Exo 24:11
 

Exo 24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

Is this scripture saying that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel ate with God? vs 9

Re: Exo 24:11
 

Yes. AND Abraham broke bread with a theophany.

Re: Exo 24:11
 

Are you making a statement or posing a question?

Re: Exo 24:11
 

Question

Re: Exo 24:11
 

Yes.

Abraham ate a steak dinner with God.

Jacob wrestled with God.

Peter said, "we handled him."

Re: Exo 24:11
 

Didn't the disciples eat fish with Jesus after He was resurrected?

Re: Exo 24:11
 

I guess what throws me here is it said they "saw" God and another scripture tells how He has to put hide Moses face to see only His hinder parts because of His holiness.

Any explanation here?

Re: Exo 24:11
 

The extent of veiling is important. No man can see God (totally unveiled) and live.

Abraham who ate a steak dinner with God, Jacob who wrestled with God and the disciples who ate with him just before his ascention saw Him fully veiled. Moses saw him having a lesser of a veil.

Re: Exo 24:11
 

God is an invisible Spirit who fills all time and space and cannot be seen.
God has in the past appeared as a theophany or the Angel of the Lord in a way that humans could see Him, touch Him, hear Him, etc.
That visible being or form that God would assume in the Old Testament is called the Logos or Word or Memra or Angel/Messenger of the Lord or Ha-Kavod (the glory of the Messiah). That visible portion of God became flesh according to John 1:14. Paul says that "form" was made in the likeness of humans in Phil 2:6-8.

So, no, nobody has ever seen God the invisible Spirit
but, yes, people have seen God as the Word or Logos.

Re: Exo 24:11
 

Are you saying they have seen in in the form of Jesus or another form altogether?

Re: Exo 24:11
 

To eat with someone is to share close fellowship. It is a sign that peace exists between those sharing the meal. As far as the "saw God" as opposed to the "no one can see God:" the phrases are ellipses. They are not complete in and of themselves but they require the broader context to understand their meanings.

That's why some people will criticize the Bible as being "inconsistent" or "contradictory." Statements are lifted out of their surrounding context and then compared. We need to get the whole context and compare it.

Exodus 24 tells us how the children of Israel were brought into fellowship with the living God. Exodus 33 tells a different story giving us another perspective on the multifaceted theme of what it means to "see God."

God does invite us in and withholds no good thing from us. However, after all is said and done - we still haven't seen everything or discovered all that there is to know.

Re: Exo 24:11
 

Here is how the late GT Haywood explains this Word/Logos/Angel of the Lord:
Elohim is God, the living God, the power of creation. (John 1:1-3; Col 1:15-17; Rev 3:4-11). He first assumes a creature form, though spiritual in nature (Gen 12:7; 32:24-30; Isa 6:1,5) afterwards, the human form for the purpose of redeeming mankind (Jon 1:14; Heb 2:9, 14, 16, 17; Phil 2:7; Rom 8:3). That Elohim, in His creature form spiritually, who appeared to the patriarchs and prophets is the same who appeared in a human form 1,900 years ago to Israel can be clearly seen by reading the following scriptures: Gen 17:13; Ex 6:2, 3 with John 8:56-58; Isa 6:1, 2, 5, 9, 10 with John 12:39, 40, 41, 44, 45. from page 3 of Divine Names and Titles of Jehovah by Eld G.T. Haywood (no copy right date)

Here are some examples of how YHWH appeared to people or interacted with people in the Old Testament:
Ge 12:1-7 God appeared to Abram
Ge 15:1-18 Word of the Lord in a vision to Abram
Ge 16:7-16 Angel appeared to Hagar
Ge 17:1-22 Lord appeared to Abram
Ge 18:1-33 Lord appeared to Abram
Ge 21:9-21 Lord called Hagar
Ge 22:11-18 Angel called to Abraham
Ge 26:1-6 Angel appeared to Isaac
Ge 28:10-16 Lord appeared to Jacob
Ge 32:1-32 Angel wrestled with Jacob (ref Ge48:15-16; Hos 12:3-5)‎)‎
Ex 3:1-22 Angel appeared to Moses
Ex 24:9-12 Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, 70 elders see God
Josh 5:13-15 Angel appears to Joshua
Judges 6:11-24 Lord appeared to Gideon
Judges 13: 1-23 Angel appears to parents of Samson
Isa 6:1-13 Isaiah saw the Lord (ref Jn 12:39-41; Ac 28:17-29)‎
Isa 63:7-9 Angel of His presence (ref Ex 14:19; 23:20-23; Num 20:16)‎