together there is a good spirit - one conducive to the well being of immature Christians. A thriving church is worth belonging to!

God gave Moses the Law and the people agreed to keep the commandments but this was not sufficient to establish the covenant between God and his people. The covenant needed to be ratified by blood.

First of all Moses built an altar - a platform of stones - a bit like a flat topped cairn. It would be wrong to say that the altar represented God. Rather the altar was the place sacrifices were offered to God. Moses erected 12 standing stones and these did represent the 12 tribes of Israel.

Moses chose some young men to make burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God. The burnt offering was an outward sign self-surrender, dedication and obedience. The fellowship offering was an outward sign of reconciliation, fellowship and thanksgiving.

The blood of the sacrificial animals was collected. Then half the blood was sprinkled on the altar and the other half upon the people. This showed, perhaps, that the sacrifices united God with his people. The sacrificial animals paid with their shed blood to atone for sins committed by the people. When the blood was poured out on the altar it was offered to God as payment for sins committed.

The sacrifices were an acknowledgment that although the Israelites might try to keep the Law they would often fail to do so. The sacrifices introduced the necessity of God's grace. God was willing to accept sacrifices offered in good faith as a token payment for sins commited.

The blood sprinkled on the people was a sign that they benefitted from the sacrifices. The shed blood of the sacrificial animals cleansed the Israelites from sin - because God in grace accepted the sacrifices as sufficient payment for those occasions the people broke the Law.

One has to wonder whether the people understood the significance of the sacrifices and especially the way the blood was used. Throughout Israel's history, and particularly by the time of Jesus, the purpose of sacrifices was largely lost. The offerings became part of the law's requirement and became a way of earning God's favour. Sacrifices became legalistic and the association with God's grace was lost. Yet that is why they were introduced - because without God's grace there is no hope for the sinner.

The New Testament makes abundantly clear the vital importance of Christ's sacrifice and his shed blood to the believer. We know that Jesus' followers did not anticipate that he would fulfil the law by becoming the ultimate sacrificial offering. Only later with the help of the Holy Spirit did God's intention of accepting Christ's death as an all sufficient sacrifice become understood. The writer to the Hebrews states: In fact the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Heb9v22. Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people, and he will appear again a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salavation to those who are waiting for him. Heb9v28.

Salvation through faith in the sacrificial death and shed blood of Jesus is all of grace. God accepted Christ's token payment for mankind's sin and this makes our forgiveness possible. Paul quoted Jesus in "1Cor11v24: "This is the new covenant in my blood." So just as the old Mosaic covenant depended upon the blood shed by the sacrificial animals so God's new agreement to save sinners relies upon the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Our salvation depends on Christ's sacrifice and our faith in it. We are saved by grace and through faith.

(3) Relationship with God.

Come closer! Sometimes I would call a boy or a girl out to the front of my class. Perhaps the children were shivering with cold. I would announce that I had a fool proof method of warming them up. I would invite a boy or a girl to the front in order to demonstrate my amazing method to the class. It is just possible that the boy or the girl would accept my invitation but they would never stand very close to me. I would say, "Come on - draw closer." A boy might edge a bit closer but a girl would usually back further away. Why should that be? Well, I expect they were rather apprehensive about my method of warming them up! When I said, "Come on, you've got to come close enough to hold hands," a boy might reluctantly and warily do as I asked but a girl would go and sit down!

God told Moses to come closer. The vast majority of the Israelites were more than content to stop at the foot of the mountain. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. v18. They had no desire to be consumed.

How do we feel about drawing closer, ever closer to God. Sometimes we are very distant from him and happy to be so. When we contemplate sin, when we ignore the warnings of Scripture, when we deny Jesus, when we put our own selfish interests first, when we refuse to help others, when we harden our hearts in the face of need - we keep God at a distance.

A few of the Israelites went up the mountain with Moses and drew closer to the LORD's presence but only God's friend went into the cloud.

I love the words of Paul in Ephesians2: Remember at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

The Gentile believers had been brought close to God through the precious shed blood of the Lamb.

There are few more heartening hymns than Charles Wesley's, 'Arise, my soul arise':

Arise, my soul arise
Shake off thy guilty fears:
The perfect sacrifice
On my behalf appears:
Before the throne my Surety stands
My name is written on his hands

My God is reconciled,
His pardoning voice I hear,
He owns me for his child,
I can no longer fear,
With confidence I now draw nigh
And Father, Abba, Father! Cry.