Глава 24

1–11. Solemn conclusion of the covenant. 12–18. Moses' ascent to Sinai and stay there for forty days. Ex.24:1. And He said to Moses: Go up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship [the Lord] from afar; The people, as a member of the concluded covenant (Ex. 24:6-8), are allowed in the person of their representatives - 70 elders, heads of 70 generations (Ex. 1:5), beyond the line at the foot of the mountain to worship the Lord - expressing their reverence and complete submission. Ex.24:2. Let Moses alone draw near to the Lord, but let them not approach, and let not the people go up with him. Command Art. 2 concerns the further ascension of Moses. Together with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 elders, he worshiped the Lord “from afar” (Exodus 24:1–11), without approaching Him. After this, he must ascend the mountain alone and approach the Most High (Ex. 24:12, 16, 18). The reason that removed members of the Old Testament kingdom from direct communication with God, i.e. sinfulness has not been destroyed to this day: only Moses ascends the mountain to receive the tablets, laws and commandments. Ex.24:3. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the laws. And all the people answered with one voice, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do [and be obedient]. After the epiphany, which was in the darkness (Ex. 20:21), Moses came down from the mountain to the people and announced to them “all the words of the Lord and all the laws” - not the ten-words, since the Jews heard it directly from the mouth of the Lord himself, but the laws of ch. Ref. 20:19–23. The subsequent promise of the people: “everything that the Lord has said we will do” is an expression of voluntary consent to enter into the covenant, the last moment before its conclusion (Ex. 24: 4, etc.). Ex.24:4. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and, rising early in the morning, he built an altar and twelve stones under the mountain, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel; According to the idea of ​​the covenant, both parties entering into an alliance must form one inseparable whole. This thought is expressed in further rituals. Just as the altar, the place of God's appearance to His people (Ex. 20:21), indicates the presence of the Most High, so the twelve pillars signify the presence of all the people. When concluding an alliance, both sides are present. Ex.24:5. and he sent young men from the children of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed bullocks as peace offerings to the Lord [God]. A new, young Israel enters into a covenant with God, new in the sense that he promised to renounce his sinful will and act according to the commandments of God (Ex. 24:3). It is this new people that now appears as its “youths,” its firstborn, for whom further life lies ahead. The burnt and peace offerings they brought on behalf of the entire people expressed complete devotion to God and gratitude for being accepted into the covenant. Exodus 24:6. Moses took half the blood and poured it into the cups, and sprinkled the other half on the altar; Ex.24:7. and he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do and be obedient.” Exodus 24:8. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you regarding all these words.” Just as two equal bloods, when taken together, form one whole, so the people sprinkled with one half of the blood are now one with God, the place of whose presence - the altar - is sprinkled with the other half of the blood. Narration 24 ch. book The outcome of the sacrifice upon the Israelites entering into a covenant with God differs significantly from the testimony on the same subject in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 9:19–21). According to the Apostle Paul, the people of Israel were sprinkled with the blood of bulls and goats, and the blood was mixed with water and sprinkled with scarlet wool and hyssop; Not only the people were sprinkled, but also the book of the law, the tabernacle and all the liturgical vessels. According to one explanation, the discrepancy arose from the fact that the Apostle Paul took into account the testimony of Jewish tradition; otherwise, he meant the day of purification. This latter was an annual remembrance and, as it were, a repetition of the day of the conclusion of the covenant at Sinai, and therefore it is not surprising if the Apostle identified both of these days. On the day of atonement, in addition to bulls, goats were sacrificed, and blood was also sprinkled on the tabernacle and all its utensils (Lev.16). Exodus 24:9. Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, Ex.24:10. and they saw [the place of] the God of Israel; and under His feet there is something like work made of pure sapphire and, like the sky itself, clear. Ex.24:11. And He did not stretch out His hand against the elect of the children of Israel: they saw [the place of] God, and ate and drank. As members of the covenant, the people are allowed to worship the Lord. The remark about worshiping Him from afar (Ex. 24:1), about the sight of the foot (Ex. 24:10) and about being kept alive after a vision (Ex. 24:11) clearly testifies that those who worshiped the Lord not only beheld Him spiritually, but saw His glory and presence with bodily eyes. But, on the other hand, the appearance of the Lord to them is not the appearance of Himself, i.e. not of His essence and inner life, but only of His glory; those who ascended saw only the foot of the phenomenon in which the presence of the deity was revealed. The contemplation of God, not accompanied by the death of those who contemplated, served as a sign of His favor towards the Jewish people. Just as earlier, being outside the covenant, he could not ascend the mountain and remain alive (Ex. 19:24), so now, having been awarded the union with God, he remains safe and sound. Ex.24:12. And the Lord said to Moses: Go up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the law and the commandments, which I wrote to teach them. As can be seen from the last words of Art. 11: “they ate and drank” (Ex. 24:11), the command to ascend Sinai again was given to Moses after he and the elders descended from the mountain. The goal of the new ascent is to obtain “the tablets of stone, the law and the commandments, which the Lord wrote for teaching.” Not noted in the present case, the number of tablets is indicated in other places (Ex. 31:18, 32:15); there were two of them, and each was written on both sides (Ex. 32:15). The words: “law and commandment” can hardly mean the ten-words inscribed on the tablets, since it is usually called “revelation”, “words of the covenant”, “ten-words” (Ex. 25:16, 31:18, 32:15, 34:28, 40:20, Deut. 10:4). “Law and commandment” refers to those laws and commandments given to Moses during his time on the mountain, as set forth in chapters 25–31. Accordingly, the expression: “which I wrote for their instruction” should refer only to the tablets. Ex.24:13. And Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God, In the ascent of Moses with Joshua, the action of divine Providence is seen, which made it possible for the unbelief of the Jews to manifest itself. If Joshua had remained in the camp, it is assumed that he would not have allowed the people to worship the golden calf. How can one conclude from Art. 2 of this chapter (Exodus 24:2), as well as Exodus 33:11, although Joshua was on the mountain, he was not in the same place with Moses. Ex.24:14. and he said to the elders: stay here until we return to you; behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has business, let him come to them. Moses's deputies in the analysis of important matters are his closest assistants - Aaron and Hur (Ex. 17:10 ff.). Ex.24:15. And Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain, Ex.24:16. and the glory of the Lord overshadowed Mount Sinai; and the cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day [the Lord] called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Ex.24:17. And the sight of the glory of the Lord on the top of the mountain was before the eyes of the children of Israel like a consuming fire. Ex.24:18. Moses entered the midst of the cloud and ascended the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. Legislation continues under the same conditions as before (Ex. 19:18). You might be interested in: