January 20 - Exodus 28-31
My unhurried time with the Lord was longer today than usual because God impressed upon my heart the need to pray for everyone in our church family. As I read about the priestly garments for Aaron and his family, there were two references to the names of the twelve tribes of Israel being engraved on the clothing so that the priest would bear those names before the Lord as he ministered. What an awesome privilege I have to be an ordained minister, set apart to serve the Lord on a full time basis. It is my responsibility to intercede for the flock on a regular basis, so I take those names and those needs to the Lord. Now that we live under the New Covenant each believer has the privilege of being a priest before the Lord. Each of us may go directly before the Lord to intercede for ourselves and others. I encourage you to take advantage of this awesome ability to enter into the presence of God in prayer and worship.
The theme of this passage in Exodus was very clear. It was "Holiness." The meaning of holiness is to be set apart. If someone or something is holy, that person or thing is set apart for God's use. The priests, their clothing, and their utensils were all to be used only for the Lord's work. They were to be clean and dedicated totally to His service. I believe that even though we do not have priests today like they had in the Old Covenant, we as believers are to be holy or set apart for the Lord since each of us are priests. In other words, it is not just for ordained people, today. We are all His ministers, and we are to be holy as He is holy.
Even the daily offerings and the incense used in the Tabernacle each day bring out these truths for us today. God wants us to be in continual submission to Him and continual prayer. It is not just a thing we do one day a week on Sunday. He is to be our focus all week and especially on the Sabbath day, because it is holy to the Lord. It is to be set apart for Him. It is for us to rest and worship. If we miss that principle of giving God His day each week, our relationship with Him will soon deteriorate. All of this goes back to love. God loves us. He wants what is best for us. He knows we were created to glorify Him. He knows we need a weekly rest. Therefore, He commands us to make the Sabbath holy. He wants us in turn to use that day to love Him back in a special concentrated way. It is like having a date with God because we love Him and we want to spend time with Him. What a blessing to have a Father who loves us in that way.
The theme of this passage in Exodus was very clear. It was "Holiness." The meaning of holiness is to be set apart. If someone or something is holy, that person or thing is set apart for God's use. The priests, their clothing, and their utensils were all to be used only for the Lord's work. They were to be clean and dedicated totally to His service. I believe that even though we do not have priests today like they had in the Old Covenant, we as believers are to be holy or set apart for the Lord since each of us are priests. In other words, it is not just for ordained people, today. We are all His ministers, and we are to be holy as He is holy.
Even the daily offerings and the incense used in the Tabernacle each day bring out these truths for us today. God wants us to be in continual submission to Him and continual prayer. It is not just a thing we do one day a week on Sunday. He is to be our focus all week and especially on the Sabbath day, because it is holy to the Lord. It is to be set apart for Him. It is for us to rest and worship. If we miss that principle of giving God His day each week, our relationship with Him will soon deteriorate. All of this goes back to love. God loves us. He wants what is best for us. He knows we were created to glorify Him. He knows we need a weekly rest. Therefore, He commands us to make the Sabbath holy. He wants us in turn to use that day to love Him back in a special concentrated way. It is like having a date with God because we love Him and we want to spend time with Him. What a blessing to have a Father who loves us in that way.