Sat.’s Devo - The Power of God

Read: Leviticus 9:7-10:20; Mark 4:26-5:20; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 10:6-7 Moses told Aaron to first offer a sin offering and burnt offering to purify them as priest, then offer the same for the people. He did both of them just as he was told. Aaron stretched forth his hands over the people and blessed them then offered the sin offering, the burnt offering and the peace offering and stepped down. Moses and Aaron went it to the Tabernacle and when they came back out, they blessed the people again and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu disobeyed and put incense in their burners and sprinkled the incense over the people. This was not what the Lord had said to do, so fire blazed forth and killed them both. Moses told Aaron that God would display his holiness through those who come near to him and his glory before all the people. Aaron watched in silence as Moses called Aaron’s cousins, Mishael and Elzaphan forward to carry the bodies outside the camp. Moses told Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s last sons that they were to show no signs of mourning for their brothers. If they did, they would also die. They continued the ceremony but Aaron or his sons could not eat the goat of the sin offering. When Moses found out he was outraged until Aaron explained that after what happened they didn’t think God would be pleased if they consumed the offering of this sin. Moses understood and was satisfied. In Mark, Jesus explained how the kingdom of God starts out really small like a seed but after time it grows by itself into a field of corn or a huge tree with many branches. Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, but explained the meaning to only his disciples. That night, he told his disciples to get in the boat and take him to the other side. Other boats followed but during the middle of the night a huge storm arose which began tearing up the boat and filling it with water. Jesus was asleep and they woke him up in a panic. Jesus awoke and silenced the waves and told them to be still. Then he asked the disciples why they were so afraid and had no faith. The disciples were now more afraid of him than the storm. When they reached the other side they met a man possessed by demons. He lived in the caves and when they tried to chain him up, he broke the chains. He spent his time wandering in the burial caves and hills howling and cutting himself with stones. He ran and fell at Jesus’ feet begging him not to torture him. He was full of the principality of the region. His name was Legion because there were so many of them. The demons begged to go into he swine so Jesus gave him permission to go into them. There were 2,000 of them and when the demons left the man and went into the pigs, they ran and jumped off the cliff and drowned in the water beneath. Fellow herdsmen saw what had happened and ran and told everyone in the area what they had witnessed. When the people arrived they saw the man who had been naked and possessed, sitting in clothes and perfectly sane. This scared them so much they begged Jesus to leave. It is amazing that they were more afraid of the miracle than the crazy man. Lord, prepare us to see the miracles you have in store for us to walk in.