Old Testament Reading: Exodus 25-27

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. 

[25:10] They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length [45”], a cubit and a half its breadth [27”] , and a cubit and a half its height [27”]. You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. 

25:23] You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length [36”], a cubit its breadth [18”], and a cubit and a half its height [27”]. You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons [a flagon is jar or pitcher] and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly. 

[25:31] You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes [a calyx is a flower bulb, or blossom], and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand. Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a talent of pure gold. And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain. 

[26:1] Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole. You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make. The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size. You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole. And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and a covering of goatskins on top. You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. There shall be two tenons in each frame, for fitting together. So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle. You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side; and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons; and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames, and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame. And for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames. And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. Thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners. And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame. You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall run from end to end. You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain. And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side. You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them. 

[27:1] ] You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made. 

[27:9] You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases. All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze. All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze. 

[27:20] You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.” (Exodus 25–27, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 8

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’ But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

In the time that we have remaining, I wish to answer two basic questions before offering you some suggestions for application. The first question that I wish to answer is this: what was the tabernacle? And after that I will address the question, what was the significance of the tabernacle? You see, it is one thing to know about the dimensions and details of the tabernacle’s construction, but it is quite another thing to understand its significance, purpose, or meaning. It is certainly important for us to understand what the tabernacle was (how it was made and what its features were). We must start with this. But after that, we must ask the deeper question: What was the significance or meaning of the tabernacle? Why was it given? What was it for? What did it communicate about God, his relationship to man, and his plans and purposes? 

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What Was The Tabernacle?

First, let us ask the basic question, what was the tabernacle? 

In general, it was a portable sanctuary built by Israel with precious things according to God’s design. These general facts are introduced to us in Exodus 25:1-9. 

Firstly, we are to see that it was a portable sanctuary, or temple. In 25:8 the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “And let them [Israel] make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” That this sanctuary was designed to be portable so that Isarel could take it with them as they sojourned towards the Promised Land will become clear later in this passage. But here I wish to emphasize that the tabernacle was a sanctuary or temple.  Once constructed, it would be the place where Isarel was to worship God. And it would be there in the tabernacle that God would manifest his glory in a special way. “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst,” the Lord said. Yes, God is omnipresent. He is fully in all places at all times. But just as God is present in a special way in the heavenly realm that he created in the beginning, so too he determined to be present in a special way in the midst of Israel in the tabernacle. 

Secondly, this sanctuary was to be built by Israel. Look at 25:2. “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.” So not only was Israel to construct the tabernacle, they were to construct it with the contributions that they themselves willingly made. They were to pour themselves into this temple. 

Thirdly, this sanctuary was to be built by Israel with precious things. In 25:3-5 we read,  “And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood…” (Exodus 25:3–5, ESV). These precious things were to be an earthy reflection of the glory of God in heaven. 

Fourthly,  this sanctuary was to be built by Israel with precious things according to God’s design. This command is repeated throughout the passage we read, but it is stated for the first time in 25:9. There the Lord says, “Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.” So Israel was to construct this temple, not according to their imagination, but in obedience to the command of God. And the same is true for us today. The church, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, is to be built, not according to the imaginations and creativity of man, but according to God’s design. 

So I have told you what the tabernacle was in general. It was a sanctuary built by Israel with precious things according to God’s design. It was the place where God would manifest his glory to Israel, where they were invited to approach him, worship, and serve him. 

Now let us consider the specific parts of it. They are described to us in detail in Exodus 25:10-27:19. The most holy things are described first, and the least holy things are described last. That is the order. 

Firstly, in 25:10-22 we find instructions for the construction of the ark of the testimony, which is also called the ark of the covenant. This was a rather small chest (45”x27”x27”) made of acacia wood and overlaid inside and out with pure gold. It was designed so that the tablets containing the law of the covenant which God would write on stone could be kept within it. The lid of this chest was called the mercy seat. It was made of pure gold. On top of it were the images of two angels, one on the left and one on the right with their wings stretched out towards the middle. In 25:22 we read the word of the Lord to Moses, “There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.” So this is where God would meet with Israel, above the mercy seat, and between the angels. This ark of the covenant which we are now describing was to be kept in a special place in the tabernacle – not in the courtyard, not in the Holy Place – but in the holy of holies, behind the veil, through which only Moses and the High Priests would go. The High Priests would go once a year, and not without the blood of a sacrificed animal to sprinkle on the mercy seat for the purification of their own sins, and the sins of the nation.   

Secondly, in 25:23-30 we find instructions for the construction of the table which was to hold the bread of presence. This bread is sometimes called the showbread. It was to be set before the face of God as a perpetual reminder of his provision for us. Twelve loaves would be placed before God in two groups of six (signifying the twelve tribes of Israel. Each day, fresh loaves would be placed out and the priests were to eat the day-old bread. Notice this: it was the priests as representatives of the people who would eat the bread, and not God. Where was this table of the bread of presence to be placed? Not behind the veil in the Holy of Holies, but in the Holy Place in front of the veil where the priests could have daily access to it. Certainly, this bread of the presence signified Israel’s covenantal communion with God. What did Israel do after the Old Covenant was confirmed and as they saw the heavenly throne room of God open up to them while they were on the mountain? They ate and they drank. They enjoyed covenantal communion with God, in other words. Brother and sisters, it was the LORD who set this table before Israel. Yes, they made this table and set it in place in the tabernacle, but the LORD initiated it. He commanded that this table be set between him and the people in the tabernacle. Certainly, this signified communion with God. It also was a perpetual reminder that it is the Lord who gives us this day our daily bread. Christians should remember that the Lord has set a table for us in the New Covenant temple of God. On that table, which we call the Lord’s table, the New Covenant “bread of presence” is set before God’s people signifying Christ’s broken body, our covenantal communion with God through faith in him, and that he is with us always to the end of the age.

Thirdly, in 25:31-40 instructions are given for the construction of the lampstand. Perhaps you have heard this lampstand called the Menorah, which is the Hebrew word translated as “lampstand”. This lampstand was shaped like a tree. It had a trunk, and seven branches – one in the middle and three on each side. The light of this lampstand would illuminate the Holy Place. By this light, the priests would walk and be able to see the tapestry and the bread of the presence. This light was a reminder that in the beginning, God said, let there be light. The lampstand represented the sun, moon, and stars within the tabernacle, which I will argue, was designed to remind the worshiper of the created world. This tree was a strange tree in that it had flowers, buds, and fruit all at once. This is a reminder of God’s continual provision through the cycles of the seasons, springtime and harvest. This tree-shaped lampstand also represented the tree of life that was present in the garden from which man was barred when he fell into sin. We will soon come to talk about the significance of the tabernacle, but I cannot help to draw your attention to this symbolism. The tabernacle was a picture of heavenly realities. It was a picture of Eden. 

Fourthly, in 26:1-37 we find instructions for the construction of the tabernacle itself. The tabernacle consisted of two rooms – the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place – with a courtyard around them. The Holy Place was 30’ long, by 15’ feed wide, and 15’ tall. The Most Holy Place was shaped like a cube: 15’x 15’x 15’. So in total, the tabernacle was 45’x15’x15’. In between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was a curtain or vail with large angels embroidered on it – certainly, this was to remind the worshipper of the angel that was placed outside of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life and into the presence of God. The tabernacle itself was constructed with inner curtains. These were also embroidered with angels to remind the worshipper of the heavenly hosts that look down upon them. On the outside of these elaborate curtains was a layer of animal hides to protect the tabernacle from the elements. These were hung on wooden beams overlaid with gold on golden hooks and rings.

Fifthly, in 27:1-8 instructions for the construction of the bronze alter upon which animal sacrifices were to be burnt are given. The bronze altar was 7.5’ square and 4.5’ feet tall. Along with it, utensils for tending the fire and the sacrifices were made, along with poles to carry it from place to place. 

Sixthly, and lastly, in 27:9-19, instructions for the construction of the courtyard are given. The courtyard was to be enclosed with “fine twined linen” hung on pillars with bases of bronze and with hooks of silver (notice that the metals are getting less precious the further we get from the Most Holy Place). An entrance gate was also to be made. It was to be made of “blue and purple and scarlet yarn”, with a width of 30’. The dimensions of the whole courtyard were 150’ long by 75’ wide with linen walls 7.5’ high. All of the utensils of the courtyard were to be made of bronze, and that includes a large laver for washing which will be described to us in Exodus 30, along with other items associated with the priesthood. 

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What Was The Significance Of The Tabernacle?

So it should be clear to you what the tabernacle was. I hope you understand the facts about its features and dimensions. But now we must ask the deeper question: what was it for? What was its purpose, significance, or meaning? What did the tabernacle communicate to Israel, and through them, the world?

I hope you can see why this is the deeper and more important question. If you were to ask me, what is baptism? Or, what is the Lord’s Supper? I could tell you all about the proper recipients, the elements used, and how they are to be administered. As important as those facts are, that sort of answer would be superficial. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are sacraments. That means that they symbolize spiritual realities. If you really want to understand Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, you must know what the dipping of a person in water and the eating of bread and drinking of wine signify.  And you know what these means of grace signify. They remind us of a historical event – the death and resurrection of Christ. They are signs of heavenly and spiritual realities – his being seated at the right hand of the father now, our having been washed in his blood, and our covenantal and Spirit-wrought union with him. You see, if we wish to answer the question, what is baptism?, or, what is the Lord’s Supper?, this is what we must talk about. We must go beyond a consideration of the elements – bread, wine, and water – and beyond questions of administration, to a discussion about meaning and significance. The same is true with the tabernacle, and later temple, of the Old Covenant. The tabernacle functioned in a sacramental or symbolic way.  

I think I can briefly answer the question, what was the significance of the tabernacle?, under three headings: place, picture, and promise. 

Firstly, the tabernacle was the place where Israel was to worship the LORD and where God would dwell in the midst of them in a special way. There at the tabernacle, and later the temple, Israel was invited to draw near to God in the way that he prescribed. The tabernacle was the place of God’s special presence under the Old Covenant. 

In the past, I have taught you that the kingdom of God was prefigured within Old Covenant Israel. The kingdom was offered to Adam but forfeited, promised to Adam, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was prefigured within Isarel under the Old Mosaic Covenant. It was inaugurated (or started) at Christ’s first coming with the making of the New Covenant. And it will be consummated (or completed) when he comes again to judge and to bring his elect into the new heavens and Earth which he has purchased with his blood. The whole story of the Bible can be described in terms of the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth and amongst men. And what is the kingdom of God except for the Holy God ruling and reigning in the midst of a holy people in a holy realm? 

 I have taught you in previous sermons that the kingdom of God is the Holy God dwelling in the midst of his holy people in a holy realm. If you wish to know what the kingdom of God is in its full and consummate state, you may go to the end of the book of Revelation to read of the vision that John saw of the new heavens and earth. He saw a vision of the Holy God ruling and reigning in the midst of a holy people in a holy realm. That was what was offered to Adam, promised to the patriarchs, prefigured in Old Covenant Israel, and inaugurated at Christ’s first coming. Everything is heading towards the consummation of the kingdom when Christ returns. 

In Old Covenant Israel the kingdom of God was prefigured. It was not present yet with power. This is why John the Baptist came preaching, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. But it was prefigured in Israel. And if the kingdom of God is the Holy God dwelling in the midst of his holy people in a holy realm, then you can see that the tabernacle, and later the temple, was the particular place through which God was present with his people. The holy and omnipresent God dwelt in the midst of his holy people whom he had set apart and redeemed by taking up residence, if you will, in this tabernacle. There he manifested his presence. There the people were invited to approach. But they were to approach according to God’s design so that they could approach in a way that was safe.  The LORD said, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” The sanctuary was built, not for God, as if he needed a house to dwell in to be sheltered from the elements. It was built for man so that sinful man might have a way to draw near to the Holy One and not be consumed. 

Two, the tabernacle was a picture. 

I could make an argument for the tabernacle as a picture of Eden. I think it certainly was that. The tree-shaped lampstand clues us into this. But for the sake of time, I will emphasize that the tabernacle was a picture of heavenly realities. One should not forget that Israel was just given a glimpse into the heavenly throne room of God through the mediation of Moses, Aaron, Nadab,  Abihu, and the 70 elders as they went up on the mountain. Now, Israel is instructed to build this tabernacle according to the design that God showed to Moses on the mountain. The Most Holy Place was a picture of the throne room of God in heaven. No image of God was made, but the Holy of Holies, the ark of the covenant, and the angels which adorned it symbolized God’s throneroom. There between the cherubim and above the mercy seat, God would be present with Israel. The tabernacle, and particularly the Most Holy Place, was a picture of heaven. 

Secondly, the tabernacle was a picture of the earth and of man’s approach to the God of heaven from on earth. Imagine walking into the courtyard of the tabernacle through those wide curtains. What was the first thing you would see except the altar upon which the burnt sacrifices were offered up to God? Immediately you would have been reminded of your sin and of the need for atonement so that God’s wrath would be turned away from you. You would then come to the bronze laver filled with water, which would remind you of the need for purification. Entering then into the Holy Place you would be struck by the contrast between the harsh, dry, and dusty world outside and the pleasant, beautifully ornate, and glorious comfort of the sanctuary. The light of the lampstand shining in the darkness would remind you of the stars of heaven and of God, the source of all light. By this light, you would see the beautiful tapestry and the embroidered images of angels. These images would remind you of the spiritual world and of the angels of God who look down upon us day and night. The lampstand itself, being shaped like a tree, would remind you of the tree of life offered to Adam in Eden, but forfeited by him. The bread of the presence of would remind you of God’s gracious provision for you while you sojourn before him on earth. Though we did not read of the altar of incense in this passage (it will be described to us in Exodus 30), it was placed immediately in front of the veil which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. As incense was burned on that altar, the smoke from it, and the pleasant aroma, would make its way past the veil and into the Holy of Holies, that is to say, into the very presence of God. The smoke from this incense symbolized the prayers of God’s people. Brother and sisters, when you pray on earth with faith in Jesus the Messiah, your prayers are heard by God. They make their way into his presence through his mediation. So then, the tabernacle was a picture of the heavenly throne room of God and of the way that the Lord had made for sinful men and women to approach him from on earth. To understand this, it might help to visualize the tabernacle and to tilt it heavenward in your minds so that you can see it as a kind of ladder to God in heaven – through the gates and into the courtyard, past the alter, past laver, and into the Holy Place having been covered by the blood and washed with the water. There, the Lord would commune with Isarel. Isarel was invited to approach the God of heaven in this way through the mediation of their priesthood.   

But notice something very important. Under the Old Covenant, in the tabernacle and later the temple, a veil remained which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. On that veil, angels were embroidered as if standing guard to block the people from having full access to the God of heaven. The smoke from the altar incense would continuously make it sway in. And the High Priest was invited in one year, but not without animal blood to atone for his own sin and the sins of the people. So the way to God was not completely closed off. But neither was it throne wife open in Old Covenant times.    

This brings us to the third word which describes what the tabernacle was. The tabernacle was the place where God dwelt in the midst of his Old Covenant people. It was a picture of God’s heavenly throne room and of the way that God had made for man to approach him from on earth. Thirdly, the tabernacle was a kind of promise. 

Any Israelite who understood what was offered to Adam in the beginning, but lost by his fall into sin – any Israelite who knew and understood the promises of God made to  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob concerning the salvation that would be proved, not for the Hebrews only, but for all the world, through one of Abraham’s seed, would know that the tabernacle was not the end goal. Or to put it differently, though God’s presence was really there in that tabernacle, and though a way was made for Israel to approach the God of heaven in that place, the work of our full and final redemption and reconciliation to God was not accomplished there. The tabernacle, and later the temple, was a picture of the Savior who was to come. It was a picture of how the way into the presence of God would open wide for sinners. The way to God would be opened wide not through the blood of animals, not through the washing of the body with water, and not through the mediation of Moses or the priests who descended from Aaron, but by the shed blood of the Messiah, through the cleaning of the conscience that comes to those whose sins are forgiven through faith in him, and through the mediation of Jesus Christ, a priest in the order of Melchizedek, and the New Covenant ratified in his blood. 

Place, picture, promise. Those three worlds should help us to remember what the tabernacle was all about for the Old Covenant people. 

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Contemplations

So what benefit is there for the New Covenant people of God to consider these things?

Well, first of all, we must acknowledge the tabernacle is no longer the “place” where God dwells in the midst of his people. Where does God commune with his people now? It was to the church that Paul said, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV). It was to the New Covenant church, made up of Jews and Gentiles together that Peter said, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5, ESV). So I ask you, where is God’s temple today? Where does God meet with his people? Or to state it differently, where has God set his table with bread and with drink? He has set his table, not in a tent, nor in a house of stone, but before his people who have been covered by the blood of the Messiah and washed in the waters of baptism. As you reflect upon the tabernacle, and as you consider its fulfillment in Christ and in the church of Christ, it ought to open up worlds of application for you. 

Think of what God has done for you to reconcile you to himself and to open up the way for you really, fully, and eternally through the curtain, that is through Christ’s flesh. 

Does this fill your heart with awe and with gratitude?

Does this encourage you to pray?

Does this encourage you to draw near to your Father in heaven to enjoy sweet communion with him?

Does this help you to understand what it is that we are doing when we assemble together on the Lord’s Day?

Does this increase your longing for Christ’s return, the consummation of his kingdom, and the day when his temple will fill the earth, his glory will fill all, and his people, made holy by the blood of Christ, will enjoy his presence forever and ever immediately and without interruption? 

It should. But it will require us to contemplate these things prayerfully and thoughtfully. 

Thanks be to God for the salvation that is our in Christ Jesus. May he bless his church, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Lord help us. Amen. 

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 24:9-18

“Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’ So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, ‘Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.’ Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” (Exodus 24:9–18, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 10:1–25

“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will.’ He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’ then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:1–25, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

One of the things that I enjoy doing as a pastor is conducting wedding ceremonies. Weddings are such joyous occasions, and they are also very significant occasions. In a wedding ceremony, a covanant is made. And in that covenant, a man and woman are joined together as one. Marriages are covenants. 

In our culture, it is customary to have a wedding rehearsal a day or two before the wedding ceremony itself. At the rehearsal, the bride and groom and all who will be involved in the wedding ceremony go through the motions of the ceremony so that everyone has a clear understanding of what will happen on the wedding day. Everyone enters and stands where they are supposed to stand. The minister leads the bride and groom through the various elements of the service in a summary fashion. He shows them how the rings are to be exchanged and placed on the finger. He even walks them through the exchange of vows. But the vows are not stated at the rehearsal. The rings are not placed fully upon the finger. And the bride and groom are not pronounced husband and wife, for it is a rehearsal, and not the wedding ceremony itself. For this reason, the man and women leave the rehearsal as individuals, and not as a married couple. The covenant of marriage will be ratified at a later date. Clearly, the rehearsal is not the wedding. But the two things – the rehearsal and the wedding – are related. The one is a  preparation for the other. The one is a foretaste or foreshadowing of the other.

I mention this because I think that the relationship between a wedding rehearsal and a wedding ceremony can serve (in a limited way)  to illustrate the relationship between the Old Covenant and the New. What is the connection between the covenant that God made with ethnic Israel through Moses, and the covenant that God transacted with all of his elect in every age through Christ? Stated very simply: the one prepared for the other.  

Now, it is possible to push this illustration too far. The Old Mosaic Covenant was not merely a Covenant of preparation. The Lord did actually work in and through that Covenant. Many who lived under that Covenant did actually enjoy sweet communion with God through the means that God prescribed. Nevertheless, the fact remains, the Old Mosaic Covenant was a covenant of preparation. It was forward-looking. It was, in many ways, a rehearsal for the New Covenant, which is the Covenant of Grace, through which all who have ever been reconciled to God are reconciled. 

As you know, God’s plan for the salvation of sinners is to save them through faith in Jesus the Christ and according to the terms of the New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace, of which Christ is the mediator. It is the new covenant ratified with Christ’s blood that saves. It is the new covenant ratified with Christ’s blood that provides for the forgiveness of sins. It is through the new covenant ratified with Christ’s blood that sinners are reconciled to God the Father and are invited to boldly approach his throne of grace. 

While the Old Covenant with Moses as mediator provided a type of salvation, it with earthly, not eternal. Israel was saved from Egyptian bondage, not from bondage to sin, Satan, and the fear of death. While the Old Covenant with Moses as mediator provided a type of forgiveness, it was not the kind of forgiveness that cleansed the conscience before God  – no, only the flesh was cleansed by the blood of those bulls and goats (Hebrews 9:11ff). While the Old Covenant with Moses as mediator provided a way to access the God of heaven from on earth, it did not open up the way to God really, truly, and eternally.

If you wish to have Biblical proof for these claims that I have just made, you will only need to re-read the Hebrews 10 passage that was read to you just a moment ago. It is through the death and resurrection of Christ and the New Covenant which he mediates  – not through Moses and the Old Covenant which he mediated – that sinners are forgiven, have their guilt removed to the cleansing of their consciences, are perfected and are therefore invited to confidently “enter the holy places” and to “draw near” to the God of heaven. 

I say all of this by way of introduction because I think it will help us to fully appreciate the story that is told to us here concerning the making of the Old Mosaic Covenant. There are important themes present in this narrative – themes that should sound very familiar to you. This story that is told here in the Old Testament should remind you of the story that is told in the New Testament, for the two stories are very related. The old one was a picture which was meant to prepare for the new.

Think with me for a moment of all that the LORD did for Israel on earth. 

He accomplished redemption for Israel to free them from Egypt. And this pictured and prepared us for the eternal and spiritual redemption that Christ would accomplish through his death and resurrection. 

God then called Israel to himself at Sinai to bring them into the Old Mosaic Covenant to make them partakers.  And this pictured and prepared for the calling of God to all of his elect to bring them into the New Covenant to make them partakers of it through faith in Jesus the Messiah. 

God then gave his law to Israel. He spoke it from Sinai, revealed it through Moses, and then delivered it on tablets of stone. This pictured and prepared for the writing of the law of God on the hearts of his elect by the Spirit of God sent forth by the Son.

Israel was then moved to respond to the call of God and the proposal of the terms of the Old Covenant with these words: “All that the LORD has spoken we will do…” In other words, they confessed the LORD to be their Lord. This anticipated the response of all of God’s elect to the call of God that comes to them through the word of the gospel and by the power of the Holy Spirit. How do sinners come to be partakers of the blessing of the New Covenant except by believing in the heart in the risen Christ, and confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord?  

And lastly, remember that animal blood was applied to the people of Israel to confirm the Old Covenant and for the purification of the flesh. This pictured and prepared for the application of the blood of Christ to all who believe upon him for the purification of the soul leading to a cleansed conscience before God.

And now we continue with the Exodus story. What happened after the Old Covenant was confirmed?

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They Went Up, Saw God, Ate And Drank

In Exodus 24:9 we read, “Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up…” This means that they went up on the mountain a bit. They went up as representatives of Israel. One should not miss the significance of going up the mountain. Not all ascents up all mountains are of spiritual significance, but some ascents up certain mountains under certain circumstances signify an approach to the God of heaven. Surely that is the case here. God, having redeemed Israel, having called them to himself, having given them his law, and having cleansed them with blood, did then invite them to approach him through the mediation of the priests and the representation of the elders.   

In verse 10 we read, “…and they saw the God of Israel.” This, brothers and sisters, is the end goal of all of the covenants that God has transacted with men. When God makes covenants with man he offers them something greater than what they currently possess, namely, the beatific vision. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. They enjoyed his presence. But they did not live before God in glory. No, by sinning, they fell short of the glory of God. When the promise of the gospel was made to Adam, and when this promise was reiterated and enshrined in the covenant that God made with Abraham, and later with Moses, this was the end goal – to bring fallen sinners into the presence of God Almighty, to behold his glory, to enjoy him, and to worship, and serve him forever. 

That this was the end goal of the Old Mosaic Covenant is very clear. After the covenant was confirmed by the sprinkling of animal blood, Israel, through the mediation of Moses and the representation of Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders, went up the mountain “…and they saw the God of Israel.” But please do not miss this very important point. Israel was not brought into the presence of God Almighty to remain there eternally through the mediation of Moses. No, they were only given a glimpse or a taste of his glory. This observation is very, very important. Did the Old Mosaic Covenant have something to do with God’s plan of redemption wherein he would redeem sinners and reconcile them to himself to dwell in his glorious presence forever and ever? Yes, certainly. This passage makes that clear. But did Moses and the covenant he mediated get the job done? Did it take them into the presence of God really, truly, and eternally? No. They were given only a brief glimpse of the glory of God, and that through the priesthood and through their elders.  

Verse 10 goes on to clarify what it was that Israel saw. “There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.” So, when the text says, “and they saw the God of Israel”, it does not mean that they saw God as he is. The scriptures are clear, “No one has ever seen God”(John 1:18, ESV). In fact, in Exodus 33:20 we read God’s words to Moses – “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live”, he said (Exodus 33:20, ESV). What did Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel see when they “saw the God of Israel”? They were given a glimpse of his glory as it is manifest in heaven. They saw the floor of heaven if you will. They saw the underside of the throne of God who is in heaven.  It looked to them like a clear, precious, sapphire stone. In the beginning, God created the heavenly realm and the earthly realm. The heavenly realm is typically invisible to us. But from time to time, God’s people are given a glimpse of that realm and the glory of God which is manifest there. Here is one of those instances. 

In verse 11, we read, “…and [they] ate and drank.” What is this about? Why did Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, eat and drink before the God of heaven? Well, in Old Testament times, this is how a covenant (let’s say, between kings) would be concluded. After making a covenant the kings would eat and drink together signifying their alliance. 

All of this should remind us of the meal that Jesus Christ the Messiah, God incarnate, ate with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’” (Matthew 26:26–29, ESV).

So you can see that when the Old Covenant was put into place the people of Israel, through the representation of Moses, the priests, and the seventy elders, ate and drank in the presence of God. And similarly, but in a much greater and more intimate way, when the New Covenant was instituted, the church of God, through the representation of the Apostles, ate and drank before God. And each and every Lord’s Day this covenant is remembered and renewed as the church of God assembles to hear God’s word proclaimed, to confess that Jesus is Lord, and to eat and drink in the presence of God through the mediation of Jesus, our great High Priest.   

Brothers and sisters, do you see the similarities between the making of the Old Covenant and the New? I trust that you do. But do you also see the New Covenant is far superior?

Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel were given a glimpse of the glory of God in heaven, and they ate and drank before him. But the Apostles communed with the incarnate Word of God when the New Covenant was made. This is why John the Apostles could write, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:14–18, ESV).

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They Were Not Consumed

Let us return now to Exodus 24. Look with me at the beginning of verse 11. There is a little remark there that we skipped. The text says, “And [the LORD] did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God and ate and drank.”

Why would this need to be said? 

Well, the words of the LORD from Exodus 33:20 have already been cited. “…you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live”, the LORD said to Moses. Add to this the likelihood that not all of the elders were believing in the promises concerning the Messiah, and thus were not justified before God’s sight. And we must remember that the animal blood that was sprinkled upon the people when the covenant was ratified did nothing to cleanse the conscience before God – it only cleansed the flesh.

So the question is a reasonable one. How could these men see the glory of God and not be consumed? And the answer is that God showed mercy. “[The LORD] did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God and ate and drank.”

You should know that there is a debate among theologians as to whether we should call the Old Mosaic Covenant a covenant or works, or a covenant of grace. I’m convinced that it is a covenant of works. That seems quite obvious given its conditional nature. If you do this… then this will be the result, is the principle. 

But those who wish to call it a covenant of grace will draw attention to passages like this one where it is emphasized that God was gracious to Israel, that this covenant did carry within it the precious promises of the gospel, and that this covenant did lead to the New Covenant ratified in Christ blood. 

In response to all of these valid observations we ought to say, God’s graciousness, the presence of the promise of the gospel, and the Old Testament’s fulfillment in the New do not make this a covenant of grace substantially. Substantially, the Old Mosaic Covenant was a covenant of works. If the people wished to have the blessings of this covenant they had to work (or obey). But certainly, it is also true that God was merciful to Israel. He withheld his judgment. He did not “lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel” so as to preserve Israel until Christ would be brought into the world through them. When we say that the Old Mosaic Covenant was a covenant or works, we do not mean that it was a strict and graceless covenant of works like the one that was made with Adam in the garden. God was merciful to Israel. His grace was certainly present through the promise of the gospel. But the covenant itself was a conditional covenant of works. If the people and the nation were to be blessed in the land, they had to keep the terms of it. They had to work for the earthly reward. 

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Moses Ascended The Mountain Of The Lord

Lastly, let us consider verses 12 through 18 where Moses’ ascent up the mountain is described. 

Verse 12: “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’”

Verse 13: “So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.” This man, Joshua, was introduced to us back in 17:9. There he led the armies of Israel to fight. Here he ascends the mountain with Moses. In 40 years time, he will be the one to lead Israel into the promised land. It is hard not to see Josua as a type of Joshua the Christ 

Verse 14: “And he said to the elders, ‘Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.’” So Moses delegated authority to Aaron and Hur. This will become important later in the book as we encounter the story of the golden calf. 

Verse 15: “Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.” Moses ascended the mountain of the Lord. Remember that. 

Verse 16: “The glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.” Here we have God relating to Moses (and to Israel) according to the pattern of the weekly Sabbath. 

Verse 17: “Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.” God manifested his glory on Sinai, and the people saw it. That is significant. The people heard God’s voice when the Ten Commandments were spoken and they also saw his glory. In other words, there were many, many witnesses to these things which Moses has written down for us. 

Verse 18: “Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

In many ways, these verses simply set the stage for what is to come. But here is the thing that I want for you to see. Moses ascended to the top of Mount Sinai when the Old Covenant was ratified, but he did not ascend into heaven. Mose’ ascended the mountain and he was enveloped by the glory of God Almighty, but as amazing and important as that was, he did not remain there. He came down from the mountain and dwelt on earth amongst the people until the day he died. 

Contrast this with Jesus Christ the mediator of the New Covenant. After accomplishing our redemption, after cutting the New Covenant, and after communing with his people for 40 days, he ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of God with all authority in heaven and earth given to him. And there he remains and will remain until he returns to bring his people into the Promised Land, the New Heavens and Earth.

Moses ascended the mountain. Christ ascended into heaven, and there he remains. This doctrine of “ascent” is very important, brothers and sisters. Compare and contrast the Old Covenant with Moses as mediator and the New Covenant with Christ as mediator in terms of the doctrine of ascent. 

As mediator of the Old Covenant Moses was invited to ascend to the top of Mount Sinai alone and the glory of God graciously descended upon him. He remained there for a time and then returned to the people. 

As mediator of the New Covenant Christ earned the right to ascend, not to the top of some earthly mountain, but into heaven to the Father’s right hand. In other words, he made it all the way into the presence of God Almighty and he sat down. He finished his work and so he sat down, for he was there to stay. 

And Christ did not ascend alone like Moses did. No, he takes with him all who are united to him by faith. This is what Paul speaks to when he says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–7, ESV). 

Moses, having ratified the Old Covenant with animal blood, ascended Sinai alone for a time. Christ, having ratified the New Covenant with his own blood,  ascended into the glorious presence of God who is enthroned in heaven and there he remains. This he did, not for himself only, but to bring many sons and daughters to glory with him. 

The Old Covenant was great. Let us never demean the Old Covenant. It was great because God initiated that covenant, It was great because it accomplished God’s purpose for it. But the New Covenant is far superior. For it is through the New Covenant ratified with Christ’s shed blood that the forgiveness of sins is available, and reconciliation with the God of glory is possible.

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Reflections

One, consider how marvelous the accomplishment of our redemption is from the days of Adam to Christ. In the days of Adam, a promise was made concerning our redemption. And from that day forward, God was working. And when God worked in the days before the arrival of the Christ, he often worked in such a way so as to paint a picture of the redemption that was to come. This should bring great confidence to us, brothers and sisters, concerning the truthfulness of our redemption in Christ. Christ came in fulfillment to these things. Just as a bride and groom are set at ease by the rehearsal in preparation for the wedding day, so too the hearts of those who believe in Christ are set at ease as they consider these works of God in ages past which prepared for and prefigured our full and final redemption in Christ. 

Two, as you contemplate the marvelous works of redemption that God did in the days of Moses – and they were indeed marvelous and ought to be seen as such – do not forget to compare them to the work of Christ. Ponder the similarities and see Christ prefigured in them. But do not forget to ponder the differences. As we consider the similarities and differences we come to see that though Moses was a great servant in God’s house, he was not the Son – he was not the Messiah. Jesus Christ and the Covenant that he mediates are far superior to Moses and the Old. Moses himself would happily take the words of John the Baptist on his lips, who said concerning Jesus the Messiah, I must decrease, and he must increase. 

Thirdly, I offer this exhortation: be very sure that you are found in Christ and his in Covenant, for it is only through Christ that we have reconciliation with God. 

It will do you no good to be found in Adam (all men and women are born in Adam and into that broken Covenant of Works which brings only death, not eternal life). Adam did not ascend the mountain of the Lord. No, by his sin he only descended into sin and misery and was expelled from that garden and from the presence of God’s Holy Mountain. 

And it will do you no good to be found in Moses. For though Moses did ascend the mountain of the Lord, by God’s grace, it was an earthy mountain only – a type of the heavenly. And though Moses, the priests,  and the elders of Israel were given a glimpse of heaven, the way was not opened up to them. As I have said, Moses was a faithful servant in God’s house. But he was not the Messiah, the only mediator between God and man. Moses was good. The covenant he mediated was good. And so too were the laws of that covenant. But that covenant was designed to prepare for another – the New Covenant in Christ’s blood. 

We must be found in Christ if we hope to be saved from our sins and to go to heaven. Only Christ, through his obedient life and sacrificial death, ascended the mountain of the Lord to remain. He ascended to the Father and sat down. And he ascended to bring many sons and daughters to glory. 

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:19–25, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 24:1-8

“Then he said to Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.’ Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.’ And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.’ And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.’” (Exodus 24:1-8, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 9:11–28

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.’ And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:11–28, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction: Looking Forward To The New Covenant

I have said half-jokingly to some that the reason I decided to preach through the book of Exodus is so that I might prepare the congregation for a future sermon series through the book of Hebrews. Of course, that is not the full reason. There is tremendous value in studying the book of Exodus on its own. But there is some truth to this. There is a sense in which a good and proper understanding of the book Exodus (and the rest of the Old Testament for that matter) does help us to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ and the New Testament scriptures that speak of him. In fact, I think it is safe to say, if we wish to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ and the New Testament scriptures which speak of him, we must understand the Old Testament scriptures, for the two Testaments are intimately related.

I trust that you were able to see the connection between the Old Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant ratified in Christ’s blood as I read Exodus 24 and Hebrews 9 just a moment ago. Clearly, there is an intimate relationship between what God did with Israel through Moses and what God did for all of his elect, Jew and Gentile, through Jesus Christ. The two events, the two mediators, and the two covenants are related. Nevertheless, I trust that you were also able to see (even as I read quickly) that these two covenants – the Old and the New – are substantially different. The Old anticipated the New, and the New fulfills the Old. The Old Covenant provided for the purification of the flesh, but the New Covenant provides for the purification of the conscience. The Old Covenant was indeed good in that it accomplished God’s design, but the New Covenant is far superior in that it actually deals with the problem of sin and makes its partakers right before God in a heavenly, spiritual, and eternal way. If you are familiar with the book of Hebrews you know that that really is its main point. In the book of Hebrews, the Old Covenant is compared and contrasted with the New Covenant, and the author wishes to convince his audience of the superiority of the New Covenant which Christ mediates, over the Old Covenant which was mediated by Moses. But please note this: The writer to Hebrews does not pit the New Covenant against the Old, nor does he pit Christ against Moses. No, he, along with the rest of the New Testament scriptures, shows that the New is greater and Christ is superior because the New fulfills the Old. In other words, the Old and New Covenants, and the mediators of those covenants, Moses and Christ, are not enemies, but dear friends. If I may speak in this way, the Old Covenant was happy to give way to the New, for this was its intended purpose. Stated differently, Moses and Elijah were very, very happy to commune with Christ on the mountain (Matthew 17). They were dear friends, but they were not equals. Moses (and Elijah) were servants in God’s house – Christ is the Son (Hebrews 3). 

I mention all of this in the introduction to this sermon on Exodus 24 because, as we consider this text which describes to us the confirmation of the Old Mosaic Covenant, it is important for us to keep the New Covenant in mind. We must be mindful of the relationship between the two covenants. We must recognize the similarities and the differences if we hope to properly interpret this portion of Holy Scripture. In other words, we must interpret this Old Testament text in the light of Christ and the New Testament scriptures which speak concerning him.

Introduction: Looking Back To The Abrahamic Covenant

As I have said, Exodus chapter 24 describes the confirmation of the Old Mosaic Covenant. And, by way of introduction, I do also wish to remind you of the covenants that God had made with man before this. Yes, there is a vital connection between the Old Mosaic Covenant and the New, which would be ratified some 1,600 years later. But there is also a vital connection between the Old Mosaic Covenant and covenants previously made, particularly the covenant which God made with Abraham.  

As you probably know, the Bible teaches that God has always related to man through covenants. Through covenants, the terms of the relationship between God and man are established. Through the making of covenants God declares his “sovereign pleasure concerning the benefits he will bestow on [man], the communion they will have with him, and the way and means by which this will be enjoyed by them” (S. Renihan quoting N. Coxe, Mystery of Christ, 41).   

In these biblical covenants, it is God who takes the initiative; it is God who sets the terms. All are the outworking of God’s kindness in that they offered something to man better than what man previously possessed. 

Do you remember how God made a covenant with Adam in the garden? God established the terms of the relationship. Adam was called to obey God. The consequence for disobedience would be death; the reward for obedience would be life eternal. Adam broke that covenant of works, but God was gracious and promised to send a Savior. 

God entered into another covenant with Abraham. He called him out from the nations and promised to make him into a great nation, to give his descendants the land of Canaan, and to bless all the nations of the earth through him. All of that was the unconditional promise of God, and you may read about it in Genesis 12. But God did also expand upon this unconditional promise. For Abraham’s descendants to be blessed in the land that God would give to them, they were to “keep” the covenant. You may read about this expansion of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 17. In Genesis 12, God made unconditional promises to Abraham concerning offspring, the land of Canaan, and the blessing of the nations through him. In Genesis 15 the unconditional promises concerning his offspring were reiterated and claitified – he would have an heir from his own loins through Sarah. But in Genesis 17, conditions are introduced. For Abraham’s descendants to be blessed in the land of Canaan and to remain there, they would need to “keep” the covenant. Their remaining in the land, and their being blessed in the land, were conditioned upon their keeping of the covenant. And there in Genesis 17 the terms of the Abrahamic covenant were concluded and sealed with the bloody (remember that word “bloody”) sign of circumcision. That bloody sign of circumcision signified many things. It marked the Hebrews off as God’s chosen people. It called for circumcision of the heart. But it also reminded the people that should they fail to keep the terms of the covenant – should they fail to obey God’s law – they would be cut off.  The sign of circumcision did also point forward to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would be born from Abraham’s seed, and who would himself be cut off through the shedding of his own blood, not for his own failure to keep God’s law, but for the failures and sins of others. 

So then I ask you, would Abraham certainly have a son and through that son become as numerous as the sand of the seashore? Was that a guaranteed thing? Yes, certainly. Why? Because of God’s unconditional promise. 

Would Abraham’s descendants take possession of the land of Canaan and have it as their own – a land flowing with milk and honey? Yes, certainly. Why? Because of God’s unconditional promise. 

Would Abraham’s descendants become a great nation with kings to rule over them? Yes, certainly. Why? Because of God’s unconditional promise. 

And would all of the nations of the earth be blessed through Abraham, through the Messiah that would one day come into the world through him? Yes, certainly. Why? Because of the unconditional promise made to Abraham in the covenant that  God transacted with him. 

Now I ask you, based upon the terms of the Abrahamic Covenant, would this nation be blessed in the land that the Lord would give to them? Would they flourish there? Would they be fruitful and multiply there? Would they remain there? Or was it possible for them to be cut off (exiled)? According to the terms of the covenant that God made with Abraham, it was possible for them to be cut off individually, and cast out of the land as a nation. Why? Because of the conditional element introduced in Genesis 17. The covenant was to be “kept”, and the bloody sign of circumcision was a sign of this.

So then, you can see that this Old Mosaic Covenant which is confirmed here in Exodus 24 was organically connected to the covenants which preceded it – the Adamic and the Abrahamic. God entered into this conditional covenant of works with Israel through Moses after he graciously redeemed them from Egyptian bondage. This redemption was in fulfillment of the gracious and unconditional promises made to father Abraham hundreds of years earlier. This Mosaic Covenant was a kind of development of the Abrahamic, in other words. And it was also organically connected to the covenant which was ratified later in Christ’s blood, the New Covenant, which is the Covenant of Grace. 

Introduction: The Immediate Context

So far, I have attempted to set Exodus 24 in its biblical context. Now let me briefly remind you of the more immediate context. 

One, the Old Mosaic Covenant was made with Isarel after God redeemed them. That significant. Though it is right for us to call this a conditional covenant or works, it is also right to remember that this was all by the grace of God. Any and all interaction between God and man after the fall of man into sin other than full and final judgment must be regarded as gracious. True. This a covenant of works with conditions for man to keep. But the grace of God is certainly present. 

Two, we must remember that we have been considering the making of this Old Mosaic Covenant ever since Exodus 19. 

In Exodus 19 the covenant was proposed with these words from God to Israel: “‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant [think Genesis 17], you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4–6, ESV). And how did Israel respond to this proposal? “All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do.’” (Exodus 19:8, ESV)

Starting in Exodus 20, the laws and statutes of this covenant were presented to Israel. These were the words and rules that Isarel was to “keep” according to the terms of this covenant. First, the Ten Commandments, which contain a summary of God’s moral and abiding law, were spoken by God to Israel from Sinai. This is recorded for us in Exodus chapter 20. And after that, we find instruction for worship at alters. And finally, the LORD added positive civil laws to the moral and ceremonial. The civil and ceremonial laws were delivered to Israel, not directly, but through Moses the mediator.

And finally, we come to Exodus 24 where the covenant is confirmed. All of this can be compared to the marriage covenant. Getting married is a process involving a proposal, a betrothal or engagement period, a ceremony wherein the meaning of marriage is explained, and finally, vows are taken, and, in our culture, rings are exchanged symbolizing the marriage bond. Well, in this analogy, Exodus 24 is the marriage ceremony for YHWH and Israel. Let us consider now the covenant ratification ceremony. 

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Moses, Aaron, Nadab, And Abihu, And Seventy Of The Elders Of Israel 

Verse 1: “Then he said to Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him’” (Exodus 24:1–2, ESV).

Three things should be noted.

One, Israel as a nation was invited to come before the LORD, but they were to worship from afar. 70 elders were invited to come up on the mountain to God as representatives of the people, but even they were to “worship from afar”. This theme will remain throughout the Old Covenant. Israel was invited to approach God under the terms of the Old Mosaic Covenant, but the way to God was not opened up for them by the terms of that covenant. If you wish to have an illustration of this, think of the veil in the temple that separated the holy place from the most holy place where the glory of God was manifest. Who was invited to go behind that veil? Only the high priest, once a year, and not without blood. The people were not invited in. But when Christ died, the veil was torn in two from top to bottom. The way to God was opened up, so that all who have faith in Christ may come boldly before the throne of grace. And this is the difference between the Old Covenant and the New, and between Moses and Christ. It is through Christ and his covenant, and not Moses and his, that we gain full access to our Father in heaven. Indeed, any who drew near to God in Old Covenant times to enjoy sweet communion with him with their sins really and truly washed away (as King David did, for example), did so, not through Moses and according to the terms of Old Covenant, but through faith in Christ and by virtue of the terms of the New Covenant. The Christ had not yet come, and the New Covenant had not yet been made, and yet, to quote 8.6 of our confession, “the virtue, efficacy, and benefit [of Christ’s life, death, burial, and ressurection] were communicated [or applied] to the elect in all ages successively from the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices wherein he was revealed, and signified to be the seed of the woman which should bruise the serpent’s head; and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, being the same yesterday, and today and for ever.”  What is my point? My point is that the Old Mosaic Covenant did many things. But one thing it could not do was to bring the worshipper immediately into the presence of God Almighty. Only faith in Christ can do that, and that had always been the case. 

Two, under the Old Covenant order, the people of Israel were invited to approach God from a distance and through the priesthood. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu are named by name. All were priests from the same family. Moses and Aaron were brothers. Nadab and Abihu were Aaron’s sons. From them, the priesthood of the Old Covenant would descend. They would have the responsibility to represent the people of Israel, to intercede for them through sacrifice and prayer. But we know that they were sinful men too. So when they offered up animal sacrifices according to the command of God they would have to do so repeatedly, not for the sins of others only, but also for their own sins. 

Three, notice the special role that Moses played. He was a priest before God, but he was also a prophet, and the mediator, or middle man, in this Covenant which God made with Israel. As great as Moses was, it is important to remember that he was not perfect. No, he was a sinner who needed cleansing. He was not the Messiah. He was not the one who would crush the serpent’s head, or lead God’s people into the new heavens and earth. Indeed, soon we will see that he would not even lead Israel into Canaan! As great as Moses was, we must not make him into something he was never intended to be. He was the mediator of the Old Covenant, not the New. He was a servant in God’s house, not the Son. Neither Moses nor the Covenant he mediated could reconcile anyone to God, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5–6, ESV).

Look with me now at verse 3: “Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do’” (Exodus 24:3, ESV). These words should sound familiar to you. The people said the same thing when the covenant was first proposed in Exodus 19. By this time the Ten Commandments were spoken. In addition to this, ceremonial and civil laws were revealed to and through Moses. And the people responded in the same way. This is now the second time that they said, “with one voice and said, ‘All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.’”

Given that many of us were raised in dispensational churches, I should probably address the view that says that the people were foolish to enter into this covenant. Have you heard this view? The idea is this: the people should have known that they would fail, and so they should have rejected YHWH’s proposal. I’m must admit, I feel (what I hope is righteous) anger when I think about this view.  Are we to think that it would have been right for Israel to reject God’s proposal? Would that have been the right way to respond to the God of Glory having been redeemed by him, led by him, and fed by him? And what are to think of God in this view? Was God tempting Israel to do something foolish? Was he leading them astray as he proposed the Old Covenant to them? This view is truly preposterous. Only a deeply flawed system like the dispensational system could produce a view like this. No, instead, Israel is to be commended for their obedience here. God redeemed them. God initiated this covenantal arrangement. The Old Covenant, and the laws which governed it were good, provided that we correctly interpret them and understand their purpose and limitation. The law is good. It is the people who are sinful. But here Israel was right to respond to the Lord in this way. “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” Indeed, all who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ should say the same: “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” We are right to say this though we know that we will fall short. We are right to have this as our sincere resolve, knowing that the Lord has provided atonement for our sins. 

Verse 4: “And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD.” I take this to mean that he wrote down the laws that we now have in Exodus 20-23. Yes, the LORD himself would write the Ten Commandments on tables of stone, but here Moses is said to have written them down, along with the laws concerning worship, and the laws concerning a just society, in the Book of the Covenant, which will be mentioned again shortly.” 

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Five Things: Altar, Twelve Pillars, Burnt Offerings, Book Of The Covenant, Blood

Starting in verse 4b, five things are mentioned that are used in this covenant ratification ceremony. 

One, an alter. Verse 4b: “He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain…” God’s people had worshipped at altars from the days of Adam onward. They are prominent in the Genesis story. The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshipped at altars. Theologically, these altars are to be seen as a testimony to the grace of God. When man fell into sin God withheld his full and final judgment so that he could provide a Savior – one who would crush the serpent’s head, but would be wounded in this process. The heal of the Savior would be struck. Altars were little access points between God and man. They were little Edens in miniature if you will. And soon we will see that these altars would be expanded to include a tabernacle and later a temple. And this is expansion was quite fitting given the advancements that were made in God’s program of redemption under the Old Covenant.

Two, twelve pillars were erected. Verse 4c:  “He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain… and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel” (Exodus 24:4, ESV). These pillars were likely pillars of stacked stone. They stood before the altar, and there they represented the whole nation of Israel, which was divided into twelve tribes, as you know.  

Three, burnt offerings. Verse 5: “And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD” (Exodus 24:5, ESV). These burn offerings were offerings of thanksgiving before the LORD. Some of the meat offered up on the altar would have been consumed by the fire, symbolizing the LORD’s eating, and as we will see, some of the meat would have been eaten by Israel through the representation of the 70 elders, along with Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu. 

Four, the Book of the Covenant. Verse 7: “Then[Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient’” (Exodus 24:7, ESV). The Book of the Covenant contained the laws of the covenant that Israel was obligated to “keep”. 

Let me ask you this. What was the blessing that would fall upon Israel if they kept the terms of this covenant? What blessing would they earn? What blessing would God bestow on them? Would they earn life eternal? Would they earn the forgiveness of their sins and a right-standing before God? Or to use the language of Hebrews 9, would their consciences be cleansed through the keeping of this covenant? No. No such thing was promised to Israel under the Old Covenant, and the New Testament makes this very clear.  This covenant was never intended to provide life eternal or salvation from the eternal wrath of God. What blessings would come upon Israel should they keep the terms, then? Answer: they would be blessed in the land that the Lord their God was giving to them. This principle was clearly communicated in Genesis 17 when the covenant of circumcision was made with Abraham, and this covenant here is an expansion of that one. This is one of the serious errors made by some dispensationalists. They assume that God transacted this covenant with Israel so that they would be saved, really and truly for all eternity, through the keeping of it. But no such thing was ever said to them. More than that, the New Testament scriptures are clear that this was not the case. The Old Covenant promised blessings in the land and provided for the purification of the flesh, but it had no power to bring the sinner into the presence of God in heaven or to cleanse the conscience from the guilt of sin. Only Christ the mediator of the New Covenant can do that. 

The fifth item used in this covenant ratification ceremony was animal blood. Some of the blood from the animals offered up as peace offerings was sprinkled on the alter. Verse 6 tells us about that. And in verse 8 we learn that after the reading of the Book of the Covenant, and after the people said (for the third time), “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient”, “Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words’” (Exodus 24:8, ESV). Some have suggested that Moses did not actually throw the blood on the people, but on the pillars of stone which stood before the alters and represented the people. Whatever the case, the symbolism is very powerful.  

What should we say regarding the sprinkling of the blood of these animals upon the altar and the people? Three words come to mind: purification, consecration, and inauguration. Allow me to explain.

One, the sprinkling of animal blood upon the people and the altar signified purification. The blood was a reminder of the guilt of sin and of the fact that the wages of sin is death. When blood is shed, things die. And these animals served as a substitute for the people. Now, it is clear that animals cannot substitute for humans to make the really and truly right before God. Animal blood cannot wash away human guilt or cleanse the conscience of sinners. But under the Old Mosaic Covenant, animal blood did purify the flesh as it pertained to the breaking of the terms of the Covenant. That is precisely what the writer to the Hebrews says when he compares and contrasts the Old Covenant and the New, saying, “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:13–14, ESV). So then, the blood of bulls provided a kind of purification for Israel – an earthly, fleshly, and temporary purification. More than this, the blood of the bulls did also point forward to the purification that Christ provides as the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The purification he provides is real, spiritual, full, final, and eternal.

Two, the sprinkling of animal blood signified consecration. To consecrate is to set apart as sacred or holy. When the blood of the bulls was sprinkled on the people, it signified the fact that they were set apart as holy. A special obligation was set upon them to obey the LORD. And special threats were also set upon them should their fail. So then, the symbolism of the blood cut two ways. It signified purification, but also the special obligation that rested on the Hebrews to obey the Lord, with the curses of the covenant looming large over them. Circumcision also functioned this way.

Three,  the sprinkling of animal blood signified inauguration. And here I am referring to the inaguartion of the Old Mosaic Covenant. It was with the splattering of the blood that the Old Mosaic Covenant was put into force. Listen again to verse 8: “And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exodus 24:8, ESV). It was with the blood of animals that the Old Mosaic Covenant was put into force. 

Brothers and sisters, this storyline, and these themes should sound very, very familiar to you. 

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’” (Matthew 26:26–29, ESV).

This storyline and these themes will sound familiar to those well acquainted with the New Covenant even if they are poorly acquainted with the Old Covenant because the two covenants are intimately related to one another. There is a deep connection between the covenant that God made with the nation of Israel through Moses and the covenant made with God’s elect through Christ. There are many similarities. 

The question is this: what is the nature of that connection? Are the two covenants the same? No,  certainly they are not the same. Are they different but relatively equal, each providing a different but valid way for the salvation of sinners? No, that cannot be it either.  The writer of Hebrews is very eager for us to see that the Old Covenant anticipated the New. It prepared the way for it in many ways. And one way that the Old prepared for the New was by foreshadowing or prefiguring the New and the work that Christ the Mediator would do.

Listen again to Hebrews 9:24:  “Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:23–28, ESV).

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Prayer

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 23:20-33

“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” (Exodus 23:20–33, ESV)

New Testament Reading: John 14:1-6

“‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:1–6, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

As we come now to Exodus 23:20-33 it is important for us to remember what the LORD was doing with Israel when he spoke these words to them. He was making a covenant with them. The account of the making of the Old Mosaic Covenant began in Exodus 19:1, and the covenant will be ratified or confirmed in Exodus 24. So then, these instructions and promises concerning the eventual conquest of the land of Canaan that we are considering today must be interpreted in that context. These are instructions and promises concerning Israel’s eventual possession of the land of Canaan according to the terms of the Old Mosaic Covenant. 

In the introduction to this sermon today I think it would be beneficial for us to explore the question, why Canaan? Why the promised land? What was its purpose? What was its significance? 

So far in the story of Exodus, we have considered how God redeemed his people from Egypt. We have also considered the laws that he gave to them at Sinai. But here we find mention of the land that God would give to his people under the Old Covenant. Why Canaan? What was the purpose of this land? What was its significance? I think this is a very important question to answer. 

And to get to that answer, I will ask you another question: Where did this Old Mosaic Covenant come from? On the most basic level we can say that it came from God. He revealed the terms of the Old Covenant to Israel. And I suppose we might also say that the Old Mosaic Covenant came from the eternal decree of God. Both of those observations are true. But here I wish to remind you that the Old Mosaic Covenant did not spring up spontaneously and out of nowhere? No, this Old Mosaic Covenant was the outgrowth or development of previous promises and of covenants previously made. 

I hope you do not grow weary of me talking about these covenants, brothers and sisters. Understanding these covenants which God has made with man and their relationship to each other is crucial to a proper understanding of the scriptures and of the story of God’s dealings with man in the history of redemption. Stated differently, understanding these covenants which God has made with man and their relationship to each other is crucial to a proper understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and of our salvation in him.

I have asked the question, where did this Old Mosaic covenant come from?, because I do believe that answering this question will help us to understand the true importance and significance of this covenant in general (all of its terms and conditions), and of the land of Canaan (which our passage speaks of) in particular. Why the land of Canaan? Why was Israel to take possession of it? Why were they to drive the inhabitants out and destroy their idols? What was the significance of this land? If we hope to know, then we must consider Canaan in light of the covenants and promises of God previously made. 

Though it is true that God revealed the terms and conditions of the Old Covenant to Isarel, and though it is true that the Old Covenant did stand on its own two feet once it was ratified, here I am reminding you that it came in fulfillment of the promises of God previously made. It was a development of a covenant previously transacted. In other words, there is a backstory to Old Mosaic Covenant. The back story is found in Genesis 1 through Exodus 18. And that backstory is immensely important. 

As we seek an answer to the question, why Canaan?, and to understand the significance of that land, I want to remind you of the backstory. And in particular, I wish to hone in upon one specific theme. The theme is mentioned in our passage for today. In Exodus 23:20 we read,  “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.” The promised land of Canaan is here referred to as the place that God had prepared for Israel. There are many themes that run throughout the history of redemption that tie the story of scripture together. This morning I wish to especially draw your attention to the theme of, a place prepared by God for his people.

When we speak of God preparing a place for man, the very first thing that should come to our minds is God’s creation of the heavens and earth in general, and the garden which God made for man in particular. When God created the heavens and earth he did so in the span of six days. On day one, the heavens and earth were created out of nothing. And at first, they were without form, and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. In other words, when God first created the earthy realm, there was no place for man to dwell. God then formed and fashioned the world to make it into a place suitable for human habitation. And after this, “the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:8–9, ESV)

If we wish to answer the question, why Canaan?, then we cannot forget this theme. The story of man begins with this theme: God prepared a place for man to live. And what was that place for? Well, many things can be said regarding its purpose, but the thing that I wish to emphasize this morning is that it was a place for man to commune with God, enjoy him, and worship and serve him forever. I have said this before, and it is important that I remind you of this now: the garden of Eden was a kind of temple. When I say that it was a temple, I do not mean that there was a physical temple constructed within Eden, but that Eden itself was a natural temple. There in that garden paradise man walked with God, enjoyed sweet communion with him, worshipped and served him. That is what temples are for. And that’s what Eden was – a temple made by God himself wherein man could enjoy sweet communion with his maker. Adam’s job under the Covenant of Creation was to keep that place pure while expanding its borders to the furthest reaches of the earth. 

And what happened when man fell into sin? Well, as it pertains to the theme of a place prepared by God for his people, Adam, Eve, and their offspring, were cast out of Eden. They were banished from that place. Genesis 3:23-24 reads: “The LORD God sent [Adam] out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:23–24, ESV).

I trust that you are able to see why I have taken you back to Eden and to the story of Genesis 2 and 3 in the introduction to this sermon on Exodus 23. I want to be sure that we connect the dots. This place that the LORD prepared for Israel in Canaan had something to do with the place that the LORD prepared for Adam, Eve, and all their posterity in the beginning. You see, though it is true that Adam and Eve were banished from Eden from the presence of God and from access to the tree of life, it is also true that the LORD promised to send a Savior who would defeat the Evil One who tempted Adam and Eve. 

The promise concerning a Savior was uttered by God for the first time in the presence of Adam and Eve as God pronounced the curse upon the Serpent. The promise of the gospel that was declared on that day was very simple. Someday, someone would be born who would destroy Satan and his works. Adam and Eve, and all who received this good news after them, must have wondered when this Savior would be born, what he would be like, and what exactly he would do to defeat the Evil One and to free men and women from bondage to sin. There was so much that was mysterious about the gospel in those days. Nevertheless, those who heard it had enough of the good news to trust in God and in his promise. And they must have known that, whoever this Savior was, whenever he would be born, and whatever he would do to accomplish our redemption, he would do something to restore that which was lost through Adam’s sin and to lay hold of that which was offered to Adam in the Covenant of Creation. Eternal life was offered to Adam. He failed to reach it. The Savior would obtain it through his obedience. And what is eternal life except this: God’s holy people enjoying sweet communion with him forever and ever in the holy place which he has prepared for them. 

Brothers and sisters, when Adam fell into sin he did not only lose his personal righteousness, nor did he only lose the communion with God that he once enjoyed, he also lost the place wherein that sweet communion with God was at first enjoyed. When Adam fell into sin (and all of humanity with him) he was banished from the place the LORD had prepared for him, and the whole of the earthly realm was subjected to futility. Paul speaks of this in Romans 8:18-25. There he talks about how all of “creation was subjected to futility… in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” 

The point that I am making is this: Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Isarel, and Savior of the world, did not only defeat the Evil One, nor did he only redeem for himself a people, he did also redeem the created realm so that his holy people would have a holy place wherein they will enjoy sweet communion with the Holy God for all eternity. 

If you wish to know what this place will be like, you may go to the vision of Revelation chapter 21, where John says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God’” (Revelation 21:1–3, ESV).

This is the place that Adam was to enter into through his obedience and his eating of the tree of life. 

This is the place that Jesus Christ has earned, and it is the place of which he spoke when he said to his disciples, saying, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1–3, ESV)

This is the place that was promised to  Abraham which he looked forward to with eyes of faith. Hebrews 11:8-10 tells us so. There we read, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (see also Hebrews 12:22; 13:14). 

So now we return to the question, what was Canaan? What was the significance of the land that was promised and then given to Old Covenant Israel? What was this place all about?

If we are following along with the story, three things become apparent:

One, the land of Canaan had something to do with the garden of Eden. The place of Canaan had something to do with the place that God made in the beginning for man to dwell. Perhaps we can refer to Canaan as a replica of Eden. And as a replica of Eden, it would have served as a reminder of what man lost by his fall into sin, and of the gracious promise of God to send a Savior. The fact that God had prepared the place of Canaan for his redeemed people (earthly speaking)  was a demonstration that God was doing what he had promised to do.   

Two, it is also apparent that the land of Canaan was not Eden. I hardly need to elaborate on this point. It will suffice for me to say that sin, sickness, and death did still plague that land despite it uniqueness. 

Three, when all is considered we must also confess that the land of Canaan had something to do with the end goal of God’s redemptive purposes. Canaan was the place where the Hebrews would be preserved until the Messiah was brought into the world through them. And this place was filled with symbolism. In brief, there in that place the eternal Kingdom of God was typified or prefigured. The land of Canaan, its temple, its priesthood, its sacrifice, festivals, and succession of kings were shadows of Christ and of his everlasting kingdom cast backward in history. In other words, the land of Isarel did not only point back to Eden, it also pointed forward to the Christ and to the new heavens and earth which he would earn by his obedient life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection.

You know, it is troubling to me how so many Christians today obsess over the land of Isarel while failing to ask what its purpose was. So many seem to view the land that was given to Old Covenant Israel as if it was the end goal. They ignore what the New Testament says about the land of Israel, the people of Israel, and the Covenant which God made with with Isarel in the days of Moses. Israel functioned as a conduit through which the Messiah was brought into the world. And under the Old Covenant, they did also symbolize, typify, and foreshadow the everlasting kingdom that the Messiah would inaugurate at his first coming and consummate at his second coming when he brings his people safely home into the place he has prepared for them – the new heaven and earth in which righteousness dwells.  

All of that is an introduction to our text for today. But soon you will see that this prolonged introduction will make it much easier to properly understand and fully appreciate this passage. For in this passage we see the work of Christ to bring his redeemed ones home into the new heavens and earth typified.

 

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The Angel Of The LORD Would Lead The Way

Look with me now at 23:20. There God says, “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.” I have already drawn your attention to the theme of a place prepared by God for his people. Now I wish to draw your attention to the angel that is mentioned. Who is this angel, or messenger?

Let us continue to read in verse 21: “Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”

There are different theories regarding the identity of this angel. Some say it was Joshua, the one who would lead Isarel into the promised land after Moses’ death. Others think that this was an ordinary angel. In my opinion, when all is considered, this angel was the second person of the Triune God, the pre-incarnate Christ. The people of Israel were called to obey this angel. The text says he had the authority to pardon and to judge sin. The name of God is said to have been in him.  Above all, we should consider what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:9. When Israel sinned in the wilderness, Paul says that they “put Christ to the test…” It seems that Paul considered this angel of the LORD to be Christ. 

So then, I say that it was Christ whom the LORD sent before Israel to guard them on the way and to bring them into the place that he had prepared for them. That story should sound familiar to you. Is this not what Christ has done in a greater way in the incarnation? After redeeming his elect from bondage to Satan, from sin, and from the fear of death, he has gone before his people to guard them on the way and to bring them into the place he has prepared for them, that is to say, the new heavens and earth. 

The point is this: the experience of Old Covenant Israel was an earthly, temporal, and conditional foreshadowing of the heavenly, eternal, and unconditional salvation that is ours  in Christ Jesus.

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All Idolatry Was To Cease

Look now at verse 23: “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.” 

Here it is promised that all idolaters would be blotted and commanded that all idolatry cease in the land of Canaan. Canaan was to be a place free from all idolatry. The new heavens and earth will be a place free from all idolatry. Canaan was a foretaste of the new creation. 

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The LORD Alone Was To  Be Worshipped And Served

Verse 25 says, “You shall serve the LORD your God…” The LORD alone was to be worshipped and served in Canaan. In the new heaven and earth, the LORD will be worshipped and served alone. The former was a picture of the latter. 

Concerning the new heavens and earth, Revelation 21:22 says, “And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:22–27, ESV)

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The Blessing Of God World Be Upon His People

In verse 25 we continue reading, “You shall serve the LORD your God… and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.” 

Notice three things about these verses.

One, the Old Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant or works. Israel would be blessed in the land if they were faithful to serve the Lord. This differs from the terms of the New Covenant, which is the Covenant of Grace. The blessings of this covenant are freely given for they were parched by Christ. 

Two, the blessings promised to Israel were earthly blessings. They pertained to bread and water, health, fruitfulness, and long life. The blessings of the New Covenant are spiritual and eternal. 

Three, the blessings promised for obedience under the Old Covenant were idealistic. Certainly, people experienced a lack of bread, sickness, miscarriage, and short lives under the Old Covenant. This was due to sin. But the idealistic promises here find their ultimate fulfillment in the new heaven and earth and were earned through the obedience of Jesus Christ, the true Israel of God.  

It will be in the new heavens and earth that “the dwelling place of God [will be] with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV).

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All Of God’s Enemies Were To Be Defeated

Lastly, let us consider verses 27 – 33. Here we learn that in Canaan God would defeat all of his enemies. “I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Again I say, in Canaan and under the Old Covenant this was true in an earthly and temporal sense. In the new heavens and earth this will be true in a spiritual and eternal sense. “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”” (Revelation 21:7–8, ESV)

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Suggestions For Application

Let us learn to read the Bible in a Christian way. 

As we consider the Old Testament scriptures and the Old Covenant of which they speak, let us learn to see and savor Christ there. He is the fulfillment! 

As we sojourn now in this world as strangers and exiles, let us long and live for the Promise Land, the new heavens and earth.