The People Who Ate with God: Seeing God and Living to Tell (Has Anyone Seen God?)

Bible Believing Christian
Sep 12
3 min read

The People Who Ate with God: Seeing God and Living to Tell (Has Anyone Seen God?)

Exodus 24 records a moment both intimate and astonishing: Moses, Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and seventy elders ascended Mount Sinai, saw the God of Israel, and ate a covenant meal in His presence. How could sinful humans survive such an encounter? This episode reveals the mystery of God’s holiness and His desire for fellowship with His people—a mystery fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Biblical Foundation

“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 reach out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.” (Exodus 24:9–11, NASB)

This follows the ratification of the covenant with sacrificial blood (Exodus 24:6–8). The meal was not a casual picnic but a sacred celebration of peace between God and His chosen people.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Heaven Touching Earth: The sapphire-like pavement echoes heavenly visions in Ezekiel 1:26 and Revelation 21:19. God reveals His glory in forms humans can bear without being destroyed.

Covenant Meal: In the ancient Near East, shared meals sealed treaties. Here, God invites His people to a covenant table—anticipating the Lord’s Supper.

Seeing God? Scripture elsewhere insists no one can see God’s full essence and live (Exodus 33:20). The Hebrew verb רָאָה (ra’ah, to see) can mean a mediated vision—God manifests His glory in a visible, approachable form.

Misconceptions & Objections

“The Bible contradicts itself about seeing God.”

Exodus 24 describes a mediated manifestation—what theologians call a theophany. Passages stating no one can see God’s essence (John 1:18) speak of His unveiled, infinite glory.

“It was just a dream or trance.”

The text presents a real meal, not a vision. God graciously bridged the gap between heaven and earth.

Theological Reflection

This encounter shows God’s covenant love. He does not merely rescue; He dines with His people. The meal seals fellowship, and the sapphire pavement reminds us that heaven and earth meet in His presence. The Hebrew word for covenant, בְּרִית (berit), carries the idea of cutting and binding—a relationship secured by sacrifice.

Connection to Christ – The Table of the Lord

Jesus brings this Sinai moment to its ultimate fulfillment:

Incarnation as Theophany: “No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.” (John 1:18, NASB). In Christ, the invisible God becomes visible.

The Last Supper: Jesus institutes the new covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20). Just as the elders of Israel ate with God, so believers eat and drink with Jesus in Holy Communion.

Eschatological Banquet: Revelation 19:9 invites us to the marriage supper of the Lamb—the ultimate meal in God’s presence.

Each “I AM” statement of Jesus (John 6:35; 8:12; 10:11; 14:6) echoes the divine name revealed to Moses and assures us that to see Jesus is to see the Father (John 14:9).

Christ-Centered Conclusion

On Sinai, Israel’s leaders shared bread and wine with the living God without fear. At the cross and in the Eucharist, that invitation opens to the world. Through Jesus, we too behold God and live.