Fellowship with the Lord (Exod 24)

In today’s world, we are much more mobile and consequently feel less rooted in a particular place. Many relationships are also less stable, families become fragmented and re-blended into new units. All this creates a level of instability and loneliness. No wonder that churches appeal to people’s desire for a sense of security and belonging when they portray themselves as places of family or community. On a deeper level, our hearts long for that profound relationship with God. How can we achieve intimacy with the Lord? Many look for it in worship, in that emotional experience of closeness. To be sure, there is value in engaging the heart, to feel as well as to know God’s love. Yet, seeking moments of ‘high’ can create a false sense of intimacy that is tested by life’s challenges.

Our reading reflects on fellowship with the Lord and, indeed, the Book of Exodus builds towards a climax from Israel’s redemption by grace to God dwelling with His people, as symbolised in the tabernacle. It is this closeness to the Lord that will distinguish Israel from all other nations (Exod 33:16; Deut 4:7), but for it to happen, the people need to commit themselves to God. It is, as it were, Israel’s wedding where she makes her vow to the Lord (Exod 24:3, 7). This is not about making people jump through hoops to earn the right of closeness, however. Rather, as mentioned in an earlier post (here), God’s holiness is like fire and sins like flammable material: unless people commit to living holy lives, God’s presence would destroy His people.

The covenant ceremony points to different elements required for fellowship. The burnt offering has a general atoning function (Lev 1:4) and is a visual expression of the worshippers’ commitment to God (the animal is burnt up completely), while the peace offering signifies communion with the Lord through a shared meal where the fat is offered to God and the meat is assigned to the priest and the worshippers (Lev 3:9-10; 7:15, 34). Thus, we see the need for wholehearted devotion, but also God’s provision of atonement when obedience is imperfect and the necessity of actually spending time in God’s presence.

Finally, the blood is divided, one part sprinkled on the altar, another on the people (Exod 24:6, 8), though the meaning is never explained.[1] Based on other instances, it is most commonly thought to indicate cleansing and consecration affirming once again that God enables Israel to have communion with Him. Alternatively, some rabbinic interpretation compares the halving of blood to the halving of animals in Abraham’s covenant with God (Gen 15:9-10, 17), where the animals’ fate represents that of the person who betrays the covenant. Based on this, the divided blood would signify the life of the two parties (God and Israel), which may be forfeit if the covenant is broken.[2] If so, then this is a reminder for Israel not to take their vow to God lightly. In another interpretation, the blood is the symbol of life creating a special connection between the participants: ‘Through God’s sharing, as it were, of the vital fluid with Israel…, the life of the recipient is thought to take on a new dimension and to be elevated to a higher level of intimate relationship with the Deity.’[3] God gives life that is qualitatively different from mere existence and by sharing this with us, we are drawn into a closer bond with Him.

To summarise, true intimacy grows from mutual love and commitment, God’s cleansing, as well as making time for fellowship with Him. It is not very different from the principles that help happy marriages to endure. Worship in prayer, Bible reading or in song, on our own or with other believers, are important, but there is no substitute for holy living and the willingness to follow the Lord. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30) and disrupts our intimacy with God. Yet, we should never forget that God helps our weaknesses: there is cleansing and forgiveness in Jesus’ blood (Matt 26:26-28), the giving of His life feeds us to enduring life (John 6:54-58) and there is a special bond of fellowship expressed in our shared meal of the Lord’s Supper. As we remember and re-live His saving love for us, we are enabled by His grace to live for Him.

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[1] It may surprise Christians that the blood is very rarely sprinkled on people and the Hebrew verb for this in the covenant ceremony (zaraq ‘to dash or splash’) is only employed for people here. A different word for sprinkling (hizzah, the hiphil of nazah) is used in two other scenarios involving people, at the ordination of priests for their consecration (Exod 20:21; Lev 8:30) and for the cleansing of certain skin diseases (Lev 14:6-7). In all other instances, the blood is applied to the altar or other parts of the sanctuary (e.g. Lev 1:5; 16:14-15, 18-19), never to people. 

[2] William H.C. Propp, Exodus 19-40, AB 2A (New York: Doubleday, 2006), 295.

[3] Nahum M. Sarna, Exodus, The JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia: JPS, 1991), 152.

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