You Shall Have No Other Gods:
The Book of Exodus

Lesson 19 The Blood of the Covenant
the book of Exodus 23:20—24:18

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary)
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for the book of Exodus
cross references in the book of Exodus
next lesson: God Asks the Israelites to Make a Sanctuary

This material coordinates with Lesson 19 on pages 92–96 in the study book You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”—the book of Exodus 20:1–6

welcome to our in-depth study of the book of Exodus
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson video overviews, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus has been granted an imprimatur and can be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the book of Exodus 21:1–23:19
Lesson 18 Practical Application of the Law of the Covenant is primarily historical, which means that, in general, most of the laws described in these passages are impractical in the present day. That doesn’t mean, however, that the Ten Commandments on which they’re based can be ignored. The challenge for Christians is to figure out how to apply the Ten Commandments, which remain binding. The twenty-third chapter of the book of Exodus hits close to home, and it’s easier to see there how much of that biblical text still applies in the present day. Underlying all of the laws specified in this section of Scripture is the idea that the LORD must come first, and everything we do should reflect that—including the sincerity of our regular worship practices and the way in which we relate to other people.

map notes—a mountain is where God meets humanity
The twenty-fourth chapter of the book of Exodus describes an unusual event. Seventy of Israelites’ leaders—led by Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu—are invited into God’s presence to eat and drink. The book of Exodus 24:9–11 recounts that they actually see God, and no harm comes to them. Only Moses, however, is invited to climb further up the mountain where he’s told he’ll receive the Ten Commandments carved onto stone. Mount Horeb, the traditional site where this is thought to have occurred, is located at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Some scholars dispute this location and suggest that the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments is instead Jabal el Lawz on the Arabian Peninsula. The precise historical location is far less important than the surrounding events described in Scripture. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. You can learn more about the competing locations in “Where Is the Mountain of God,” commentary on page 19 in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. The original map is on page 94.

the covenant & what it means to humanity (54:05)
In the video accompanying this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps takes a close look at the implications of entering into formal covenant with the LORD. The Old Covenant exists on two levels. Its ultimate purpose is to bring about heaven on earth. That’s also the ultimate purpose of the New Covenant instituted by Jesus. The first level of the Old Covenant is the destiny of humanity; it’s what happens when men and women properly relate to the LORD. The second level is a “plan B”—what happens when humanity fails on our end to keep the terms of the covenant. The best case of what happens to humanity if we manage to keep the terms of the covenant is heaven on earth. The worst case still is some variation of that. Though far less attractive, it remains preferable to where we’d end up without any relationship with God.

oops—Matthew misspeaks on the video
In this video, Matthew accurately observes that the LORD’s anger with the descendants of Jacob leads to their wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Then he suggests that an account of this will appear later in the book of Exodus. The LORD’s decree that the people must wander in the wilderness 40 years isn’t recorded until the the book of Numbers 14:26–30, which describes God’s reaction to the people’s fear of entering the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb are allowed to enter. We apologize for any confusion.


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 19, “The Blood of the Covenant,” on pages 86–91 in the study book.

this angel is Jesus & what can this angel do?
In the book of Exodus 23:20, God promises the people who are entering into covenant to send an angel with them to guard them and to lead them to the place that the LORD’s prepared for them. There are multiple clues in the biblical text that this angel is Jesus. First, the word angel means “messenger,” not cute little baby with wings such as is frequently seen on greeting cards. Second, where is this place that God has prepared? There’s no indication that it’s the Promised Land of Canaan, though that geographical area is important as a type of the final place prepared by God for humanity. For Christians, the true Promised Land is heaven, which is understood to be the presence of God. The book of Exodus 23:21 goes on to indicate that this angel or messenger from God has the power to pardon transgressions (forgive sin) and Scripture promises even more—God’s name is in him.

?  How would you expect to react should you encounter an actual messenger sent by God?
?  Where might you expect to encounter such a messenger?
?  How does God most frequently communicates with men and women in the present day?
?  What’s God’s name?
?  Consider how this identity of God ends up in his messenger.

what Matthew says—the covenant establishes limits
In the video, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps points out that a most interesting thing about the Old Covenant is that it sets limits on how humanity will be able to arrive at the place that the LORD has prepared for them. There’s a shortcut, and there’s a way that can take much longer. God course-corrects when his people begin heading in the wrong direction. It’s impossible for humanity as a people to fail completely, because God continues to steer us in the right way. It’s not impossible for an individual to fail—or to succeed, for that matter. What’s not an option, once the Israelites have bound themselves to covenant with God, is to opt out. The covenant provides a framework that eventually will allow all of humanity to enter into the presence of God and not die.

what Jesus does
So far, humanity hasn’t been doing well keeping terms of the Old Covenant. The Ten Commandments are a great start, but they only list what men and women can’t do and still be eligible for relationship with God. In the New Covenant, Jesus amends the terms to let us know what, in addition to the negative behavior forbidden by the Ten Commandments, we can do instead. This positive behavior comes in Jesus’ new commandment, which he issues in the Gospel According to John 13:34, arguably the most practical verse in Scripture: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” The first commandment in the Old Testament certainly is equally important, and it retains that importance in the New Testament. Anyone honoring that commandment shouldn’t have trouble doing what Jesus asks of them. You can learn more about Jesus’ practical guidance in Lesson 16 A New Commandment I Give to You in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

why Christians should follow Jesus as God’s messenger
The Old Covenant and the New resemble contracts.  If we do our part, God will do his—God always will do his part. It’s notable that the LORD doesn’t spell out when he’ll do this, just that he intends to. The Old Covenant, and the New Covenant as well, has the power to lead men and women to heaven. For that to happen, however, humanity must allow themselves to be guided.

how is it that the elders are able to see God & live?
Although Scripture doesn’t spell out exactly how it is that the elders are able to see God and live, it implies that this is because immediately after they enter into covenant with God, they’re in a state of grace. They haven’t have time to break any of the Ten Commandments, and they’re with Moses in much the same way that Christians are in a state of grace after receiving sacraments and being in Christ.

heaven—you could look it up in our archives
What does heaven mean to you? The book of Exodus 24:10 describes what some elders of the Israelites see when they’re invited into God’s presence. Under the LORD’s feet is something like a pavement that resembles sapphire. The biblical author points out that it’s transparent, like heaven. To learn why the word “heaven” is described in this way by the ancients, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

repetition in Scripture matters
As Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps points out in the video overview for this lesson, the things that are repeated often are the things that are important to God. Throughout Scripture, the critical nature of keeping the sabbath and of not having any other gods is stressed again and again. The reason that they’re repeated so often is because they’re so important—and they’re difficult to do. These two things are foundational to loving God.

the writing of the law is secondary
Moses doesn’t write down the particulars of the covenant until after the people have agreed to its terms. As time passes, the descendants of Jacob become much more legalistic. By the time of Jesus, the law-based religion of Judaism, which is built on Hebrew worship, is prevalent in Judea. That doesn’t mean that God considers following the rules more important than developing an intimate relationship with him. The rules (basically the Ten Commandments and religious laws related to them) are not what matters. Sure, they’re important, but if an individual has established a relationship with God, that person won’t have any difficulty aligning his or her will with God’s will. The spoken word of God is what binds his people. We can think about the Bible in the same way. It’s the spoken word of God that’s alive and binding. The written word, however, is helpful in recalling what God has said.

blood is what binds the people to God
The thing that matters about the sacrificial offering Moses makes in the book of Exodus 24:4–8 isn’t the animals that are sacrificed. It’s the blood. The ritual that Moses performs is liturgical in nature and sets the stage for the Christian Mass, which centers on the sacrifice that Jesus makes of his own body and blood. Blood is used to bind the people to the covenant because blood is life. The blood of something represents its life, which belongs to God. The lives of the people are being bound to the covenant in blood to show that this covenant with the LORD is capable of giving life.

hearing the covenant is part of accepting it
A fascinating aspect of Moses’ behavior is that before he sprinkles blood on the descendants of Jacob to signify their entrance into covenant with God, he reads the book of the covenant to them. This certainly means the same words that Moses has just written down. Two interesting facts emerge. The first is that reading the word of God is part of this binding liturgical act in which the people accept their own participation in the covenant, and this very much resembles the Liturgy of the Word in the Catholic Mass. The second fact is less obvious. The words of the covenant apparently are meant to be heard. This makes sense in a society in which most people are illiterate. One can assume that since Moses was brought up as a prince in the household of the Egyptian pharaoh, he is well educated. Moses can read and write. There are no indications that many of the descendants of Jacob possess those same skills. The Bible itself was written at a time when the most of the population didn’t read, so it was written to be read aloud. People are supposed to listen to the word of God, and listening, to obey.

what good is a covenant pertaining to life if the people already are dead?
The thing the Old Covenant offers to the descendants of Jacob is life. The terms of the covenant stipulate that if someone steps outside the covenant and sins, their life is owed to God—but all of the people already owe their lives to God. What the covenant offers them is life. If you sin, you die. But if you don’t sin, then you can’t die. It really is as simple as that—but keeping the covenant is anything but simple. In fact, it’s impossible for men and women. This is why Jesus has to establish and New Covenant. The rules are the same, but there’s a built-in structure to allow people to learn from their mistakes. What provision does Catholicism offer men and women who sin?

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the book of Exodus 23:20–23—paragraph 332
the book of Exodus 24:1–18—paragraph 2060
the book of Exodus 24:7—paragraph 2060
the book of Exodus 24:8—paragraph 613
the book of Exodus 24:15–18—paragraphs 697, 2085

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out when a person or place is mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Exodus 23:20—24:18 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following short prayer based on this lesson’s text from the book of Exodus.

O God, the blood of the Old Covenant represents
your divine control over all life and death.
Help us to embrace the New Covenant instituted
by your Son in order to open the possibility
of eternal life for all humanity.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
who shed his own blood that we might live. Amen.

Lesson 20 God Asks the Israelites to Make a Sanctuary, the book of Exodus 25:1—26:37
Lesson 18 Practical Application of the Law of the Covenant, the book of Exodus 21:1–23:19

you also may like our study of Scripture & the Rosary (digital only)
Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, a 26-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, looks at the biblical foundations of the Rosary. The study includes lessons on Pope St. John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Apostles’ Creed, and the Luminous Mysteries as well as the original 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. Color photographs of stained glass windows depict key scenes in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Free digital lessons rotate throughout the year on our website.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and to offer support. You may use this email to contact us directly if you’re interested in starting a Turning to God study or in having your study schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.