Exodus 24:1-8 (ESV)
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.”
Devotional Meditation
This should have been the happy ending for the story of Israel.
Recall everything that we have read up to this point. Recall how God led Israel out of the house of slavery. Recall how he stretched out his mighty hand against Pharaoh and crushed his pursuing chariots under the waters of the Red Sea. Recall how God fed his people with manna from heaven and quenched their thirst in the desert with water from a rock. Recall how he led them with his presence here to to this mountain--Mount Sinai--so that he could claim them as his own. Adopt them as his sons. And bring them into an intimate relationship--a covenant--with him.
And now the twelve tribes stand at the foot of Sinai--a testament to God's deliverance and guidance, ready to enter into this sacred agreement. As Moses reads to them the words of the covenant, the people pledge themselves to wholeheartedly obey God's command, their unified voice echoing through the wilderness, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do!"
This covenant was sealed not by words alone but through the sprinkling of blood, a sign of life, sacrifice, and a deep, binding commitment. The blood of bulls was put into a basin and first sprinkled on the altar. Then on the people. This blood of the covenant sealed the sacred agreement between God and his people.
But this was not the happy ending that should have been. You see, a problem remained unresolved. The people were sincere. But they were still sinful. Their God, a Holy God. The writer of Hebrews tells us that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Heb 10:4). The blood of bulls cannot purify their rebellious hearts. Sadly, this happy ending will not last. In just a few chapters we will see their sincere pledge means nothing. Israel’s promise will be broken. This covenant will be shattered.
That’s why this covenant had to be replaced. That’s why there had to be a better covenant. Not contingent on the sincere commitment of sinful people. But dependent only on God’s own solemn decree. Not made with animal blood. But initiated with the holy, precious blood of the Son of God.
And so Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, takes the cup after supper, gives it to the twelve men he has chosen, and says, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” This cup is not a mere symbol. It is a new reality. A new and better covenant. In giving his disciples this cup, he completes what the first covenant could never do. He purifies their hearts, forgives their sins, and brings them into an everlasting relationship of peace with his Father.
And he gives this same cup to you. His blood is the blood of a better covenant. His blood is able to cleanse your heart of sin. His blood is able to forgive your transgressions. His blood is able to bring you close and keep you near to his Father because his blood is the blood of a new covenant. His blood is better in every conceivable way.
And because of this gift, you have a truly happy ending. God has led you out of slavery, claimed you as his people, brought you into a new covenant with him, and has sprinkled your mouth with the blood of his Son. Nothing depends on your sincere commitment. Your obedience. Your performance. All of it is his doing. Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (Ps. 32:1) Thanks be to God.