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Exodus 24

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1 And to<sup>▵sup> Moses He said, Come·​·up to<sup>▵sup> Jehovah, thou<sup>◦sup> and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow· yourselves ·down afar·​·off.

2 And Moses, he alone, shall approach Jehovah; and they shall not approach; and the people shall not go·​·up with him.

3 And Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words that Jehovah has spoken we will do.

4 And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah, and got·​·up·​·early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

5 And he sent lads of the sons of Israel, and they offered·​·up burnt·​·offerings, and sacrificed sacrifices of peace·​·offerings of bullocks to Jehovah.

6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it into basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the ears of the people; and they said, All that Jehovah has spoken we will do and hear.

8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant that Jehovah has cut with you upon all these words.

9 And there went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.

10 And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet as what is made of the sapphire stone, and as the substance of the heavens as to cleanness.

11 And to the sons of Israel who were set apart He sent not His hand; and they beheld God, and did eat and drink.

12 And Jehovah said to Moses, Come up to Me into the mountain, and be thou there; and I will give thee the tablets of stone, and the law, and the commandment, which I will write to teach them.

13 And Moses rose·​·up, and Joshua his minister; and Moses went·​·up to the mountain of God.

14 And he said to the elders, Sit ye in this place for us, until we return to you; and behold Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has words*, let him approach them.

15 And Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

16 And the glory of Jehovah abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.

17 And the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was as a devouring fire on the head of the mountain in the eyes of the sons of Israel.

18 And Moses came into the midst of the cloud, and went up to the mountain; and Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Altar

  

The first altar mentioned in the Word was the one built by Noah after he came out of the ark, after being saved from the great flood. On that altar, he sacrificed clean animals to the Lord.

Mountains represent the Lord because of their height; we need to raise our thoughts above worldly things when "talking" with the Lord. An altar is a small artificial mountain. When it's used in worship, it can call to mind this raising of thought. The fire and smoke that rise from an altar are symbolically being sent to the Lord.

Most altars were made from unhewn stones. Stones represent truths. Unhewn stones - ones that have not been shaped by men - represent truths from the Word, truths that have not been adulterated.

The clean beasts to be sacrificed represent good things, charitable acts done because they are right. The clean birds represent thoughts about doctrine and actions, and about what is right. Presenting these things is an acknowledgment that we have them from the Lord, and a giving thanks to Him for them.

In the Israelitish Tabernacle, the altar of burnt offering represented the acknowledgment of good and the altar of incense that of truth. For this reason this larger altar, which was outside by the door, was made of brass which signifies natural good, while the altar of incense was made of gold, which signifies love to the Lord from whom comes truth.