lectionary.com

Holy Week · Holy (Maundy) Thursday

Exodus 24:3-11

The Covenant Confirmed

April 2, 2026

Moses Showing the Tablets of the Law, Maerten de Vos
Moses Showing the Tablets of the Law, Maerten de Vos, 1574–1575Mauritshuis, The Hague (PD-Art)
An Antwerp mannerist's Moses, holding out the tablets with the Hebrew legible, in a composition built for a Protestant reading of the law.All that the Lord has spoken we will do: Exodus 24 is the covenant being agreed to, and the tablets are what it is agreed on.Maerten de VosAn Antwerp painter who trained in Italy and, after the iconoclasm, supplied the rebuilt churches of the city with altarpieces.Mauritshuis, The Hague (PD-Art)A small seventeenth-century town palace holding the Dutch royal cabinet of paintings, including the Girl with a Pearl Earring.Mauritshuis, The Hague (PD-Art)
Historic One-Year Lectionary
GospelJn. 13:1-15 (34-35)Jn 13:1-15 (34-35)
Epistle1 Cor. 11:23-321 Cor 11:23-32
Old TestamentExod. 12:1-14Ex 12:1-14Alt. OTExod. 24:3-11Ex 24:3-11
PsalterPs. 116:12-19Ps 116:12-19

Overview & Insights

“All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” (Exodus 24:7)

Exodus 24 is reminiscent of the beginning of the Sinai journey, where the Lord also was present visibly and conversed with Moses. (See the structural outline of Exodus 19–24 in the introduction to Exodus 19.) The narratives of Exodus 19 and 24 serve as bookends for the law of Exodus 20–23, setting the covenant-giving in the midst of the story of God’s grace and guidance. With the covenant, as in the exodus itself, the people initially followed God’s instruction and accepted his provision by faith (19:8; 24:3, 7).

From Sermons.com: Join Today to access the most scholarly & well written preaching resources anywhere.

Take it further: Exodus 24:3-11

Commentary

Exodus 24 Commentary: The Covenant Is MadeEx 24 Commentary: The Covenant Is Made Enduring Word

A verse by verse evangelical commentary on the covenant meal on the mountain.

Exodus 24 CommentaryEx 24 Commentary Precept Austin

Verse by verse devotional notes on the blood of the covenant.

Commentary on Exodus 24 by Matthew HenryCommentary on Ex 24 by Mt Henry Blue Letter Bible

A classic Puritan-era commentary on the sealing of the covenant at Sinai.

Background & Word Study

Exodus 24:3 CommentariesEx 24:3 Commentaries BibleHub

Parallel classic commentaries and Hebrew word study on the passage.

Exodus 24 in HebrewEx 24 in Hebrew Sefaria

The Hebrew text with classical commentary on the blood of the covenant.

Sermons & Reflections

Preparing for Holy Week: Old Testament: Exodus 24:3-11 (Maundy Thursday: Series A)Preparing for Holy Week: Old Testament: Ex 24:3-11 (Maundy Thursday: Series A) 1517.org

A Lutheran homiletical helps article on preaching this exact Maundy Thursday text.

Art & Music

Art in the Christian Tradition Vanderbilt

A curated image index for this reading across the history of Christian art.

Study Hub

Exodus 24, Preacher's Complete Homiletical CommentaryEx 24, Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary StudyLight

A homiletical outline commentary geared toward preaching this chapter.

Questions preachers ask

How is the covenant confirmed at Sinai?

Moses reads the book of the covenant and sprinkles the blood, and the elders go up and behold God and eat and drink in his presence.

Prep at sermons.com

Ready to write?

  • Full sermons on John 13:1-15 (34-35)
  • Illustrations cleared for use in worship
  • Commentary, quotes, and Bible dictionary
Open it at sermons.com →

Trusted by pastors since 1995.

Free every Tuesday

Illustrations & Sermon Prep in your inbox

The coming Sunday’s readings, a cleared-for-use illustration, and a sermon-prep head start. One email, free.