In Exodus 24:1-2 there are three groups of folks here that can be seen in their proximity to the Lord, and I kind of think that we have those same groups in the church today.
1. You have those men and women who stayed outside the barriers of 19:23and worship the Lord at a distance. Now, they are not able to get any closer to the Lord than the barriers of their lives. There is a cost in growing closer to the Lord, and it is accomplished when you decide to cross the barriers that you have placed in your lives. Now it is true that these were barriers to protect them, not ones to separate them, but in Christ, He has removed the barriers that separate us from greater intimacy with Him. So, if you have a barrier now in your life; it is you who has placed it there, not Him.
2. Next, you have the 70 elders who are able to go beyond the barriers in their lives as they respond to His call upon their lives. They, like the elders here, respond to the word of God in different areas of their lives. As they continue to do this, they experience intimate fellowship with the Lord, but with all of the progress, they still have a distance to go, even though they are seated at His table for supper.
3. Lastly, you have Moses and Joshua, who are invited into the very presence of the Lord and His glory.
Now, unlike the Israelites, we all have the same opportunity to come into His presence. Yet, many choose to not cross the boundaries of their lives and so they stay at the fringes of fellowship with the Lord. Then, a few cross over and worship at His feet, but they are still at a distance.
How about it? How close are you? How close do you want to be? The choice is up to you. I look at all crises as opportunities to move beyond our comfort zones. As we have just seen in the text these three share a building moment, it makes me realize that they are moving beyond the walls that have separated them from greater intimacy with the Lord. Are you ready to do so?