The first time that God talked to Moses directly, it was from a burning bush. Moses was flustered, unsure of himself, and made excuses for why he couldn’t do God’s will. He was asked to be a deliverer, but all he wanted to do was deliver himself.
This time, Moses talks with God inside the cloud. And rather than run away, he stands firm, listening to command after command by God pertaining to how to lead God’s people not only to the Promised Land, but closer to Him as well.
Exodus 24:18 marks the beginning of a nearly six chapter section that is almost exclusively about the building of the Tabernacle. This is important; the Tabernacle will be the semi-permanent dwelling place of God for the next four hundred years. It’s where sacrifices are made, priests minister, and God’s people interface with His glory.
This is different from what Moses needs. Here he’s in direct communion with God inside the cloud, talking and conversing with Him face-to-face just like two friends (Exodus 33:11). The tabernacle will provide in a formal sense what Moses already has informally. That speaks to the uniqueness of Moses.
According to the Text, Moses spends over 40 days inside the cloud. That’s a long time to record God’s instructions, but it’s even longer when you consider that he fasted the entire time (Exodus 34:28). It’s possible this was a modified fast, where he only refused water and food at certain times, but it’s also possible God miraculously sustained Moses.
To take it a step further, this isn’t the only time Moses would do something like this. In Deuteronomy 9:18, Moses says that he went up a second time to get the Law after their sins with the golden calf. And it was because of their sins that he fasted on that occasion.
I know Moses gets a lot of credit for what he does for Israel, but it’s all warranted. Throughout his life, we see him intercede on their behalf, mourn for them, and guide them by the instructions of God. And, as we’ll see soon enough, when they step out of line, he isn’t afraid to let them know.
