Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 11, 2022

“May my prayer be counted as incense before You”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 30:1-10.

“Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense;  you shall make it of acacia wood.  Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits;  its horns shall be of one piece with it.  You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns;  and you shall make a gold molding all around for it.  You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding;  you shall make them on its two side walls—on opposite sides—and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.  You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.  You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you.  Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it;  he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps.  When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense.  There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.  You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering;  and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.  Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year;  he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations.  It is most holy to the LORD.”   Exodus 30:1-10.

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Let us view our prayers as incense, precious to our LORD.

May my prayer be counted as incense before You;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.” Psalm 141:2.

“When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals;  for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God;  and they will reign upon the earth.”  Revelation 5:8-10.

“Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer;  and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.”  Revelation 8:3-4. 

“FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS,
AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER,
BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.” 1 Peter 3:12.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6-7.

“…  The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  James 5:16.

“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”  Matthew 21:22.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:38-46.

“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar:  two one year old lambs each day, continuously.  The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;  and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb.  The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.  It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.  I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory.  I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar;  I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me.  I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.  They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them;  I am the LORD their God.”  Exodus 29:38-46.

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Today’s Scripture leads us to meditate on God preparing heaven for us, dwelling with us in heaven, and being our God.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth;  for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes;  and there will no longer be any death;  there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;  the first things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:1-4.

“Do not let your heart be troubled;  believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places;  if it were not so, I would have told you;  for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”  John 14:1-3.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:35-38.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2029&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it.  For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it;  then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.”  Exodus 29:36-38.  

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The focus of today’s Scripture is the altar and the purification of the altar and the holiness of the altar and the ability of the altar to make whatever touches the altar to be holy.  

Today’s Scripture leads us to meditate on the holiness of Christ and His ability to make God’s chosen people holy.

“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.  For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.  Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.”  Hebrews 13:10-12.   

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation (Christ) through sufferings.  For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father;  for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”.  Hebrews 2:10-11.

“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.  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 9:11-14.

“knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”  1 Peter 1:18-19.

“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.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-7. 

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:30-31.

“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.”  Deuteronomy 7:6.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:31-34.

“You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.  Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration;  but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy.  If any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire;  it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.”  Exodus 29:31-34.

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Today’s Scripture points us to the Lord’s Supper and how it is reserved for believers and how “those things by which atonement was made” shall be eaten and drank in a worthy manner.

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;  and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you;  do this in remembrance of Me.”  In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood;  do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.  But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.  For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.  But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.  But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.  If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment.  The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.”  1 Corinthians 11:23-24.

“How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said: “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.”  And again, THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:29-31.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:22-30.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2029&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD;  and it shall be your portion.  You shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons.  It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering;  and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their heave offering to the LORD.”  Exodus 29:26-28.

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God provided food for His priests, Aaron and his sons, through the breast of the ram of ordination.

First, God provided that it would be waved as a wave offering before the LORD as an act of worship to the LORD.  

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  Matthew 6:33.

Second, after putting God first, Aaron and his sons could keep the breast of the ram of ordination and eat it.

We are reminded of the Lord’s Supper.  

First, we use the Lord’s Supper to worship God.  “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”  1 Corinthians 11:26.

Second, we use the Lord’s Supper to eat the bread and drink the cup for spiritual nourishment.  “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”  John 6:53-54.

“I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance,
And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 31:14.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:19-21.

“Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.  You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar.  Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him;  so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him.”  Exodus 29:19-21.

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If Aaron and his sons chosen by the LORD out of all of Israel to be priests needed to be consecrated to such an extent to be able to minister to the LORD, then it should give us pause to the rest of us how we can ever be prepared to approach the Holy, Holy, Holy LORD!

If even the garments of Aaron and his sons needed to be consecrated, then how can we ever appear before the LORD?!

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.  Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings:  with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said,

“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:1-5.

But, there is hope!

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.  He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips;  and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”  Isaiah 6:6.

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.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another;  and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  Hebrews 10:19-25.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:15-18.

“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram;  and you shall slaughter the ram and shall take its blood and sprinkle it around on the altar.  Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head.  You shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar;  it is a burnt offering to the LORD:  it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.”  Exodus 29:15-18.

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God’s provision of the ram as a burnt offering to the LORD as a soothing aroma to the LORD points us to Christ Who “… gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  Ephesians 5:2.

God also “manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ”.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.  And who is adequate for these things?  For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.”  2 Corinthians 2:14-17.

God draws His chosen people to Christ. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:44. 

In the concluding Scripture, we see how Christ is “a pleasing fragrance” to His bride, the Church, God’s chosen people.

“The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

2 “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.
3 “Your oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your name is like purified oil;
Therefore the maidens love you.
4 “Draw me after you and let us run together!
The king has brought me into his chambers.”

“We will rejoice in you and be glad;
We will extol your love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.” Song of Solomon 1:1-4.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:10-14.

“Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull.  You shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger;  and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.  You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.  But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp;  it is a sin offering.”  Exodus 29:10-14.

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In today’s Scripture, we read that God provided a bull as a sin offering.  But, the bull needed to be slaughtered in order to obtain blood for the sin offering.  “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”  Hebrews 9:22.

But, this provision was only a shadow of the good things to come.  “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.  …  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”  Hebrews 10:1 and 4.

God’s provision of the bull as a sin offering points us to God providing His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to be the One and Only Sin Offering.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”,  Ephesians 1:7.

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

“And there is salvation in no one else;  for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12.

In today’s Scripture, we also read that God also provided disposition of the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse which was to be burned with fire outside the camp.  This provision points us to Christ suffering outside the gate for us. 

“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.  For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.  Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.  So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”  Hebrews 13:10-14.

“3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.” Isaiah 52:3-5.

“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.  For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”  Hebrews 13:13-14.

Let us follow the example of Abraham. 

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance;  and he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;  for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  Hebrews 11:8-10.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 29:1-10.

““Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me:  take one young bull and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil;  you shall make them of fine wheat flour.  You shall put them in one basket, and present them in the basket along with the bull and the two rams.  Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.  You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod;  and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban.  Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.  You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them.  You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute.  So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.”  Exodus 29:1-10.

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“You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me.  You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them;  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.”  Exodus 40:13-15.

God provided that Aaron and his sons be anointed with anointing oil to consecrate (set them apart) to serve Him as priests which leads us to meditate on God anointing us with the Holy Spirit to seal us in Christ, teach us, and give us power to do good.

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”  Acts 10:38.

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”  2 Corinthians 1:21-22.

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:13-14.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”  John 14:16-17.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  John 14:26. 

“As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you;  but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”  1 John 2:27.

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;  and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  Acts 1:8.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;  against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23. 

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | November 1, 2022

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 28:39-43.

“You shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a weaver.

“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics;  you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty.  You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him;  and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests.  You shall make for them linen breeches to cover their bare flesh;  they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs.  They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die.  It shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.”   Exodus 28:39-43.

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God provided that Aaron and his sons serve Him as priests which leads us to meditate on God making us too “A royal PRIESTHOOD”.  

“But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD;  you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”  1 Peter 2:9-10.

“you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5.

“And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10.

God also provided priestly garments for Aaron and his sons “for glory and for beauty” which leads us to meditate on God providing us beautiful good works to do which glorify God.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” Titus 2:11-14.

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