Weds.’s Devo - The Priestly Atonement

Read: Exodus 29:1-30:10: Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26 The priest had to go through an elaborate ceremony to cleanse them as priests. It seems elaborate until you think of what Jesus had to go through to become our High Priest. His cleansing was the trials of his life. That is how we are cleansed. We choose Jesus as our Saviour, accept the atonement of his blood on our lives to take away our sins then we go through the lifelong ceremony of cleansing our minds and our habits. One of the reasons we do the Lord’s supper continually is to remind us of what Jesus did on the cross and our responsibility. I realized while reading today’s reading that I take my salvation for granted in so many ways. It is so easy to be saved now. We don’t have to take a lamb to the priest to sacrifice it for us. It is left to us to lay down our lives daily and follow him. God has placed the decisions in our hands whether we honor him with our lives or not. Aaron’s garments were to be passed down to his sons just as our lives make a difference in our children. Our lives are our garments. They are open for all to see. We will pass down the habits and lifestyles we model for the next generation but it is up to them to put on the garments we pass down or discard them. Daily, Aaron was to offer sacrifices to the Lord and daily we are to lay down our desires and lives for the Lord. An altar for incense was made and the priest was to maintain the lamps and offer fresh incense on the altar. At night he was to do the same. Incense represents our praise and intercessions. We are to live in constant communion with the Lord and let our lives be a sweet fragrance to those we meet. Once a year Aaron was to purify the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This was done on the Day of Atonement. This was a national day of repentance and prayer for the nation. In Matthew, Judas was the one chosen by Jesus who would betray him. Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples. During this meal Jesus exposed the one who would betray him. They seemed to miss this just like they missed so many things they told him. Jesus explained that the wine they drank represented his blood that would be poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Jesus had laid out everything that was going to happen so that they should not have been surprised. He gave them another piece of the puzzle when he told them that that night, they would desert him and that Peter would deny him three times. He took his disciples to Gethsemane, but specifically took Peter, James and John with him to pray. Jesus prayed God’s will even though he would have loved not to have to go through the suffering awaiting him. He came back to find his disciples asleep. He left them three times and each time he came back and they were asleep. He must have felt all alone in his trial. He saw Judas coming and announced that the time had come. Lord we pray for your wisdom and for the fear of the Lord to rule our lives. Thank you for your sacrifice. May we live dead to ourselves and alive to You and Your will. Thank you that you never leave us or forsake us.