Thur.’s Devo - The Blood and the Oil

Read: Exodus 29:1-30:10; Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26
The priests were to be consecrated and anointed with oil. They were clothed with special garments. A priest is a person who brings other people before the Lord in prayer and atones for the sin of the people through sacrifices. If we want to be priests before the Lord we must be consecrate and filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit. We must be clothed in humility and righteousness.
The blood of the lamb was to be put on the tip of the right ear of the high priest, and on the tip of the right ear of his sons and upon the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of their right foot and on the altar. Jesus is our high priest who became a man so he could identify with our sins. He overcame sin for us as the perfect lamb of God. His blood needs to be applied to all that we hear (our ears), everything we do (our thumb) and everywhere we go (our toe). Then the anointing oil was to be applied on the priests. We need the salvation bought by the precious blood of Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Next, the priests were given a loaf of unleavened bread to wave before the Lord. This is a picture of us offering back to the Lord what his Word says. The loaf is the bread of life that we wave through prayer. We are to read the Word and use it in prayer and in proclaiming what it says into our lives. God’s promise to us was that he would dwell among us and be our God.
The altar of incense was to be made of wood and covered with gold and placed right outside of the veil that divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The high priest would take incense from that altar into the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement to pray for the sins of the nation. Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us and we, as priests, are to offer prayers for our nation and others. Our prayers are as incense to the Lord. (Revelation 8:4)
In Matthew we read about Judas Iscariot. His name means “he will be hired”. He is a picture of Satan who was one of God’s main creatures in heaven until he betrayed God and rebelled against him taking a third of the angels with him. Judas also stands for all the anti-christs throughout history who sell the Lord out for honor, position, and money. Jesus said of Judas that it would have been better for him if he hadn’t been born. What a curse!
It was the night before the Passover and Jesus had his last meal with his disciples. They ate the Lord’s Supper and Jesus told them it would be the last meal they ate together until they came to his Father’s kingdom. He told them he would be smitten and then rise again and meet them in Galilee. I am sure they had no clue as to what he was talking about but they had learned to trust him. When Peter told him he would never be offended in Jesus, he told him he would deny him three times before the cock crowed. Peter had to learn that what Jesus said is always true. Peter was tested and had to learn his frailty.
Lord, we are frail and weak like Peter and need the power of your blood and your Holy Spirit. Wash us in your Word and fill us with the power of your Holy Spirit.