Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Exodus 24:12-18 Worship[1]
First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City
February 26, 2017
Today is Transfiguration Sunday. This is the Sunday each year when we remember Jesus’ mountaintop experience. As you heard earlier Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountaintop. There they met Moses and Elijah. And God came as a cloud that covered the mountain to speak with them. The purpose of all of this was for the world to know that Jesus is God’s son, that God is pleased with Jesus, and that we are to obey him.
Both Moses and Elijah had their own mountaintop experiences. Elijah’s experience was on Mount Carmel. He had challenged the prophets of the weather god, Baal, to a contest. Wood was prepared for large bonfires. The prophets of Baal asked the so called weather god to send lightening to start their fire. Nothing happened. But when Elijah drenched his wood with water and asked God for lighting God responded by igniting the wood in a display that proved that Yahweh alone is God.
Moses also had a mountaintop experience. This is what we will be looking at today. But first let’s pray.
“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety to thy glory and our own edification.” Amen. (Calvin)
Moses first met God on Mount Sinai in a burning bush which was not consumed. This was Yahweh, the God of Israel. He wanted to talk with Moses. And here is part of what he said.
Exodus 3:7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
And with that God offered to enter into a covenant with his people. There would be an end to their suffering and misery. God would deliver them from slavery in Egypt. And there would be a promise of land and abundance. But before this could happen there was something else the people had to do. Let’s go back to Exodus and hear what God wants his people to do.
Exodus 3:12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
So God’s instructions to his people was that they were to come to him and worship. This was part of a covenant relationship God was offering his people. God promised to free his people from slavery in Egypt and lead them into the promised land. In return the people are to worship him and obey his commands. These are terms of the covenant between God and his people. So too with us. God delivers us from sin, and gives us a world of abundance, and we are to worship him and only him. God kept his promise to the Hebrews. He freed his people from slavery in Egypt. And now, at the base of Mount Sinai, they are ready to worship the God who has come down from heaven to bless them. But first they had to know what their responsibilities were under the covenant and agree to it. So Moses assembled the people and told them the law of God.
Exodus 24:3 When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” 4 Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said.
And with that the people agreed to their portion of the covenant. Moses gave the people God’s law, instructions for living. This was a great blessing because it taught them how to live long and abundant lives. All they had to do was to obey God’s law. And that is exactly what they agreed to do. With this the people have entered into a covenant relationship with their God. One thing more was needed for this to be a binding contract. God had to sign the contract. And that is exactly what happened. Let’s go back to Exodus.
4 He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.” 8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
The Hebrews obeyed God by worshiping at the foot of Mount Sinai. Worship consisted of a sacrifice of a bull, symbolizing the atonement of the people. God had forgiven their sin and had reconciled them to himself. For us the sacrifice we remember is that of Jesus Christ who gave up his life in payment for our sins. His blood, symbolized in the juice of communion, is for us a sign and seal of the covenant we have with God. We pledge to be obedient to God’s commands. God pledges to bless us with a world of abundance.
Once the Hebrews had promised their obedience and entered into the covenant with sacrifice, Moses was ready to take the contract to God for his signature. Here is what happened.
Exodus 24:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, 2 but Moses alone is to approach the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”
With this God has told Moses that he is ready for Moses to ascend Mount Sinai for God to ratify the covenant with his people. Moses is to be accompanied by the priests and elders for part of the journey. But he alone will come into the presence of God. But first Moses, the priest, and elders must worship. Let’s go back to Exodus.
9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
This is what happens during our worship when we have communion. We are lifted up spiritually into the presence of God as we eat the bread and drink the juice of the Lord’s supper. During this meal Moses, the priests and elders heard God’s voice. And here is what he said.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
Moses is to go up the mountain alone where God will sign the contract putting the terms of the covenant on two stone tablets. These summarize the law, the instructions for good living, the Hebrews had already agreed to follow. So this is what Moses did.
13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”
Moses left the priests and elders behind as he ascended the mountain. Joshua when with him part way. And Moses was ready for his encounter with God. This is what happens in worship. We can only go part way up to God. We are only lifted up to the level of our communion service. We need someone, like Moses to go the rest of the way. And we have that person. His name is Jesus. Jesus is with us, spiritually, in worship and takes our prayers up the mountain to God the Father just as Moses did so long ago. Let’s get back to Moses.
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day, the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.
As Moses ascended the mountain he experienced God in a dense thick heavy fog. He waited six days for God to call him into his presence. Then on the Sabbath day, God told Moses to enter. To the people at the base of the mountain looking up, this must have been spectacular. When Moses entered the heavy fog they saw an amazing sight.
17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.
And with that Moses was ready to come into the presence of God.
18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
The number 40 is biblically important. It is the number of years in a generation. By staying with God for 40 days and nights Moses was entering into a covenant that would last longer than a generation. The Hebrews will wander in the wilderness. Then 40 years later they will enter into the promised land. The covenant applies not just to the people worshiping at the base of the mountain. Rather the covenant also applies to the generations that will follow. This is really good news for us because it means that the covenant applies to us too in our generation. If we agree to obey God’s law, instructions for life, God will bless us with lives of abundance.
Worship is our response to the covenant relationship we have God. We come to worship to offer up our prayers of praise and adoration. We confess our sins remembering the forgiveness we receive through Jesus’ death on the cross. We remember his sacrifice in communion. We hear and pledge to obey God’s instructions for life. And we carry out this pledge by organizing ourselves to care for people in our community. Our covenant with God is renewed each Sunday in worship. And we celebrate our abundant lives throughout the week. Why would anyone want to miss what we do here on Sunday mornings? Let’s pray.
Father in heaven we thank you for your promise of abundant life. We pledge to follow you by keeping your commandments. We engage in worship every Sunday as a way of renewing this contact each week. We are thankful that Jesus intercedes on our behalf. And we thank you for all the blessings we have received. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
[1] Derived from: John Hilber, “Theology of Worship in Exodus 24,” Journal of Evangelical Theological Studies 39, no. 2 (June 1996): 177-89.
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