When reading about the consecration of priests in ancient Israel, I’m struck by the vast amounts of blood involved. Aaron and his sons, the men undergoing the ritual, corralled a bull and two rams. After praying over the bull, they slaughtered it in the meeting tent. With their fingers they painted the horn of the alter with blood, then poured the rest out at its base.

Next they slaughtered the first ram and splashed its blood against the side of the alter. They applied blood from the second ram to the lobes of their right ears, the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet. They splashed more blood on the alter, then sprinkled blood over each of the priests and their garments. Only then were Aaron and his sons considered consecrated before the Lord and qualified to serve in his temple.

That’s a lot of blood. Such a foreign practice in my experience, (although I have seen chickens sacrificed in a temple in India to a different god). Only the spilling of blood purified and made holy the priests and their house of worship.

The author of Hebrews sheds light on these sacrifices: The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

According to the Scriptures, only blood yields forgiveness. It’s easy to forget this in our sanitized world. We don’t haul animals to church for liturgical slaughter anymore. The system collapsed because of one sacrifice—good for all times and all peoples—on the cross.

We avoid the whole bloody mess because Jesus became a bloody mess for you and me.

Exodus 29 & Hebrews 9 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Alan Bowman

I ask for lots of things from the Lord, like wisdom in a hard decision or patience to get through the day. I pray for God to provide financially and I give thanks for my food (for which I’m truly grateful—I enjoy my times at table).

But I rarely pray for God to show me his splendor. Yet Moses, in his psalm, asked for this very thing: May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.

Moses experienced God’s splendor like no other. From a burning bush to the angel of death, walking through an ocean laid bare and forty days consumed in smoke and fire on a mountaintop. In his prayers, Moses asked that following generations would experience the Lord’s splendor as well.

The Lord’s splendor is all around—if my eyes are open. But most days I focus downward and inward, unable to perceive much beyond myself. So I’m asking the Lord to show me. If Moses made the request, perhaps his prayer will bear fruit for me.

Ask to see the Lord’s splendor. Pray for eyes open to the magnificence of the Lord. What can it hurt? By doing so we’ll gain a fresh appreciation for God’s work in the world and his personal attention to you and me.

Psalm 90 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Explore with Joshua

I keep up a running dialogue with my phone throughout the day. I use my phone for checking emails, sending and receiving texts, and even taking calls. I watch my phone for flight updates when I travel and scout out places to eat on the road. I keep my eyes on the news and of course, whatever’s happening in the world of sports.

Paul encouraged us to keep up a running dialogue with the Lord. He wrote this encouragement to the church members in Ephesus: Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With all this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Just like we do with our phones, check in with the Lord throughout the day. Pray anytime, pray for whatever’s on your mind. Talk with the Lord. Pray for friends and family, pray for each other, and always pray for God’s people wherever they may be.

But mostly pray, pray, pray.

Ephesians 6 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jacek Dylag

Greed, for the lack of a better word, is good. This quote from the 1987 movie Wall Street pops up regularly in our cultural narrative. Greed drives our economy and pushes people to advance, yielding respect and comfort and power. Or so we’re told by successful, greedy people.

But the Scriptures mention greed as a terrible attribute. Paul writes, Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

Why is greed so bad?

Greed ignores the ways of God in a rush for wealth. Commandment #1 states, You shall have no other gods before me. Those who grab more and more make idols out of their possessions. When we embrace greed our goods become our gods.

Greed takes what God intended for others and hoards it for ourselves. Greed feeds cravings and creates animosity. Greed reveals our lack of care for those around us, and ultimately our lack of faith in God. The greedy cannot do unto others as would be done unto them, because they cannot see others as anything more than objects to use.

Despite the messaging, greed is not good. I can combat greed in my life in two ways. First, by asking the Lord to point it out, and second, by giving stuff away. Giving pushes back my tendency towards greed. Donating money, clothes from my closet, time and energy all help me remember who blessed me in the first place.

Beat back greed, and watch the Lord open new doors to goodness and success.

Ephesians 5 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Joel Muniz