Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 2:1-10.

“1 ‘Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. 2 He shall then bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 3 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to the Lord by fire.

4 ‘Now when you bring an offering of a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. 5 If your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil; 6 you shall break it into bits and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. 7 Now if your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8 When you bring in the grain offering which is made of these things to the Lord, it shall be presented to the priest and he shall bring it to the altar. 9 The priest then shall take up from the grain offering its memorial portion, and shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 10 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy of the offerings to the Lord by fire.” Leviticus 2:1-10.

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Today’s Scripture continues with the message of prior Scriptures that our offerings are to be “a soothing aroma to the LORD”.

But, we may not feel like soothing our LORD; we may think that we are the ones that need to be soothed.

I feel that way today. I received disappointing news on Friday that was unexpected. It is not a health or financial issue, and I want to keep it private for personal reasons and for reasons that the disclosure of the nature of the news will not aid this devotion. We all have received disappointing news from time to time that make us want to soothe ourselves rather than soothe the LORD.

But, here is today’s Scripture. We need to make an offering which will be “a soothing aroma to the LORD”.

Today, as I go to church, will I seek something soothing for me or something soothing for the LORD?

We are forced to realize that because of our sin and the holiness of the LORD, and His righteous anger, we need to make an offering which will be “a soothing aroma to the LORD”.

But, there is hope!

There is only one “soothing aroma to the LORD” and that is our Savior Jesus Christ about Whom the LORD said “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Matthew 3:17.

“12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them

After those days, says the Lord:

I will put My laws upon their heart,

And on their mind I will write them,”

He then says,

17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds

I will remember no more.”

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.” Hebrews 10:12-18.

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 1. Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+1&version=NASB

I quote the first nine verses.

“Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. He shall slay the young bull before the Lord; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.” Leviticus 1:1-9.

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“For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:13-14.

“and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Matthew 3:17.

“10 But the Lord was pleased

To crush Him, putting Him to grief;

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring,

He will prolong His days,

And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:10-11.

“so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:28.

“For by one offering He (Christ) has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14.

Today’s devotion covers Exodus 40:17-38 which covers the details of how Moses erected the tabernacle. Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+40&version=NASB

I quote herein only the following verses.

“17 Now in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and inserted its bars and erected its pillars. 19 He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. …

33 He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work.

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; 37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. 38 For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.” Exodus Chapter 40: Verses 17-19 and 33-38.

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If we think the earthly tabernacle was awesome, how much more awesome is “the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.”! Hebrews 8:2.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12.

And, if we admired Moses for finishing the work of erecting the earthly tabernacle, how much more should we admire Christ for accomplishing all the eternal redemption work that God the Father gave him to do!

“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.” John 17:4-8.

And, if we think the glory that filled the earthly tabernacle and that led Israel was such a blessing, how much more of a blessing is the glory that Christ gives us, perfects us in unity, and leads us!

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:22-26.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 40:1-16.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4 You shall bring in the table and arrange what belongs on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and mount its lamps. 5 Moreover, you shall set the gold altar of incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the veil for the doorway to the tabernacle. 6 You shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 You shall set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. 8 You shall set up the court all around and hang up the veil for the gateway of the court. 9 Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall consecrate it and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy. 11 You shall anoint the laver and its stand, and consecrate it. 12 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me. 14 You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them; 15 and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.” 16 Thus Moses did; according to all that the Lord had commanded him, so he did.” Exodus 40:1-16.

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The Law (all the “You shall …”s) leads us to Christ.

All the commands make us realize that we are sinners in need of a Savior.

All the objects of the commands (the tabernacle, the ark, the lampstand, the altars, the laver, the anointing oil, the garments, and the priests) were only copies and shadows of Christ (Hebrews 8:4); they make us seek Christ and draw us to Christ.

“11 Worship the Lord with reverence

And rejoice with trembling.

12 Do homage to the Son (Christ), that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,

For His wrath may soon be kindled.

How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 2:10-11.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 39:32-43.

“32 Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did. 33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars and its sockets; 34 and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of porpoise skins, and the screening veil; 35 the ark of the testimony and its poles and the mercy seat; 36 the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand, with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; 38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the veil for the doorway of the tent; 39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the laver and its stand; 40 the hangings for the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords and its pegs and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 the woven garments for ministering in the holy place and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests. 42 So the sons of Israel did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 And Moses examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the Lord had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them.”  Exodus 39:32-43.

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Yes, you will get a blessing if you do all that the Law commands. But, the problem with the Law is that if you do not do all that the Law commands, then you will get a curse instead of a blessing.

“For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:10-14.

“For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17.

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:24-27.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.” Romans 7:4-6.

“You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” Galatians 5:4-5.

Question 115. Why will God then have the ten commandments so strictly preached, since no man in this life can keep them?

Answer. First, that all our lifetime we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature, and thus become the more earnest in seeking the remission of sin, and righteousness in Christ; likewise, that we constantly endeavor and pray to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, that we may become more and more conformable to the image of God, till we arrive at the perfection proposed to us, in a life to come. Heidelberg Catechism.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 39:27-31.

“27 They made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons, 28 and the turban of fine linen, and the decorated caps of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twisted linen, 29 and the sash of fine twisted linen, and blue and purple and scarlet material, the work of the weaver, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and inscribed it like the engravings of a signet, “Holy to the Lord.” 31 They fastened a blue cord to it, to fasten it on the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” Exodus 39:27-31.

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“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

“The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 7:6-8.

“… Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:25-27.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. …” Ephesians 1:3-4.

“that we would be holy and blameless before Him” is God’s choice of us and God’s work by grace alone. Praise God!!!

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 39:22-26.

“22 Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue; 23 and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, so that it would not be torn. 24 They made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe, 26 alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the service, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” Exodus 39:22-26.

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Is there significance to the bells and pomegranates that were on the bottom of the robe?

Before searching, I thought that would be verses showing bells to be part of the worship service. But, I did not see any such references.

Regarding pomegranates, there were a few references, mostly in the Song of Solomon to show love. Here a few examples.

“Your lips are like a scarlet thread, And your mouth is lovely. Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate Behind your veil.” Song of Solomon 4:3.

“Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has budded And its blossoms have opened, And whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.” Song of Solomon 7:12.

“I would lead you and bring you Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me; I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.” Song of Solomon 8:12.

10 “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!

How much better is your love than wine,

And the fragrance of your oils

Than all kinds of spices!

11 “Your lips, my bride, drip honey;

Honey and milk are under your tongue,

And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12 “A garden locked is my sister, my bride,

A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up.

13 “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates

With choice fruits, henna with nard plants,

14 Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,

With all the trees of frankincense,

Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.

15 “You are a garden spring,

A well of fresh water,

And streams flowing from Lebanon.” Song of Solomon 4:10.

After this review and my thought, I now conclude that the bells and pomegranates are symbols of joy and love. Bells represent joy as we usually ring bells to express joy. And, pomegranates represent love as shown above in the Song of Solomon.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zephaniah 3:17.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5.

“But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.” Psalm 5:11.

As there were alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe, our worship services all around will alternately show the LORD’s joy and love toward us and our joy and love to the LORD.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 39:8-21 which covers the construction of the breastplate. Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+39&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“8 He made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful workman, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. 9 It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double. 10 And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; 11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; 12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were mounted. 14 The stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes.” Exodus 39:8-14.

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“4 “Since you are precious in My sight,

Since you are honored and I love you,

I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.

5 “Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your offspring from the east,

And gather you from the west.

6 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring My sons from afar

And My daughters from the ends of the earth,

7 Everyone who is called by My name,

And whom I have created for My glory,

Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Isaiah 43:4-7.

I have a “psycho” dog named Rush. Rush is a German Short-Haired Pointer, full of energy. He is 10 months old, still a puppy, still growing, but big enough to cause havoc.

When I open his cage in the morning after he whines to be let out, he backs up to the back of the cage making me reach in to pull him out. As I pull him out, he nips at me.

He does the same thing when outside, and he jumps against our glass sliding door to be let in. As I open the sliding glass door, he backs up just out of my reach and then he runs away from me. The process continues. Finally, he gets close enough where I can reach him, and he nips at me.

When I take him for a walk, he has a harness and I have a harness. It is like trying to hold on to the tale of a tiger who wants to run everywhere at once.

But, on my computer, I have a cute desktop photo of Rush when we brought him home at 8 weeks old. And, rather than getting rid of Rush, that photo gets me through another day.

I think the principle is the same. When the priest presented himself to make sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel, God would see the breastplate with all the jewels representing the tribes of Israel.

Israel may be “psycho” like Rush, but they are His chosen people and are precious in His sight, and they would be forgiven.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 39:1-9.

“1 Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

2 He made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. 3 Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skillful workman. 4 They made attaching shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends. 5 The skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

6 They made the onyx stones, set in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. 7 And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” Exodus 39:1-9.

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“Now Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses. With him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a skillful workman and a weaver in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and fine linen.” Exodus 38:22-23. They made the priestly garments “just as the Lord had commanded”.

This phrase “just as the Lord had commanded” is repeated 3 times in today’s Scripture (verses 1, 5, and 7).

Our hope is that we too will do “just as the Lord had commanded”.

Our hope is not based on our own alleged free-will nor our own will-power nor our own wisdom nor our own skill.

Our hope that we too will do “just as the Lord had commanded” is based on God’s sovereign power and irresistible grace.

Our hope is based on God causing us to obey Him. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” Ezekiel 36:27.

Our hope is based on God Who “… is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 38:21-31. Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+38&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“21 This is the number of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were numbered according to the command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. …

24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the wave offering, was 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 The silver of those of the congregation who were numbered was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; 26 a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for each one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men. 27 The hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets of the veil; one hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. 28 Of the 1,775 shekels, he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their tops and made bands for them. 29 The bronze of the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.” Exodus Chapter 38: Verses 21 and 24-29.

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Who cares about all these numbers? God cares about all these numbers!

We have a whole book of the Bible devoted to numbers, appropriately called “Numbers”.

We don’t need to memorize these numbers, but we need to know the underlying principle behind these numbers, namely, that God’s understanding is infinite. God is knowledgeable about every detail, every number, and God is in total and absolute control of every detail, every number.

“4 He counts the number of the stars;

He gives names to all of them.

5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;

His understanding is infinite.” Psalm 147:4-5.

And, God cares for us. “Numbers” should build our faith.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-30.