Today’s Reading: Exodus 29-31
Our Sunday School class is currently studying 1 Peter. We recently covered the section in the 2nd chapter about being a royal priesthood and as I reading today’s passage in Exodus I was thinking about what that means. Here Aaron and his sons are being set apart for service to the Lord as priests. One little section caught my attention.
“These burnt offerings are to be made each day from generation to generation. Offer them in the Lord’s presence at the Tabernacle entrance; there I will meet with you and speak with you. I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence. Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.” (Exodus 29:42-46)
As I was thinking about what it means to be a priest the way that Aaron and his sons had to be sprinkled with blood from the sacrifice reminds me of the way the blood of Christ has been “sprinkled” on me. Not literally of course, but I am covered by the blood of Jesus-His blood sets me apart as holy unto the Lord. (Hebrews 10:10) (Hebrews is a great read right now to compare this time in God’s history with His people to the New Covenant that comes through Christ. see Hebrews 10 & 12:18-24 in particular.) That thought still makes me uncomfortable; that the sacrifice of Jesus sets me apart, consecrates me to serve Him as a priest. But the line that truly gets me this morning is this: “in the place made holy by my glorious presence”. As I think about those words I am reminded that I have God dwelling within me in the form of His Holy Spirit. I am made holy by God's glorious presence in my life. Again, I am finding this an uncomfortable thought because of what it means to be set apart for service to the Lord. It gives me great pause as I consider how I live each day.
May grace abound,
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