11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
So few people have seen the Lord face to face. Here Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the 70 elders are on the mountain and they get to see God for themselves. It appears as though it was a waste of face time. Within a few days everyone except Moses is involved in idolatry. They either participate or stay silent when it is happening. As a leader they are held accountable for the actions of those over whom they have authority. Leaders must speak up when others are doing wrong. At other times in the Old Testament the Lord killed those who went into a forbidden place, a place where the Lord’s presence was manifested. But this time, because they were invited, the Lord does not kill them. This was a one-time offer. Notice that seeing God face to face does not prevent rebellion. There is no magic pill that can keep us from sinning. We must choose, moment by moment, to obey, to follow. The Christian life is a life of dependence. We must depend on His guidance and strength moment by moment. Our lives are to be permeated with His presence. It looks from the text that they had a meal in the Lord’s presence. Think about that meal for a moment. Who provided it? Who cooked it? This must have been a meal of extra-ordinary character. There were 73 of them eating. That is a lot of food. That also would have been a lot of time. They ate and drank. When was the last time you spent time in God’s presence eating and drinking?
The Arnold Journey 