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Earnestly seeking…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 10:1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. 

My first thought, reading today’s scripture, is: “Why would God punish someone earnestly seeking Him, even if it is in an unauthorized way?” Commentary posits that Aaron’s sons might not be earnestly seeking, that their pride might be prompting them to try to reach God in an unauthorized way to brag about their ability. 

Leviticus 10:2 So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 

These thoughts lead me back to yesterday’s idea that God knows our hearts and reminds me that I need to be careful. I can be really judgy when I let myself, ascribing motives based on why I think others are doing or not doing something. Today’s scripture reminds me that I am not God, and, therefore, I need to quit judging. God knows my heart. He knows theirs, too. 

Leviticus 10:3 Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: “ ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’ ” Aaron remained silent.

Precious Savior, You call me to love and not to judge (Matt 7:1). Thank You that You know my heart and the hearts of others (Ps 44:21). Help me to leave the judging to You and to love others as You love–completely, fiercely, abundantly. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 10:4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.”

Have a blessed day. 

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He is still with us…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 9:22 Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

The fire in verse 24 was a physical sign that God was with them. How amazing must that have been. For those of us consumed with doubt and fear, anxiety and worry, to have that physical reminder that He is with us is a beautiful gift.  

Leviticus 9:23 Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 

What I have to remind myself is that, even without that physical reminder, HE IS STILL WITH US. And if I can calm my anxiety and really pay attention to my surroundings, I can see evidence of His presence everywhere, in every situation.

Leviticus 9:24a Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matt 1:23). You are not a distant, uncaring God. You collect all our tears in a bottle (Ps 56:8). You understand our pain (Ps 34:18) and know our hearts (Ps 44:21). Blanket us with Your peace so that we are neither troubled nor afraid (John 14:27). Draw us nearer. Amen.

Leviticus 9:24b And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Have a blessed day. 

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On being still and knowing…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 8:33 Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days. 

This morning God has placed Psalm 46:10 (“Be still and know that I am God….”) squarely on my heart. I began the morning by listening to a 10 minute audio clip of a modern parable a friend sent as part of my church devotional. The narrator’s voice had a soft Irish lilt and his cadence was slow and steady. 

Leviticus 8:34 What has been done today was commanded by the Lord to make atonement for you. 

My immediate thought was, “I wonder if I can speed this audio up.” Nope. I could not. But that got me thinking. My default is to go, go, go. I lean into my human DOING instead of my human BEING. And God keeps reminding me to “Be still and know….” Know His goodness, know His peace, know His presence.

Leviticus 8:35 You must stay at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and do what the Lord requires, so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for once again reminding me to SLOW DOWN, to breathe, to listen to Your still small voice, reminding me that I do not have to be perfect, that I am enough exactly as I am because I am Your deeply, fiercely, completely loved child EXACTLY as I am in this moment. Help me to treat myself and everyone I meet with Your grace and love. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 8:36 So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.

Have a blessed day. 

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Asking once again for forgiveness…. (devo reflection)

Leviticus 4:13-14 “ ‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the tent of meeting. 

Sometimes I reread the previous day’s reflection and shake my head, wondering what I was thinking. Yesterday’s was one such reflection, when I came across this gem, “…the sin offering was solely and specifically to atone for sin and not for any personal gain.”

Leviticus 4:15 The elders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord. 

Being forgiven of our sins is absolutely about personal gain, about gaining the ability to be free from the shackles of yesterday’s  mistakes, about gaining the ability to be forgiven for every single mistake and misstep. What I meant yesterday was that the one bringing the sin offering couldn’t partake of the meat or leather, but the absurdity of the wording just struck me today.

Leviticus 4:16 Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the personal gain that comes to me when I come to You with my sin and shame, my mistakes and missteps, asking You, once again, to forgive me, to wash me clean, to “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Ps 51:12). Forgive me and help me to forgive myself. Amen.

Leviticus 4:17 He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it before the Lord seven times in front of the curtain.

Have a blessed day. 

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On hope in the heaviness…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 39:15 For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 

“But – we hope, we hope, we hope….” This line was in a mass email from an Irish poet whom I very much enjoy, and it is resonating with me this morning. My soul feels rather heavy with unexpected loss that only tangentially affects me and bureaucratic nonsense that I have tried to work within my entire career. 

Exodus 39:16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. 

Is anything worse today than yesterday? No, but, again, it just feels really heavy this morning, so those words by that poet were exactly what I needed. And they remind me of why my faith is so important to who I am. It reminds me of Psalm 71:14 “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”

Exodus 39:17-18 They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 

Precious Savior, Some mornings hope is hard to come by and life feels inordinately heavy. Thank You for reminders, for hope, in the unlikeliest of places. Thank You for Your love, Your peace, and Your calming presence. Help me to live Psalm 62:5, even when life feels heavy: “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” Amen.

Exodus 39:19 They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod.

Have a blessed day. 

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A loving reminder…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 37:26 They overlaid the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and made a gold molding around it. 

This morning has me back in the scripture and my search of: “What does the Bible say about being still?”. Philippians 4:6 (Be anxious for nothing….) and Psalm 131:2 (But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother….) are resonating today.

Exodus 37:27 They made two gold rings below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 

And a meme comes to mind as I ponder, “God said, ‘Be still and know,” not “Freak out and question everything.” God calls me not to be anxious, not as a chastisement because of my anxiety spiral, but as a loving reminder to come to Him. He has given me all the tools to calm and quiet my soul in Him. 

Exodus 37:28 They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

Precious Savior, Thank You that I know with certainty that You are not chastising me, You are encouraging me. You want me to be successful in calming my soul in You. Forgive me that I’m still such a novice. Thank You for the reminder and encouragement. In You, I’ll get there. Amen.

Exodus 37:29 They also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense—the work of a perfumer.

Have a blessed day. 

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On anxiety spirals and waiting in hope…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 37:22 The buds and the branches were all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

I’m still working on trying to be still, trying to notice all the little details, trying to rest in God instead of hurrying and striving. Honestly, it’s frustratingly difficult for me at this point, which frustrates me further. and I’ve noticed recently an anxiety spiral within myself, one I don’t like and am actively trying to understand.

Exodus 37:23 They made its seven lamps, as well as its wick trimmers and trays, of pure gold. 

So, this morning, to the end of stopping said anxiety spiral, I googled “What does the Bible say about being still?” and just seeing the many, many verses about being still in Him and waiting in hope for Him helped me breathe a bit easier. Psalm 62:5 spoke to me particularly this morning, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”

Exodus 37:24 They made the lampstand and all its accessories from one talent of pure gold.

Precious Savior, Thank You for helping me to turn to You and Your word when I feel my anxiety begin to spiral. Thank You for putting Psalm 62:5 in my path this morning. Help me to get better at waiting in silence and hoping in You alone. Amen.

Exodus 37:25 They made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long and a cubit wide and two cubits high —its horns of one piece with it.

Have a blessed day. 

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On stillness and knowing…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 37:10 They made the table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. 

I find myself growing impatient at this point in Exodus, wanting to rush, to hurry. We’ve seen all of this before, so let’s just move on. And yet, I can hear Jesus whisper to my heart, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). 

Exodus 37:11 Then they overlaid it with pure gold and made a gold molding around it. 

And it occurred to me that, at this point in my life, I have an incredibly difficult time being still, breathing, centering myself, just noticing the minute details in life. And perhaps that is what God is calling me to do in this moment. Seek Him. Breathe Him in. Observe His presence. Notice His goodness. 

Exodus 37:12 They also made around it a rim a handbreadth d wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 

Precious Savior, Help me to be still and know that You are God, to be still and notice that Your presence and goodness and love are all around me. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 37:13 They cast four gold rings for the table and fastened them to the four corners, where the four legs were.

Have a blessed day. 

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On resting and stillness…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 31:12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 

The Israelites are coming off of 400 years of slavery to the Egyptians, where there was no One True God and no Sabbath rest. There was only work, work, and more work. God is trying to show the Israelites a better way, His way, which involves working FOR Him, sacrificing TO Him, and resting IN Him. 

Exodus 31:13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

That rest–in His love, in His mercy, in His power–was not something they were familiar with while toiling under Egyptian rule. God is trying to reestablish the now-free Israelites in His sovereignty, which involves specifics for building, sacrificing, AND resting. 

Exodus 31:14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that while there is much work to do FOR You, we are also called to rest IN You. In this world of noise and motion, resting is hard. Help us all to find a way to be still in the chaos of this world and know that You are God (Psalm 46:10). Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 31:15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death.

Have a blessed day. 

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Holy Saturday…. (devo reflection)

Exodus 30:5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 

Today is Holy Saturday, a day of darkness and silence. Christ has died but is not yet risen, though, thankfully, we have the promise of His resurrection on Easter Sunday. It hurts my heart to think of His disciples and loved ones who didn’t have that hope, who only knew the reality of His death.

Exodus 30:6 Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you.

Holy Saturday, traditionally, is somber. The echo of the pounding nails from the Good Friday service are still ringing in our ears. The darkness at the end of that service still feels oppressive and complete. The danger, the fear is that we lose hope, that we forget that tomorrow at sunrise, His tomb will be empty, that He is not dead, that He is not gone, that He is our Risen Savior.

Exodus 30:7 “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 

Precious Savior, “As for me, I will always have hope. I will praise You more and more” (Psalm 71:14). Thank You for the hope of You, for the promise or Easter Sunday, for the reality that no matter how dark it feels, You are with us. Always. Thank You. Amen.

Exodus 30:8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come.

Have a blessed day.