Exo 18:19, 24:1-9 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 19. I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee ] Jethro seems to have been a man of great understanding and prudence. His advice to Moses was most appropriate and excellent; and it was probably given under the immediate inspiration of God, for after such sacrificial rites, and public acknowledgment of God, the prophetic spirit might be well expected to descend and rest upon him. God could have showed Moses the propriety and necessity of adopting such measures before, but he chose in this case to help man by man, and in the present instance a permanent basis was laid to consolidate the union of the two families, and prevent all future misunderstandings.

‏ Exodus 18:19

Verse 19. I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee] Jethro seems to have been a man of great understanding and prudence. His advice to Moses was most appropriate and excellent; and it was probably given under the immediate inspiration of God, for after such sacrificial rites, and public acknowledgment of God, the prophetic spirit might be well expected to descend and rest upon him. God could have showed Moses the propriety and necessity of adopting such measures before, but he chose in this case to help man by man, and in the present instance a permanent basis was laid to consolidate the union of the two families, and prevent all future misunderstandings.

‏ Exodus 24:1-9

CHAPTER XXIV

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders, are commanded to go to the mount to meet the Lord, 1.

Moses alone to come near to the Divine presence, 2.

He informs the people, and they promise obedience, 3.

He writes the words of the Lord, erects an altar at the foot of the hill, and sets up twelve pillars for the twelve tribes, 4.

The young priests offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, 5.

Moses reads the book of the covenant, sprinkles the people with the blood, and they promise obedience, 6-8.

Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel, go up to the mount, and get a striking display of the majesty of God, 9-11.

Moses alone is called up into the mount, in order to receive the tables of stone, written by the hand of God, 12.

Moses and his servant Joshua go up, and Aaron and Hur are left regents of the people during his absence, 13, 14.

The glory of the Lord rests on the mount, and the cloud covers it for six days, and on the seventh God speaks to Moses out of the cloud, 15, 16.

The terrible appearance of God's glory on the mount, 17.

Moses continues with God on the mount forty days, 18.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV

Verse 1. Come up unto the Lord] Moses and Aaron were already on the mount, or at least some way up, (Ex 19:24,) where they had heard the voice of the Lord distinctly speaking to them: and the people also saw and heard, but in a less distinct manner, probably like the hoarse grumbling sound of distant thunder; see Ex 20:18. Calmet, who complains of the apparent want of order in the facts laid down here, thinks the whole should be understood thus:-"After God had laid before Moses and Aaron all the laws mentioned from the beginning of the 20th chapter to the end of the 23d, before they went down from the mount to lay them before the people, he told them that, when they had proposed the conditions of the covenant to the Israelites, and they had ratified them, they were to come up again unto the mountain accompanied with Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron, and seventy of the principal elders of Israel. Moses accordingly went down, spoke to the people, ratified the covenant, and then, according to the command of God mentioned here, he and the others reascended the mountain. Tout cela est racont� ici avec assez peu d'ordre."

Verse 2. Moses alone shall come near] The people stood at the foot of the mountain. Aaron and his two sons and the seventy elders went up, probably about half way, and Moses alone went to the summit.

Verse 3. Moses-told the people all the words of the Lord] That is, the ten commandments, and the various laws and ordinances mentioned from the beginning of the 20th to the end of the 23d chapter.

Verse 4. Moses wrote all the words of the Lord] After the people had promised obedience, (Ex 24:3,) and so entered into the bonds of the covenant, "it was necessary," says Calmet, "to draw up an act by which the memory of these transactions might be preserved, and confirm the covenant by authentic and solemn ceremonies." And this Moses does. 1. As legislator, he reduces to writing all the articles and conditions of the agreement, with the people's act of consent. 2. As their mediator and the deputy of the Lord, he accepts on his part the resolution of the people; and Jehovah on his part engages himself to Israel, to be their God, their King, and Protector, and to fulfil to them all the promises he had made to their fathers. 3. To make this the more solemn and affecting, and to ratify the covenant, which could not be done without sacrifice, shedding and sprinkling of blood, Moses builds an altar, probably of turf, as was commanded, Ex 20:24, and erects twelve pillars, no doubt of unhewn stone, and probably set round about the altar. The altar itself represented the throne of God; the twelve stones, the twelve tribes of Israel. These were the two parties, who were to contract, or enter into covenant, on this occasion.

Verse 5. He sent young men] Stout, able, reputable young men, chosen out of the different tribes, for the purpose of killing, flaying, and offering the oxen mentioned here.

Burnt-offerings] They generally consisted of sheep and goats, Le 1:10. These were wholly consumed by fire.

Peace-offerings] Bullocks or goats; see Heb 9:19. The blood of these was poured out before the Lord, and then the priests and people might feast on the flesh.

Verse 7. The book of the covenant] The writing containing the laws mentioned in the three preceding chapters. As this writing contained the agreement made between God and them, it was called the book of the covenant; but as no covenant was considered to be ratified and binding till a sacrifice had been offered on the occasion, hence the necessity of the sacrifices mentioned here.

Half of the blood being sprinkled on the ALTAR, and half of it sprinkled on the PEOPLE, showed that both GOD and THEY were mutually bound by this covenant. GOD was bound to the PEOPLE to support, defend, and save them; the PEOPLE were bound to GOD to fear, love, and serve him. On the ancient method of making covenants, See Clarke on Ge 6:18; and "Ge 15:18". Thus the blood of the new covenant was necessary to propitiate the throne of justice on the one hand, and to reconcile men to God on the other. On the nature and various kinds of the Jewish offerings, See Clarke on Le 7:1, &c.