Hebrews 9:19

Hebrews 9:19

Covered by the blood

The events described here are a mirror of Exodus 24 where Moses and his sons were invited to approach the Lord on Mount Sinai, together with 70 elders from the tribes of Israel. This is a continuation of the giving of the sacred laws by the Lord, which are described in Exodus 20-21. The people in the camp were fully aware of what was taking place and had promised that “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” (A fragile commitment to the Lord, evidenced by the fact that just hours later, they were worshipping a golden calf!) 

It was Moses who was entrusted with writing down the words of the Lord which, of course, included the 10 Commandments, although it was the Lord God who wrote these on the Tablets of Stone. The following day Moses built an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai and set up 12 stone pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Young bulls were sacrificed and half of their blood was splashed on the altar and the rest on the people. Following this the Book of the Covenant promises and rules was read to all the Israelites. (The offering of calves (and goats), mentioned here but not in Exodus, could be speaking of a sin offering.) The use of scarlet wool and hyssop was a symbol of purification and also spoke of protection for the people from being defiled. Even the scroll on which the rules and regulations were written, had to be ceremonially purified and sanctified although this is not stated in Exodus 24. 

It’s difficult for us to discern what was normal practice and what was specific to each event. For instance, why would Moses need to write down that he had sprinkled the scroll of the Covenant when everyone would have expected him to do this anyway? What is clear is that this was a hugely important moment in the history of Israel. The New Covenant was now established and would provide the framework for the relationship between the people and their God for centuries to come, and it is indeed still viewed as being the basis for the Jewish faith today. 

 

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