Exodus 24:17 Study Bible: The appearance of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.

◄ Exodus 24:17 ►

And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.

And the sight
The Hebrew word for "sight" is "מַרְאֶה" (mar'eh), which refers to an appearance or vision. This term emphasizes the visual manifestation of God's presence, which was not just a spiritual experience but a tangible, observable event. The Israelites were given a rare opportunity to witness the divine glory, reinforcing the reality and power of God in a way that was undeniable and awe-inspiring.

of the glory
The word "glory" in Hebrew is "כָּבוֹד" (kavod), which signifies weightiness, honor, and splendor. In the context of God's glory, it represents His majestic presence and divine holiness. The glory of the LORD is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, often associated with His power and authority. Here, it serves as a reminder of God's supreme and unapproachable holiness, which demands reverence and worship.

of the LORD
The term "LORD" is translated from the Hebrew "יְהוָה" (YHWH), the sacred and personal name of God. This name is deeply significant, representing God's eternal existence and covenantal faithfulness. The use of YHWH in this verse underscores the personal relationship between God and His people, as well as His role as the sovereign ruler of the universe.

was like a consuming fire
The imagery of a "consuming fire" is powerful and evocative. In Hebrew, "אֵשׁ אֹכֶלֶת" (esh ochelet) conveys the idea of a fire that devours or consumes completely. This metaphor highlights God's purity and holiness, which cannot coexist with sin. It serves as a warning of God's righteous judgment but also as a symbol of His purifying presence, which refines and sanctifies His people.

on the mountaintop
The mountaintop, specifically Mount Sinai, is a place of divine revelation and encounter. Throughout the Bible, mountains are often depicted as locations where God reveals Himself to humanity. The elevation of the mountaintop signifies a place set apart, where heaven and earth meet, and where God's presence is made manifest in a unique and powerful way.

in the eyes of the Israelites
The phrase "in the eyes of the Israelites" emphasizes the communal aspect of this divine encounter. It was not just Moses or a select few who witnessed God's glory, but the entire nation. This collective experience served to unify the people in their faith and understanding of God's majesty. It also reinforced their identity as God's chosen people, bound by the covenant established at Sinai.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, whose glory is being revealed to the Israelites.

2. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, who ascends Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God.

3. Mount Sinai
The mountain where God reveals His presence and gives the Law to Moses.

4. The Israelites
The people of God, witnessing the manifestation of God's glory from the base of the mountain.

5. The Glory of the LORD
A visible manifestation of God's presence, described as a consuming fire.

Teaching Points

The Holiness of God
God's glory as a consuming fire signifies His holiness and purity. Believers are called to approach Him with reverence and awe.

The Presence of God
The visible manifestation of God's glory reminds us of His desire to dwell among His people. We should seek His presence in our daily lives.

The Fear of the LORD
Recognizing God as a consuming fire should instill a healthy fear of the LORD, leading to obedience and worship.

Covenant Relationship
The event at Mount Sinai underscores the seriousness of God's covenant with His people. We are called to be faithful to our covenant with God through Christ.

Transformation and Purification
Just as fire refines and purifies, God's presence in our lives works to transform and purify us from sin.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the description of God's glory as a consuming fire in Exodus 24:17 shape your understanding of His holiness?

2. In what ways can we seek to experience the presence of God in our daily lives, similar to the Israelites witnessing His glory?

3. How does the concept of God as a consuming fire influence your approach to worship and obedience?

4. What parallels can you draw between the covenant at Mount Sinai and the new covenant established through Jesus Christ?

5. How can the imagery of fire as a purifying force encourage you in your personal spiritual growth and transformation?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Deuteronomy 4:24
This verse describes God as a consuming fire, emphasizing His holiness and the seriousness of His covenant.

Hebrews 12:29
The New Testament reiterates the concept of God as a consuming fire, linking it to reverence and worship.

1 Kings 18:38
The fire of the LORD consuming Elijah's sacrifice demonstrates God's power and presence.

Revelation 1:14-15
The description of Christ with eyes like a flame of fire connects to the consuming and purifying nature of God's presence.

Isaiah 33:14
The question of who can dwell with the consuming fire highlights the need for righteousness and purity before God.

Sermons

Communion with God	J. W. Burn.	Exodus 24:12-18
Divine Preparations	W. Burrows, B. A.	Exodus 24:12-18
Moses Ascends the Mount	J. Orr	Exodus 24:12-18
On the Mount with God	J. E. Twitchell.	Exodus 24:12-18
The Best Recommendation	A. J. Gordon.	Exodus 24:12-18

People

Aaron, Abihu, Hur, Israelites, Joshua, Moses, Nadab

Places

Mount Sinai

Topics

Appearance, Consuming, Devouring, Fire, Flame, Glory, Honour, Mount, Mountain, Sight, Sons

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Exodus 24:17

1194 glory, divine and human
1670 symbols

Exodus 24:4-18

4269 Sinai, Mount

Exodus 24:15-17

1193 glory, revelation of

Exodus 24:15-18

4805 clouds

Exodus 24:17-18

5103 Moses, significance

Library

Sin and Forgiveness
'... Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty....'--EXODUS xxiv. 7. The former chapter tells us of the majesty of the divine revelation as it was made to Moses on 'the mount of God.' Let us notice that, whatever was the visible pomp of the external Theophany to the senses, the true revelation lay in the proclamation of the 'Name'; the revelation to the conscience and the heart; and such a revelation had never before fallen on mortal ears. It is remarkable …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'The Love of Thine Espousals'
'And He said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of 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 …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Blood of the Covenant
"Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you."--EX. xxiv. 8; HEB. ix. 20. "This cup is the new covenant in My blood."--1 COR. xi. 25; MATT. xxvi. 28. "The blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified."--HEB. x. 29. "The blood of the everlasting covenant."--HEB. xiii.21. THE blood is one of the strangest, the deepest, the mightiest, and the most heavenly of the thoughts of God. It lies at the very root of both Covenants, but specially of the New Covenant. The difference …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

The Blood of the Testament
BLOOD IS ALWAYS a terrible thing. It makes a sensitive mind shudder even to pronounce the word; but, to look upon the thing itself causes a thrill of horror. Although by familiarity men shake this off, for the seeing of the eye and the hearing of the ear can harden the heart, the instinct of a little child may teach you what is natural to us in referer to blood. How it will worry if its finger bleeds ever so little, shocked as the sight, actually there be no smart. I envy not the man whose pity would …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 58: 1912

The Blood of Sprinkling
Our apostle next tells us what we are come to. I suppose he speaks of all the saints after the death and resurrection of our Lord and the descent of the Holy Ghost. He refers to the whole church, in the midst of which the Holy Spirit now dwells. We are come to a more joyous sight than Sinai, and the mountain burning with fire. The Hebrew worshipper, apart from his sacrifices, lived continually beneath the shadow of the darkness of a broken law; he was startled often by the tremendous note of the …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 32: 1886

The Birth of Jesus Proclaimed by Angels to the Shepherds.
(Near Bethlehem, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke II. 8-20. ^c 8 And there were shepherds in the same country [they were in the same fields from which David had been called to tend God's Israel, or flock] abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. [When the flock is too far from the village to lead it to the fold at night, these shepherds still so abide with it in the field, even in the dead of winter.] 9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them [He stood upon the earth at their side, and did …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Lord's Supper Instituted.
(Jerusalem. Evening Before the Crucifixion.) ^A Matt. XXVI. 26-29; ^B Mark XIV. 22-25; ^C Luke XXII. 19, 20; ^F I. Cor. XI. 23-26. ^a 26 And as they were eating, ^f the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; 24 and when he had given thanks, { ^b blessed,} ^f he brake it, ^a and he gave to the disciples, and said, ^b Take ye: ^a Take, eat; this is my body. ^f which is ^c given ^f for you: this do in remembrance of me. [As only unleavened bread was eaten during the paschal supper, …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Writings of St. Ambrose.
The extant writings of St. Ambrose may be divided under six heads. I. Dogmatic; II. Exegetic; III. Moral; IV. Sermons; V. Letters; VI. A few Hymns. I. Dogmatic and Controversial Works. 1. De Fide. The chief of these are the Five Books on the Faith, of which the two first were written in compliance with a request of the Emperor Gratian, a.d. 378. Books III.-V. were written in 379 or 380, and seem to have been worked up from addresses delivered to the people [V. prol. 9, 11; III. 143; IV. 119]. This …
St. Ambrose—Works and Letters of St. Ambrose

Things Pertaining to the Kingdom.
"Now is there solemn pause in earth and heaven; The Conqueror now His bonds hath riven, And Angels wonder why He stays below; Yet hath not man his lesson learned, How endless love should be returned." Hitherto our thoughts about "The Kingdom of Heaven" have been founded on the teaching of the King respecting His Kingdom recorded in the Gospels. But we must not forget to give attention to the very important time in the life of our Lord extending between His Resurrection and Ascension, during which …
Edward Burbidge—The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?

The Last Supper
189. On Thursday Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem for the last time. Knowing the temper of the leaders, and the danger of arrest at any time, Jesus was particularly eager to eat the Passover with his disciples (Luke xxii. 15), and he sent two of them--Luke names them as Peter and John--to prepare for the supper. In a way which would give no information to such a one as Judas, he directed them carefully how to find the house where a friend would provide them the upper room that was needed …
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

Brief Outline of Ancient Jewish Theological Literature
The arrangements of the synagogue, as hitherto described, combined in a remarkable manner fixedness of order with liberty of the individual. Alike the seasons and the time of public services, their order, the prayers to be offered, and the portions of the law to be read were fixed. On the other hand, between the eighteen "benedictions" said on ordinary days, and the seven repeated on the Sabbaths, free prayer might be inserted; the selection from the prophets, with which the public reading concluded--the …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Jesus Calls Four Fishermen to Follow Him.
(Sea of Galilee, Near Capernaum.) ^A Matt. IV. 18-22; ^B Mark I. 16-20; ^C Luke V. 1-11. ^a 18 And walking ^b 16 And passing along by the sea of Galilee [This lake is a pear-shaped body of water, about twelve and a half miles long and about seven miles across at its widest place. It is 682 feet below sea level; its waters are fresh, clear and abounding in fish, and it is surrounded by hills and mountains, which rise from 600 to 1,000 feet above it. Its greatest depth is about 165 feet], he [Jesus] …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
ONLY those who have made study of it can have any idea how large, and sometimes bewildering, is the literature on the subject of Jewish Proselytes and their Baptism. Our present remarks will be confined to the Baptism of Proselytes. 1. Generally, as regards proselytes (Gerim) we have to distinguish between the Ger ha-Shaar (proselyte of the gate) and Ger Toshabh (sojourner,' settled among Israel), and again the Ger hatstsedeq (proselyte of righteousness) and Ger habberith (proselyte of the covenant). …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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