COMMENTARY

Lesson 1: Exodus 24:3-8
After Moses and the elders commune with the Lord on the mountain, Moses builds an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars of stone, representing the twelve tribes. He assembles the people for a covenant ceremony. The people agreed to obey the Lord's commands as delivered by Moses. In witness to the covenant between God and the people, Moses ordered that many beasts be sacrificed. He took half the blood and dashed it against the altar, representing God's portion of the agreement. Then, he flung the other portion of the blood over the people, as a sign of the commitment of the people to their God. Afterward Moses announced: "See the blood of the covenant that the Lord made with you in accordance with all these words" (v. 8). The blood was a v…