Exodus 24:9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
The elders saw the God of Israel; they had some glimpse of his glory, though whatever they saw, it was something of which no image or picture could be made, yet enough to satisfy them that God was with them of a truth. Nothing is described but what was under his feet. (Henry)
Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,…. After the above things were done, the words of the Lord were told the people, and the book of the covenant read unto them, to which they agreed, sacrifices were offered, and the blood of them sprinkled on the altar, and on the people. They saw him, and who were witnesses to the people that it was a divine Person that spoke to Moses, and delivered the laws unto him, to be observed by them; which seems to be the reason of their being called up, and favoured with this sight which must not be understood as of anything criminal in them, as if they curiously looked and pried to see something they should not, for which they deserved some sort of punishment, as the Targum intimates; but of a privilege, and a very high one they were favoured with: and this sight they had was not by a vision of prophecy, or with the eyes of their understanding, but corporeally; they saw the Son of God, the God of Israel, in an human form, as a pledge and presage of his future incarnation, who is the Angel that spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, as Stephen says, and the Lord that was among the angels there. (Gill)
A convenient was made between God and the Israelites. This covenant was concluded with representatives of the people entering into a physical presence with God where they saw God and ate and drank. They were not consumed by fire but were blessed with what God chose to reveal to them in His presence. As invited guests they celebrated this covenant between God and them, it does not speak of any fearfulness or trembling. They were in the presence of God at peace and comfort being there. No description of what God looked like is given. I have to think this was due to man’s continued intent to form idols from the works of their hands and then worship the image rather than God. Keep this in mind as we continue through the book of Exodus.