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Day 35, or February the 4th. Be as good inside

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as you look outside. Our thoughts today are rooted

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in Leviticus chapter 8, verses 6 to 7. Then Moses

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brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed

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them with water. He put the tunic on Aaron, tied

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the sash around him, clothed him with the robe,

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and put the ephod on him. He also fastened the

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ephod with a decorative waistband which he tied

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around him. First, the big picture surrounding

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these verses. There are several chapters that

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describe in some detail how Aaron and the priests

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were prepared for ministry. The priestly clothing

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was first made at the same time as the tabernacle

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was erected. In addition, many items of furniture

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were made, all to a very high standard by the

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craftsman God had particularly gifted to do such

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intricate work. When the priests were consecrated,

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there was much symbolism in the use of blood

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and oil, and the procedure is found in several

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passages in the Bible. Interestingly, Hebrew

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for priest is koan, which may explain why lots

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of Jews bear this name today. And now our action

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step for today. Some of today's denominations

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still have leaders who dress in specific clothing,

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which has particular meaning and significance

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to their congregations and traditions. Two of

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Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, proved that outward

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conformity alone is not enough. Their hearts

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were not faithful to God or their calling to

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the priesthood, and they paid the ultimate price

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by losing their lives. They probably looked exactly

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the same as their faithful brothers, Eliezer

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and Ithamar, who lived many years and dutifully

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ministered to the people. Today we are reminded

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of the truth that God looks on the inside, not

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the outside. We know this to be true today, but

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we still occasionally tend to live as though

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we could fool God by saying the right things

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and looking the part. This doesn't mean that

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outward appearance is of no importance, but it

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does mean that we can't fool God as easily as

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we fool others. Do you have an act of pretence

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to declare to God today?