Exodus 24:3-8 "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words."
God gave to Moses the words of His judgement. He laid out plainly what He would do and how He would care for them. The LORD also told them plainly what was expected of them. Moses not only told the people what God said, but Moses also made a written record of it so that God’s people would always have the testimony of God’s word.
When the children of Israel had heard the reading of the word that God spoke to Moses, they pledged themselves to the doing of all that God had said. It is no small matter to make a promise to God to hear and obey His word. We are told it is better to not make a vow to the LORD than to make a vow and break it (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). It is foolish to make a promise to the Living God and not fulfill that promise.
We get a glimpse of God’s purpose in grace in this writing. Aaron and his sons had not yet been formalized as being the priesthood. Moses built an altar of earth away from the border that God had set around Mt. Sinai. He placed pillars (stones) before the altar to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The scripture does not indicate that the young men that were sent to offering peace offerings unto the LORD were of any particular tribe or standing: they were simply able and willing.
Moses first sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the altar. It was first made an offering unto God. Then the blood of the same sacrifice was sprinkled upon the people to seal the covenant that God had made with them. The people were not asked if they wanted the blood applied to them, nor did they ask for it to be done.
In like manner, the sacrifice of Jesus was offered unto God the Father. Being an acceptable sacrifice unto the Father, His blood was applied to His children. We were not asked for our consent, not did we ask for the blood to be applied. This was carried out by the Mediator of God’s covenant with us.
As Moses charged the children of Israel on that day, may we be blessed to behold (see with understanding) the blood of the covenant. May we be blessed to understand that this is the LORD’s work according to His divine purpose. His covenant that He made will stand according to all the words that He has spoken!