The Honeymoon - Blood of the Covenant | Exodus 24
A honeymoon is a beautiful thing. It is a season filled with rest, joy, intimacy, and unforgettable moments. But eventually, every honeymoon comes to an end.
That doesn't mean the marriage is over. In fact, the honeymoon ending is where the covenant begins to matter even more.
In Exodus 24, Israel enters into covenant with God, and the scene looks remarkably like a wedding ceremony. There are promises, an altar, blood, a meal, and a commitment to faithfulness. But beneath all of these details is a powerful picture of what it means to belong to God—and what God has done to make intimacy with him possible.
The Covenant Begins With Knowing Who Is King
God tells Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons, and seventy of Israel's elders to come up the mountain. But they are instructed to bow down and worship "at a distance."
That distance matters.
God is holy, and Israel has not yet entered into covenant with him. They cannot simply approach God casually. There is a boundary between a holy God and a sinful people.
Bowing reminds us why that boundary exists: God is King, and we are not.
That is a truth we need to remember.
We live in a world that constantly tells us that we are the center of our own lives. Our desires, ambitions, careers, finances, plans, and preferences can easily become the things that receive our ultimate attention.
Worship reorders our lives.
When we bow, we acknowledge that God is God and we are not.
But Exodus 24 also tells a story of that distance disappearing.
From Distance to Intimacy
The people initially have to keep their distance. Moses alone is permitted to approach the Lord.
But something changes as the covenant is established.
The people repeatedly affirm their commitment to God's commands:
"We will do everything the Lord has commanded."
Moses writes down the words of God, establishes an altar, and sacrifices are offered. Then blood is placed on the altar and the covenant is formally sealed.
And then something remarkable happens.
Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders go up the mountain—and they see the God of Israel.
Even more remarkably, the passage says that they ate and drank.
The people who were once required to keep their distance are now able to come near, see God, and share a meal in his presence.
The covenant has moved them from distance to intimacy.
And that movement is ultimately pointing us toward Jesus.
Covered by Blood
One of the strangest and most important moments in Exodus 24 is the blood of the covenant.
Moses takes the blood of the sacrifices and applies it to the people. They are covered by the blood as the covenant is established.
The blood is a reminder that relationship with a holy God is not something we achieve through our own goodness. There is a cost associated with covenant.
And the story of Scripture eventually leads us to Jesus, who takes this imagery and fulfills it.
At the Last Supper, Jesus takes the cup and declares that it is his blood of the covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
The difference is enormous.
Israel's covenant required repeated sacrifices. Jesus offers himself once and for all.
Israel was covered with the blood of sacrificed animals. Jesus gives his own blood.
Israel approached God through the sacrificial system. Through Jesus, we are invited to approach God with confidence.
The writer of Hebrews says:
"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with boldness."
We don't have to social distance from God anymore.
We don't have to wonder whether God will hear us.
We don't have to bring our own sacrifice.
Jesus paid it all.
What's Under His Feet?
There is another detail in Exodus 24 that is easy to miss.
When the elders see God, the text doesn't focus on his face, his appearance, or his physical characteristics. Instead, it describes what is beneath his feet:
"Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky."
Lapis lazuli was an incredibly valuable material, associated with royalty and greatness.
But where is it?
Under his feet.
Something that would have represented incredible wealth and glory is simply beneath the feet of God.
That gives us a powerful question to consider.
What has our attention right now?
What seems so big, so valuable, or so overwhelming that it has begun to define our lives?
Our jobs. Our bank accounts. Our possessions. Our relationships. Our accomplishments. Our fears. Our failures.
Whatever it is, Scripture reminds us that ultimately, it is beneath his feet.
That doesn't mean our problems aren't real. It doesn't mean our struggles don't matter to God. It means that none of them are greater than the God who holds us.
What feels enormous to us is still beneath his feet.
We Can Come to the Table
The most beautiful part of Exodus 24 may be what happens after the covenant is sealed.
"They saw God, and they ate and drank."
They communed with God at the table.
And as Christians, we get to experience something even greater.
We come to the table of communion not because we have somehow made ourselves worthy to approach God, but because Jesus has made a way.
We don't bring the sacrifice.
Jesus is the sacrifice.
We don't bring the blood.
Jesus poured out his blood for us.
We don't approach God because we have perfectly kept our promises.
We approach because Jesus has kept his.
The table is therefore a reminder that the God who once required Israel to keep its distance has made a way for us to draw near.
The honeymoon may end. The emotional highs may fade. Life will eventually become difficult. Faithfulness will be tested.
But the covenant remains.
And the God who established the covenant remains faithful.
What Do You Need to Put Beneath His Feet?
As we consider Exodus 24, there is a simple question worth carrying with us:
What do I need to put beneath the feet of Jesus?
What are you carrying that you were never meant to carry alone?
What has become bigger in your life than it should be?
What has captured your attention?
What do you need to surrender?
Maybe it's your job.
Maybe it's your finances.
Maybe it's a relationship.
Maybe it's an ambition.
Maybe it's fear.
Maybe it's shame.
Maybe it's something you don't even have words for yet.
Whatever it is, bring it to Jesus.
Lay it at his feet.
Because whatever seems so great to us is still beneath his feet.
And because of the blood of Jesus, we don't have to stand at a distance anymore.
We can come near.
We can bow.
We can worship.
We can confess.
We can receive grace.
And we can sit at the table with the God who has made covenant with us.
Jesus paid it all. All to him we owe.
