And they beheld God.

Exodus 24:1-11, Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. “Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.” Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on 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!” So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

We can see the serious nature of the leaders’ approach to God, through one man as mediator, by the power of the blood of sacrifice, to be in the presence of His glory. Even in Jesus day, we know that many “walked no more” with Him when said that we must “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood.” The idea of Jesus as the bread of life is still repulsive to our culture: no one can be good enough on his own to come into His presence unless the Father draws him and cleanses him. We approach Him only through Jesus , “the mediator of a new covenant,” by His sprinkled blood, “which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” And in worship we catch a glimpse of His glory!

Thank You for our mediator Jesus, for being able to come into Your presence in worship by the power of His sprinkled blood.