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 saw God, and they ate and drank.
Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.”
So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
— Exodus 24:9-13
During this feast, God said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone (Exo. 24:12–13). So Moses took Joshua, and together they went further up the mountain to meet with God. At this point, God needed Joshua, someone who would fight for His interest, not Aaron, who was satisfied with the sweetness of His presence. Feasting was easy, but now the Lord called them to a further stage in their experience of Him. He gave them tablets of stone engraved with His laws. Something soft became very solid, something that was a teaching became engraved in stone, and something that was an understanding became a constitution.
Adapted from Joshua: A Life of Service, page 22.
Tomorrow: “God’s Desire for His Testimony”