All right, so this is a good natural breaking point because it ends one of the sections. We'll start the next section when we gather together on the 11th. But I'll read chapter 24 in its entirety, and then our focus is on the latter half, verses 9 to 18. So now he said to Moses, come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people go up with him. So 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 has said we will do. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and 12 pillars according to the 12 tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men of the children of Israel who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words. Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. And they saw the God of Israel. And there was under his feet, as it were, a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel he did not lay his hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. Then the Lord said to Moses, come up to me on the mountain and be there, and I will give you tablets of stone and the law and commandments which I have written that you may teach them. So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua and went up to the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them. Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain. Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. Amen. So we've been studying this book of the covenant. It begins in chapter 21, which is a detailed application of the 10 commandments in chapter 20. We see the civil law or the judicial law of Moses to regulate life in the land amongst the people of God, the Israelites. And then that ratification comes here in chapter 24 in two parts. So verses 1 to 8 is the ratification proper, verses 9 to 11 conclude that, and then verses 12 to 18 are another approach by Moses to the mountain. So you've got two ascents in chapter 24, verses 9 to 18. Two ascents up the mountain, verses 9 to 11, and then verses 12 to 18. So in the first one, it's the meeting with God for covenant ratification, verses 9 to 11. And then the second is the meeting with God for laws concerning the tabernacle. And this serves as introduction to the next section in the book, beginning in chapter 25, at verse 1, with the emphasis on legislation concerning the tabernacle. So we'll look first at this meeting with God for covenant ratification. But let me just explain a bit of the structure. It sounds a bit confusing along the way. So 9 to 11, as I said, concludes the ratification ceremony. They come back down the mountain at the end of verse 11. Moses receives additional instruction by God in verse 12 to come up to me on the mountain. We know that presently they are at the base of the mountain because in verse 14 we see that Moses says to the elders, wait here for us until we come back to you. So verses 12 to 18 are, as I said, introduction to the legislation concerning the tabernacle. It's Moses that goes to the top alone. Joshua attends him. Joshua is his assistant. Joshua probably goes up halfway, but he doesn't go to the very summit of the mountain. That is reserved for Moses alone. But let's look first at the meeting with God for covenant ratification in verses 9 to 11. So notice, the same men that were mentioned in verse 1 are repeated in verse 9. Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel. So the ratification ceremony in verses 3 to 8 concluded with the sprinkling of blood in verse 8. And now there is this covenantal meal that they are going to participate in. And as far as this meal is concerned, I just want to read a bit of an extended quote by Stuart, I think he summarizes it well. He says, 74 people ascended Mount Sinai to represent all Israel in the covenant meal. A special eating ceremony between parties to the covenant, without which the covenant would not have been understood to make them allies or friends or kin. In the ancient world, and many places in the modern world, people would not eat together if they were not somehow allies or family. Eating was understood to convey acceptance, to declare approval of those with whom one dined. Just as Jesus' dining with tax collectors, non-practicing Jews or sinners, and other such persons was regarded by many in his day as an act of approval of their behavior, so eating a formal meal with others was understood to demonstrate mutual agreement, cooperation, acceptance, and respect." So it wasn't just an addition. It wasn't something just simply tacked on. But it was foundational to this ratification ceremony. So the parties involved, the 74 people representing the entirety of Israel on the one hand, and then God on the other hand. So they eat and drink together. Now, God doesn't eat and drink the way that we eat and drink. I think there's some metaphor going on here, spoken in the manner of men, to communicate what is the significant aspect, that they ratify this covenant that Israel has sworn fidelity to. Now notice in verse 10, it tells us in verse 10a, they saw the God of Israel. This is a bit of a puzzling statement in light of, say, John 118. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. The Bible emphasizes that God is spirit and does not have a body like men. In fact, turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 4, where you see the emphasis on the fact that Israel did not see a form when they saw the mount covered with the glory of God. Specifically in Deuteronomy chapter 4, at verse 12, the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form. You only heard a voice. Then verse 15, take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb, out of the midst of the fire. And then you can turn to the Gospel of John. John, I've already referred to John chapter 1. No one has seen God at any time, which underscores the invisibility of God. But then as well, John 4, 24, Jesus with the woman at the well. He says, God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. So as spirit, he is not manifest in the same way that a physical body or a temporal being is. And then over in John 6, specifically at verse 46, not that anyone has seen the father except he who is from God. He has seen the father. And then if you turn to 1 Timothy, there's two references in 1 Timothy to the reality that God is in fact invisible. So in 1 Timothy 1, verse 17, it's a doxology unto God. It says, now to the king eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever, amen. And then in a similar doxology in chapter six, specifically at verse 16, it says, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power, amen. So when we go back to this particular passage, it finds affinity with other passages in the Old Testament that express that men in fact did see God. In Genesis chapter 18 verse 1, Abraham saw the Lord. In Genesis chapters 26, 32, and 35, Jacob saw the Lord. God appeared to Jacob. Moses saw God according to this particular passage, and then again in chapter 33 verse 11, chapter 33 verses 18 to 23, chapter 34 verses 5 to 7. So Moses saw God, Jacob saw God, Abraham saw God, and then the prophets, Micaiah 1 Kings chapter 22 verse 19, Isaiah chapter 6 verse 1, and then Ezekiel in chapter 1. So how do we explain that person saw the invisible God? Well, the emphasis on the invisibility of God deals with the essence of God, who God is in his being, his essential glory. No man can see him and live. No man can view God in that regard. But in some sense, he makes himself known or reveals himself in a particular form. John Gill suggests that this is a theophany, which is a manifestation of deity of the second person of the Trinity. The reason he argues that way is the reference to his feet. Now, he says that this sort of typifies or prefigures or foreshadows the very incarnation of the Son of God. He says, this sight they had was not by a vision or prophecy, or with the eyes of their understanding, but corporally. They saw the Son of God, the God of Israel, in a human form. as a pledge and presage of his future incarnation, who is the angel that spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, as Stephen says, and the Lord that was among the angels there, who afterwards became incarnate, and having done his work on earth, ascended on high." And he refers to Stephen's speech in Acts chapter 7, specifically at verse 38, this is he who is in the congregation or the church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us. So back to chapter 24 in the book of Exodus, they didn't see the essence of God, they didn't see God as God is, because again, no man can see that. We are finite, we are limited, God is infinite, God is eternal, God is glorious. The theologian Van Maastricht said, such passages must be understood to concern either a symbolic vision, which perceives not his essence, but his operation under certain signs. It's like when God manifests himself in Exodus chapter 3 at the burning bush. That doesn't mean that God is a burning bush. Rather, it is the means by which he manifests his glory, or his being, with reference to Moses there. Later on in Exodus chapter 33, remember, Moses asks to see the glory of God. And God says, you can't see it. But he puts him in the cleft of the rock, and then he passes by him, and then Moses, as it were, sees his hind parts. And so this reference to their having seen the God of Israel, again it's not in his essential glory, it was in some way that God manifested himself via or by what's called a theophany, a manifestation of deity. and it is intriguing when you look there at chapter 24 verse 10, they saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. That language as it were And then this idea of likeness. It's interesting when you look, say, for instance, at Ezekiel chapter 1 and some of the theophanies or visions that John the apostle gets in the book of Revelation. The closer the creature gets to the creator in terms of actually seeing, we always find that language in the likeness of, in the likeness of. the creature has only the ability to think in creaturely ways and so the scripture refers to these things so that the creature who is getting this visible display of the glory of God and that is being recorded for us it gives us something as it were to sink our teeth into but the closer the creature gets to the glory of God the more the emphasis on likeness the more the emphasis on it was like, because you cannot see or gaze upon the essential glory of God Most High." So whether or not we accept that John Gill is right and this is a manifestation of the second person of the Trinity, it certainly was something that these men saw on the mount such that Moses is able to say under the inspiration of the Spirit they saw the God of Israel. But that is not to be taken in contradiction with those passages that emphasize the invisibility. The invisibility of God refers to his essential glory that the creature does not lay eyes upon. So this was some sort of a manifestation of his glory, a theophany, to demonstrate his presence among them in this covenant meal that they had together. So we see that declaration, we see a bit of amplification in that further description in verse 10. There was under his feet, as it were, a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. And then verse 11a is intriguing. Verse 11a tells us something that I think is a bit confusing at the initial glance. But he did not, I'm sorry, but on the nobles of the children of Israel, he did not lay his hand. Does that mean that God did not lay his hand? Well, I think there's a hint in Genesis, specifically at chapter 32, you can turn there, and then we'll see another hint later in Exodus chapter 33. But in Genesis chapter 32, we see Jacob wrestling with God. And in chapter 32, verse 22, we read, He arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the fort of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his hip, and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as he wrestled with him. And he said, let me go for the day breaks. But he said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. So he said to him, what is your name? He said, Jacob. And he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed. Then Jacob asked, saying, tell me your name, I pray. And he said, why is it that you ask about my name? And he blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel. For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." So again, it's a manifestation of deity vis-a-vis this human form. Again, this is probably why Gill and others in the Reformed tradition suggest it's an instance of the pre-incarnate Christ. prefiguring the incarnation that would be to come. But notice, I have seen God face-to-face and my life is preserved. Notice the implication. I've seen God face-to-face and I've survived. What does Jacob seem to infer? You don't see God face-to-face and live to tell about it. So then, turn over to Exodus chapter 33. Exodus chapter 33, specifically at verse 18. Exodus 33 verse 18, and he said, Please show me your glory. Then he said, I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But he said, You cannot see my face, for no man shall see me and live. And the Lord said, Here is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen. Again, verse 20, You cannot see my face, for no man shall see me and live. So going back to this theophany on Mount Sinai, verse 11a probably refers to the fact that God didn't kill them. They saw Him in His manifestation of His glory, but on the nobles of the children of Israel, He did not lay His hand. He didn't destroy them. He didn't wipe them out. And then the text ends in verse 11 on that point, so they saw God and they ate and drank. We're completely, we're supposed to understand that the covenant is ratified, the covenant is in place, it is secure, they've engaged in all the components that are necessary for that particular situation, they saw God, they didn't die as a result of that, and now they've enjoyed this meal together. And then that brings us to this next ascent by Moses alone in verses 12 to 18. So we start with the command given by God. So we assume they're on the ground because as I said in verse 14, Moses instructs the elders to wait until we come back to you. So in verse 12, Moses gets this additional command after this previous ascent where they've ratified the covenant, the Lord said to Moses, come up to me on the mountain and be there, and I will give you tablets of stone and the law and commandments which I have written that you may teach them. So the reason to return to Mount Sinai was to receive in this inscribed form the Decalogue. the Ten Commandments. Now Moses, according to verse four, Moses wrote all the words of the Lord and he rose early in the morning. I think we're supposed to understand that of the civil law of Moses that had been given by God. When it comes to this writing that is specifically by God himself, there are several instances in Exodus and Deuteronomy that make this reference to the Ten Commandments specifically. And so we have the giving of the tablets of stone to Moses relative to God's instruction here. The identification of those tablets, as I've argued, is the Decalogue. Exodus 31.18, if you're taking notes, Exodus 34.28, Deuteronomy 4.13, Deuteronomy 5.22, Deuteronomy 9.10, and Deuteronomy 10.4. Whenever you see that reference to the finger of God, it's not that God's not responsible for the civil law, it's not that God's not responsible for the ceremonial law, but it does show something in terms of the binding character of God's moral law. The Decalogue is written by the finger of God himself. But then of course the breaking of those tablets of stone. So this section concludes with Moses on the top of Mount Sinai. If you look at verse 18. So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. He's up there until chapter 32. If you go to chapter 32, remember this is when Israel sins before God. If you notice specifically in 32.17, Joshua is nearer the people than he is to the summit. So again, I think that when we go back to chapter 24, we're to understand that Joshua is Moses' assistant, but when it comes to the summit, only Moses himself goes up into the mountain. So Moses comes down according to Exodus chapter 32 at verse 19. Exodus 32 verse 15, Moses turned and went down from the mountain and the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides, on the one side and on the other they were written. So when we go back to chapter 24, that's the purpose for which Moses goes, the giving of the formal sort of tablets of stone given to Moses, the identification of the commandments of God, and then the breaking of those tablets by the people, chapter 32, verses 1 to 6, and then by Moses himself in 32.19. So the people broke the commandments before Moses threw the tablets down. In fact, it was because the people broke the commandments that Moses threw the tablets down. So when you get to chapter 32, it's not just that Moses throws the tablets and they break, it's that the people of God had already broken that law that the Lord had given to them and that they swore to be faithful to here in chapter 24. So back to Exodus 24, I hope this makes sense. I think there's a, you know, we've got this, seems like Moses is up and down the mountain several times. There's two ascents in verses 9 to 18. So Moses complies with this. So God gives him instruction in verse 12, and then in verse 13, Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. Now, before he goes up to the mountain of God, he gives instructions to the elders in verse 14. And I think this instruction to the elders is very significant. Notice what he says, and he said to the elders, wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them. Now, Aaron and Hur are mentioned already in chapter 17 and verse 12. Aaron is going to be singled out as the priestly line in Exodus chapter 28. At this particular juncture, however, he's older than Moses and quite likely her is older than Moses as well. And so Moses wants it to be the case that in his absence these elders will adjudicate the problems that Israelites have. It's somewhat similar to Exodus chapter 18. Remember in Exodus chapter 18, Moses is about killing himself, hearing the various problems of the various Israelites that he has to deal with. And his father-in-law, Jethro, comes along and says, you're going to kill yourself if you don't delegate some of this authority. So they function or form, basically, you've got lower courts and higher courts. Moses functions as the Supreme Court. Now the thing that intrigues me here, quit smiling at me about delegation, the thing that intrigues me here is that Moses understood the sinfulness of man. He doesn't conclude or he doesn't have this pie in the sky idea that while I'm away on the top of the mountain receiving these tablets from Yahweh, everybody's going to just toe the line and do exactly what they're told. All throughout this giving of the law, you see the necessity of the law that is given. You would think that in this wilderness generation being led by God via Moses to the promised land, they'd all be so happy, so in love with their God, and so in love with one another, they wouldn't steal from each other. they wouldn't, you know, have each other's wives, they wouldn't engage in the sorts of things that are condemned by God. But such is the depravity of man, such is the sinfulness of man, such is the heart of man, that Moses himself can't go to the summit of God, or summit of the mountain, and commune with God without putting in place instructions to hear the various cases that will no doubt arise among Israelites. They're not going to just do exactly what they're supposed to do while dad is away. They're going to fight, they're going to argue, they're going to engage in lawlessness. It's going to culminate in chapter 32 where they're actually dancing around the golden calf. And so Moses puts in place a particular element for redress for the various needs of the Israelites in his absence. He said to the elders, wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. This shows us how important legal structure is. It shows us how important jurisprudence is. It makes the case for the very book of Exodus. It makes the case for the very giving of the law. God gives the law because he wants to restrain the evil tendencies and the proclivities of his preachers. It's a gift given by God. It's a good thing. that is to hedge man in, it is to restrain man, and as well, it's to function to protect the innocent with reference to man's dealings. Now, there's nobody truly innocent except Jesus. The only one that was ever, you know, wholly harmless and undefiled is Jesus. But in criminal matters, in civil matters, there is innocent parties. There are horrible people out there that victimize and take advantage of other people. And so the innocent parties deserve redress in the law of God, and that is precisely what is provided in that law of God. And so Moses understands the necessity of that, and he gives charge specifically to Aaron and Hur that they be the men that hear these cases so that Persons who have a difficulty can go to Aaron and Hur. It's not the case that they're just, you know, maybe in 40 days, if Moses comes back, we can give you some justice. Maybe in 40 days, well, you know, they don't know it's going to be 40 days. In fact, we see by the time of chapter 32, they don't know when Moses is coming back. And that's ultimately what, you know, incites them to engage in the act of idolatry that they do engage in. But Moses is thinking ahead, and Moses says, I want in place something that can help the people that have a difficulty. So it wasn't the case, well, you know, just wait till Moses gets back, and then we'll deal with your criminal affairs, or your criminal matter, or your civil matter. That kind of undoes the giving of the law. The giving of the law was to regulate the conduct. And it cannot be only Moses' responsibility to adjudicate those affairs. So Moses, thinking ahead, as he goes up to that mountain, out make sure that there's a court in place to heal or hear the various issues and challenges that the children of Israel face. Now in verse 15 we have the ascent by Moses up to the mountain. Then Moses went up into the mountain and a cloud covered the mountain. Again this is the beginning of the journey And then we see more detail given in verses 16 to 18. But clouds and darkness surround him, according to Psalm 97, too. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Whenever you see this cloud that is over Mount Sinai, or the cloud that accompanies the march of the people of God, that is a theophany as well, similar to the burning bush. It is a manifestation of deity. Stuart again says, the cloud that covered the top of Mount Sinai and represented God's glory, was similar to that which appeared during the daytime to be a pillar of dark cloud, and during the night to be a pillar of fire, as described in chapter 13 verses 21 and 22, chapter 14 verses 19 and 20, and then 24. The cloud had already served as a protection and guide for the Israelites in their flight from the Egyptians. It was the same cloud previously indicated in 1918. In Exodus, as elsewhere in the Bible, it represented God's glorious presence, awesome, multifaceted, partly mysterious, but also protective and encompassing. That's a good description of the glory cloud that rests over Sinai and that's what verses 16 and following indicates. Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it six days. Most of the commentators include the six days with the 40 days and 40 nights of verse 18. But in verse 16, Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. See that? It was like that. Again, that's what it appeared to be. But when you talk about the glory of the Lord, created fire does not exhaust, or does not contain, or does not fully express that. God uses the convention of creaturely things in order to manifest his glory to said creatures. So the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. So, in conclusion, we have this particular end of a block of narrative. So we have deliverance, chapters 1 to 18, demand, chapters 19 to 24, and now the emphasis in the rest of the book is on dwelling in chapters 25 to 40. And essentially you'll see the instructions to build the tabernacle, and then the actual construction of the tabernacle, and it ends on that high note where the tabernacle is built, and God's Shekinah glory comes down, and He's manifest among them. So with reference to this section, we see the ratification of that old covenant. Both parties are in hardy agreement. We see that expressed ultimately in that covenant meal that the parties have together, as well the emphasis on criminal and civil law. Moses doesn't say, hey, whatever problems you have, I'll deal with it when I get back. No, he charges Aaron and her to hear the difficult matters so that people can get their needs met. And then in terms of the manifestation of the glory of God, this scene is in fact glorious. And again, it's not the essential glory of God, but it is in terms of some creaturely manner that God reveals himself in a theophany to these elders, to these people, and God doesn't kill them according to verse 11. And then with reference to the rest of the book, I just want to read a quote by Ralph Davis. Probably read it when we come back in a few weeks. But I've always found this to be quite encouraging, because he deals with that three sort of D motif. You've got deliverance, demand, and dwelling. He says, the God of 3-5, so that's the God who manifests himself in the burning bush. Remember Moses saw that burning bush, that was a theophany. The God of 3-5 and 19-21. 19-21 is God manifesting himself at Sinai. The Lord said to Moses, go down and warn the people lest they break through to gaze at the Lord and many of them perish. So the God of 3-5 and 19-21 is also the God of 25-8. If you look at 25-8, that's central to the next section. And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. So the God of 3-5, the God of 19-21 is the God of 25-8. So Davis continues. That is, the God of the bush, who will rescue his people from slavery, and the God of the hill, who declares to his people his law, is also the God of the tent, who dwells in the midst of his people, with his tent among their tents. We saw that on Sunday night. Remember David wanted to build a house for the Lord? And God says essentially that. I pitched my tent right alongside of your tents. As long as you're a pilgrim people, a wandering people, I will be a pilgrim God and a wandering God. Once the children of Israel are secured in their land, once their enemies have been vanquished, once their king is in a position of peace to be able to build that temple, then God will take up residence there. He goes on to say, indeed the climax of the book of Exodus is not at the sea, chapter 14, nor on the mountain, chapter 19, but in the tent, chapters 25 and following. The pinnacle of Exodus is 25.8. It is God dwelling in the midst of his people and that is a most blessed and encouraging thing that this book provides to us. questions we can deal with that. Our Father in heaven, we thank you so much for these emphases in this book of Exodus. We thank you, God, for your deliverance of us out of the bondage of sin through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you as well for your law. We know it's not so that we might be saved, but it's because we have been saved. We get the privilege and the power of the Holy Spirit to comply with that law. And we thank you for your dwelling among us in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we've seen recently in our studies in Ephesians the reality that we come to the Father through the Son in the Spirit as we gather for corporate worship. What blessed things that you've revealed to us in Scripture, both in the Old Covenant and in the New Covenant. May these things encourage us, and may you strengthen us, and may you cause us to reflect on the many blessings that we enjoy in this New Covenant era. And we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Any questions or comments? Again, some of that's a bit tricky in terms of their goings and comings from the mountain. of the father and son, or is that kind of off topic for today? It's not off topic. It's just hard. I read a book recently on the Trinity. And the author, and I didn't think he was out to lunch, I think he made a pretty compelling point that it's not necessarily a good thing to see all of the Old Testament manifestations of deity as the pre-incarnate Christ. I think that's pretty commonplace in the foreign tradition. So the older guys that I use regularly are John Gill and Matthew Poole. For just about any, at least up to this point, any manifestation of deity, the angel of the Lord, they'll always say that's the pre-incarnate Christ. But again, this author, his name's Fred Sanders, that wrote a recent book on the Trinity. He argues that that's not necessarily always the best way to treat it. And I thought he had some pretty compelling arguments. But I don't think there's any problem with seeing it as the pre-incarnate Christ. But just some other things, because he seemed to indicate that the incarnation was glorious in and of itself. He seemed to suggest that these sort of pre-incarnate things might have taken away from that. I don't want to miss but I just know it gave me some things to think about in terms of that view. But yeah, Gill and Poole and that tradition, I have no problem with that. Especially in the man appearances and things like that. Yes, sir? Is there anything about the 40 days, 40 nights? That's repeated in multiple places. Is there a reason for that? Yeah. to look at it as a figure of speech for a long time. I don't have any problem with saying it's 40 days and 40 nights, wherever it's plugged in. I'm a bit hesitant to just say, well, it's a figure of speech. It could very well be. But to me, that can be a danger when we start sort of identifying bunches of things as figures of speech. We want to be careful with some of the neurology, because I think there's an opposite extreme. So a liberal might write off as figure of speech, but there's other people that I think make mountains out of molehills quite visually with stuff like this. Yeah. I think in an instance like that, it's pretty easy to see 40 days and 40 nights. Now, of course, people would say, well, what did he eat? And did he have access to food? And people deal with this in their commentaries and whatnot. But yeah, Stuart, for instance, would say this is a figure of speech. But he doesn't go far to the point of denying you know, numbers and history and that sort of thing. But I think there is a tendency in some modern scholarship to do that. Then conversely, like Isaac says, it can create some difficulties when you only ever read numbers literally. So I guess my answer is, I don't know, in a roundabout way. But yeah, I've thought about that phrase before, and it does certainly arise a lot in scripture. All right, so January 11, I'll probably send out five emails.