You are precious

Exodus 39: 14 NIV “There were twelve stone, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes."

Hebrews 4: 14 NIV “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”

Struggling to accept that I am precious in God’s eyes and this morning in my quiet time I was reading Exodus 39.  “The Breastpiece,” I noticed that God appointed a skilled craftsman to work on the “breast piece.”  The material used was the following:  gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen.

You know the shape would be square and then the mounting of precious stones such as a ruby, topaz, beryl, turquoise, sapphire and emerald, jacinth, agate and amethyst, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper.  These are all precious stones, which meant they were not your common little pebbles laying around the yard.  Now focusing my attention on the word “precious” I wanted to see what God says.  In Isaiah Chapter 43 verse 4 in the TLB “Others died that you might live; I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me and honored, and I love you.”  This is it, “I am precious to God and He loves me.”

Thinking about this if something is precious what does that really mean?  How much are you prepared to pay for the item?  What’s the value of the item?  God gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to pay for our sins.  1 Peter Chapter 1 Verse 19 TLB “But he paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”  I was bought with the precious lifeblood of Christ, so were you.  When God looks at me the lifeblood of Christ covers me.  He see’s me through Christ.

Back to the “breast piece” we know that the high priest wore it over his chest.  You say and?  What is the significants thereof?  Well, this was over his heart or close to his heart.  The Pries would enter the Holiest of Holie to bring a sacrifice for each of the twelve tribes.  These sacrifices were to ask for the forgiveness of sins.  Each of the twelve tribes names was also engraved on the precious stone like a seal.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You, Lord, for today, as I start my day I dedicate my life back into Your hands.  Your word said that You will never, never fail nor forsake me.  I pray the lifeblood of Jesus Christ encircles my life as well as the person reading this devotion today.  Amen