Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank. - Exodus 24:8-11
There is an amazing moment shortly after Moses and the Israelites receive the Ten Commandments. Seventy-four of Israel’s leaders go up Mount Sinai and see God himself! Even more remarkably, they share a meal in his presence. I wonder what their conversation would have been like.
But before this incredible experience, they undergo something they might have found considerably less pleasant: Moses sprinkles blood on them. This ritual signifies their inclusion in the covenant and the cleansing of their sin. In fact, it is the blood of the covenant that makes this meeting possible. Previously, the mountain had been off limits, with the threat of death for anyone who approached. Now, covered by the blood of the covenant, these fallen and frail human beings can commune with the living God.
One day, God promises that we too will see him face to face. We will speak with him and eat with him, and nothing will stand between us. And just as it was for the Israelites, this is made possible through the sprinkling of blood. Thankfully, we don't need to be showered in the blood of calves! Instead, baptism points us to the greater reality: our hearts have been sprinkled clean by the blood of Jesus.
While we can’t yet see him, even now, through Christ's blood, we have access to God. We can draw near to him with a confidence that those Israelites could scarcely have imagined. What a privilege it is to belong to a God who not only makes a covenant with his people, but welcomes them into his presence!
Blessings,
Geoff