“And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses. Leviticus 16:34, ESV

These last few weeks, my evening devotional time has taken me to Leviticus. Reading through the laws that the Jewish community was commanded to keep at the time has been a little overwhelming—there were so many rules!  Most of the chapters have begun pretty much the same way: “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying…” What followed was direct instruction from God about different situations the Israelites would encounter. Moses would hear directly from the Lord and then would relay to the people what they were to do.

Chapter 16 consists of directions given to Aaron about his role as a priest—what to wear when he made the sacrifice of atonement on behalf of himself, his house, and the community at large…what animals he was to use…every detail covered (even his undergarments). The instructions were specific and the minor details mattered to God.  The chapter concludes with a grade of sorts: Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.  In other words, he aced it!

Friend, what you do matters! Every detail of it. Students, colleagues, and administrators are watching you every moment you serve. We’ve been given instructions from a Holy God. His example is love and mercy. His interactions with the lost are steeped in tenderness. His commands are clear and detailed.

May the same be said of us—that we do as the Lord commands!

Father, thank you for the detailed instructions that You provide us in Scripture.  Thank you for making the way clear and the path easy to follow. You leave behind a clear trail of goodness and mercy for us to follow. Help us find that path, stay on that path, and leave our own trail of goodness and mercy in our wake as we deal with students, coworkers, parents, and community members.  May it be said of each of us that “we did as the Lord commanded” because we know then that those watching will see You. We pray for a special anointing today as we guide our students—that it could be said of us that they did as You commanded because of our teaching, as was true with Moses’ instruction. Help us be a Moses to the Aaron’s we’ll be in front of today. Amen.

Copyright Lora Parsons.

Lora is a member and a language arts teacher from Kentucky.