Pondering the Word – Exodus 24:9-11

As I continue reading through the Bible this year using the F260 Plan these verses in Exodus 24 grabbed my attention. I can’t remember noticing them before though I am sure that I have read them many times.

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

As I think back on some of my most memorable meals there are several that come to mind:

• At the Chart House in New Orleans at Jackson Square with my girlfriend Linda Tucker. It was the night I told her that I loved her. August 1979.
• At The Three Musketeers Restaurant in Bratislava, Slovakia. Perhaps the best steak I have ever had. With my friends the Holloways who were missionaries there.
• At the end of a mission trip to Botswana, Africa. Our team had a wild game meal where we got to try some critters that I had never eaten before… or since.
• At an ancient castle in Tuscany Italy with my bride of 33 years when we were on Sabbatical 2 years ago.

But I don’t think that any of these would compare with the meal that Moses and his 73 friends experienced at Mount Sinai. This would have been a meal that they would be talking about for.e.ver. I know I would. They saw God! And they lived to tell about it. As I use my sanctified imagination to picture what this might have looked like this is what comes to mind…

• Men filled with AWE as they beheld the God of Israel
• Men filled with fear as they beheld the God of Israel
• Laughter and delight as they talk about how blessed they are to be included in this gathering
• Conversations that go something like this, “My wife will never believe me when I tell her about what happened.”
• Copious amounts of food and drink that is beyond delicious
• A commitment to do whatever the God of Israel says to do and a pledge to trust the leadership of Moses from this point forward.

I think that sometimes God gives us incredible memories so that we can…REMEMBER. Life is often hard and exhausting. But it is the memories of the blessed times that often fuel the hope within me for better days. Take some time today perhaps to remember. Maybe even like I just did to remember some of the great meals you have experienced. I’d love to hear about your favorites.