Mon.’s Devo - Consecration of the Priests

Read: Exodus 29:1-30:10; Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26 God told Moses what he must do to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests. Moses was to take a bull, two rams, unleavened cakes mixed with oil and unleavened wafers smeared with oil and crushed into fine flour. This flour was to be brought in a basket. *** Moses was to bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent and wash them with water. Bringing them to the entrance represents their profession of faith. Washing them with water represents their baptism. Then Moses was to put on Aaron the coat, the ephod, and the breastplate. These represent the robe of righteousness and the belt of truth. The turban was put on their head to guard their minds with the holiness of God. Last of all he was to anoint his head with the oil of the Holy Spirit. He was to do the same thing for his sons. *** Next, Moses was to apply the blood of the bull with his finger on the base of the altar and burn its fat on the altar, making the altar holy. *** Then Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the head of the ram transferring their sins to it and then kill the ram and sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. Then the whole ram was to be burnt on the altar to represent Jesus’ blood atoning for their sins. *** The other ram was then taken. They laid their hands on it and Moses killed it and applied its blood to the tip of the priest’s right ear, the tip of their right thumbs and the tip of their right big toe. Then the rest was thrown against the altar. This was to anoint their hearing, the works of their hands and wherever they went. *** The fat from the ram and the grain offering was put in their hands so they could wave it before the Lord as an offering to the Lord. I think of this as them giving of everything else in their lives to the Lord as a free-will offering. *** The breast was waved before the Lord and given to Aaron and their sons as their portion to eat. It represented the gifts of the people so they would have peace with God. *** These holy garments of Aaron’s should be passed down throughout his generations and they shall wear them for seven days - till their lives are completed. This is the promise of salvation to our whole families. *** Aaron and his sons were to eat from the ram every day for seven days. All the days of their lives they will eat from the goodness of what God did for them. *** All of this represents what we go through spiritually to be priests before the Lord. Jesus died to make a kingdom of priests (1Peter 2:9). *** They were to daily offer two lambs on the altar - one in the morning and one at night, along with flour and wine. This shows how we need to constantly go before the Lord in our good times and our bad. *** After the priests were sanctified and had atoned for their sins, they were instructed in how to make the altar of incense. Now they were ready to intercede for the people. The incense was their prayers for their nation and themselves. They were to burn incense every morning and night. Blood was to be applied to the horns of this table every year on the Day of Atonement. This represented a special prayer once a year to atone for the sins of the nation. *** In Matthew, the evil priests had decided to wait till after Passover to kill Jesus, but when Judas came and offered to deliver him to them, they changed their minds. They paid him 30 pieces of silver and arranged the deal. *** Meanwhile, the disciples were planning the place where they would eat the Passover meal with Jesus. He sent them to the city to a man who had a room prepared for them. As they were together at this house eating, Jesus told them that one of them would betray him. Judas was right there when he said it. The others asked if it was them, but Jesus said that the one who dipped his hand in the dish with him would betray him and it would be woe for him. They had probably all dipped their hands into the dish so this didn’t help them much. I think Jesus was metaphorically saying that one of them who had served with him and participated in the things of the Lord would do this. Jesus even answered to Judas that he was the one. (Did this fly by their heads?) *** Jesus blessed the bread and explained that it represented his body and the wine was his blood that would be poured out for many to forgive their sins. *** Jesus promised that they would one day drink together in his Father’s kingdom. Then they sang a hymn and went to the Mount of Olives. There, Jesus told them that they would all fall away and be scattered when he was killed, but he would rise and meet them in Galilee. *** Peter spoke up and said he would never deny him. Jesus told him that before the rooster crowed, he would have denied him three times. *** Jesus then took them to Gethsemane and told them to pray. He took Peter, James and John with him to pray. He told them that he was filled with sorrow and asked them to pray with him. Jesus prayed that if it was possible to let this cup pass from him, but he wanted more to do God’s will. *** Jesus came back to Peter, James and John and found them sleeping. Twice he woke them up to pray with him but on the third time he came and told them the hour was here and he was about to be betrayed. Lord, it is sad to end our story at this place but we know the ending and it is good. May we be anointed and consecrated priest unto you. May we not be like the disciples who could not stay awake and pray. May we know the day we are living in and intercede for our President, our nation and your will to be done on the earth. Great are You, Lord!