Bible Commentaries

Exodus 24:8

I. Moses sprinkled the book in his hand. It was the Bible of his day, and yet it needed sprinkling. The mind of God must pass to men through the organs of the human voice, and that humanity, mingling even with the revelation of God, needs washing. Our Bibles need the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus.

II. He sprinkled the altar, for he had reared it. The altar was a holy thing, dedicate, consecrated, yet, for the manhood which was associated with it, it needed the sprinkling of the blood. We have our altars of prayer, at home and in the sanctuary, and these need to be sprinkled with the blood of Christ.

III. Moses sprinkled the people. There is no part of man that does not need that sprinkling.

IV. The sprinkling of the blood was the token that whatever it touched became covenant. We have our covenanted Bibles and our covenanted altars; we ourselves are in covenant with Christ.

J. Vaughan, Meditations in Exodus, p. 38.

References: Exodus 24:11.—W. M. Taylor, Limitations of Life, p. 111. Exodus 24:12.—H. Wonnacott, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xiv., p. 94. Exodus 24:13.—E. Mason, A Pastor's Legacy, p. 166.

Exodus 24:18

The great fact that stands out in the text is that Moses spent forty days in solitary communion with God.

I. What is it to be alone with God? (1) In order to be alone with God, we must do as Moses did—we must first get up high enough. Like him, we must go to the mount. If we reach the right standing-point, the converse with God is sure and easy. (2) We must not expect to be always there. Moses went twice, Elijah went once, Peter and James and John only once. (3) Solitude with God is the very opposite of being solitary. To make it there must be two things: we must be alone with God, and God must be alone with us.

II. What are we to do when we are alone with God? (1) We must be still, hush the mind, and listen for voices. (2) We should cultivate a simple and silent prostration of heart before the majesty and beauty of Deity. (3) We may form plans on the mount, or lay out the plans we have formed already. (4) We may go near to God at such times and hold communion with Him, not familiarly, but lovingly and tenderly.

J. Vaughan, Sermons, 15th series, p. 61.

References: 24—Parker, vol. ii., p. 199. Exodus 25:6.—Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 241. Exodus 25:7.—Preacher's Monthly, vol. ii., p. 302.