The law as table manners

Looking at Exodus 19-24 for Sunday morning, I'm struck by the structure of the law there. It is anchored with back-references to the deliverance from Egypt in chapter 19 and 20:1-2, and the climax is a meal shared by 74 of the Israelites in the presence of God in chapter 24. They enter heaven, and they eat and drink without dying.

In between, we have the law (chapters 20-23). The goal of that law is that the people whom God redeemed might eat and drink with him. That means that there is a sense in which the law can be seen as table manners. God invites his people to his table; before they come, they need to learn about the kinds of conduct that God wants amongst those who are invited. That's not to say God is rewarding those who have got good grades with a seat at High Table; rather his people are invited to dine with him, but we mustn't think you can dine with the Living God and conduct yourself however you choose.