What might the altar, sacrifices, and blood in Exodus 24 represent—and how do those symbols connect to the covenants you have made with God today?
"1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto theLord, thou, and Aaron,Nadab, and Abihu, andseventyof the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
2 And Moses alone shall come near the Lord: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.
3 ¶ 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.
4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altarunder the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord.
6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7 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.
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkledit on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.
9 ¶ Then 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 it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink." (Exodus 24:1–11)
And here's the commentary entitled: "Making covenants shows my willingness to obey God’s law." :
"As you read Exodus 24:3–8, consider the covenants you have made with God. While Israel’s covenant included rituals that are different from what God requires today, you may notice some similarities. For example, verses 4, 5, and 8 mention an altar, animal sacrifices, and blood. What could these things represent, and how do they relate to your covenants?"
The altar, sacrifices, and blood in Exodus 24 represent:
The Altar: The Lord's house--His temple and the meetinghouse--the place of gathering of the saints, where I make and renew my covenants with the Lord
The Sacrifices: A broken heart and contrite spirit or being a repentant soul; My resources--time, energy, and money which I sacrifice to help build the kingdom of God
The Blood: The Atonement of Jesus Christ
I bring to the altar my own sacrifices when I entered and whenever I renew the covenants I have made with the Lord. And when I show my willingness to obey and keep my part of the covenants, Jesus Christ's Atonement takes effect into my life, enabling me to rise above my challenges in this earthly life and reach my potential as a daughter of my loving Heavenly Father.
What are things that you may be tempted to put before God? What blessings have you seen from putting God first?
"12And theLordspake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard thevoiceof the words, but saw nosimilitude; onlyye hearda voice.
13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, eventencommandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone." (Deuteronomy 4:12–13)
"1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any gravenimage, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For insix days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lordblessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 ¶ Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covetthy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s." (Exodus 20:1–17)
"34 ¶ But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question,tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:34–40)
And here's the commentary entitled: "Obedience to God’s commandments brings blessings." :
"While the Israelites were gathered at the base of Mount Sinai, they heard the voice of God give the Ten Commandments (see Deuteronomy 4:12–13). These, of course, aren’t God’s only commandments—there are many others in the scriptures. So as you read Exodus 20:1–17, ask yourself why God emphasized these ten in particular. Here’s a sample table you could use as you ponder the importance of the Ten Commandments in your life:
Commandment
In other words, the Lord is asking me to …
Blessings that come from living this commandment
How does keeping these ten commandments help you keep the two great commandments Jesus gave in Matthew 22:34–40?
What are things that you may be tempted to put before God? What blessings have you seen from putting God first?
How would you respond to someone who says the Ten Commandments were given a long time ago and do not apply today? What examples from your life would you share as part of your response? How might the hymn “How Gentle God’s Commands” (Hymns, no. 125) affect the way you explain God’s commandments to others?
How has the Lord fulfilled the promise in Exodus 20:6 in your life?
See also “The Great Commandment—Love the Lord,” in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson (2014), 37–45; Dallin H. Oaks, “No Other Gods,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 72–75; Topics and Questions, “Commandments,” Gospel Library."
The importance of the Ten Commandments in my life:
Commandment
In other words, the Lord is asking me to …
Blessings that come from living this commandment
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Make Him the first priority in my life
Everything falls in its proper order
Thou shalt not make unto thee any gravenimage, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.
Serve, and worship Him, not any other things He created, or created by other people, or me
I am able to show my love for the Lord, and He is able to shower me with the blessings He has in store for me.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Honor His name in thought, words, and actions. Keep the covenants I have made with Him, and do not take them for granted.
The Lord is able to shape me to become more like Him.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor His day, and not make it like any other ordinary day.
I am able to show the Lord the sign that I love Him with all my heart, might, and mind, and strength.
Honour thy father and thy mother.
Always and forever, show my parents the respect and love they deserve.
I am able to appreciate and love them. The Lord is able to bless me with a long life here on earth. And I am able to look forward to spending eternity with them in God's kingdom.
Thou shalt not kill.
Show respect to all people by allowing them to live continually and reach their full potential as children of God.
I am able to choose to show love to others as God wants me to. I am able to find peace and joy in whatever circumstances that I find myself in with others.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Show respect to my husband and be content with him by choosing to love only him as my eternal companion.
I am able to look past my husband's weaknesses and mistakes and continue to choose to love him no matter what.
Thou shalt not steal.
Be contented with what I have, enjoy what I have, and allow others to do the same with what they have.
Always seek to lift others, and never seek to capture their hearts with the intention of putting them down.
I am able to find peace and joy in the things that I have right now.
I am choosing to strive to do what I can to increase the things that I have to be able to do the Lord's work more than I've been able to before.
I am choosing to do what I can to transform into my better version so that I can more fully help others transform as well, and that they may be able to choose to come unto Christ.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Be honest all the time. Never seek to put someone down with lies or white lies.
I am sticking to the truth, and the truth is making me free.
Thou shalt not covet
Do wrongfully long for possessions, status, or qualities that belong to another person.
I am longing for things for the right reasons, according to God's will, and He is giving me more peace and joy
Keeping these ten commandments helps me keep the two great commandments Jesus gave by softening my heart because of seeing and feeling more of God's love for me and for all of His children.
The things that I may be tempted to put before God are:
My own comfort
My own thoughts about others
My own judgment
My own ideas for solutions to problems
My own way of doing things
The blessings I have seen from putting God first are:
Inspiration through the Holy Ghost
God's power covers my weakness in mercy
Miracles like mountains getting moved
Protection from harm and danger
Increased capacity in different aspects of life through the Lord's grace
