Daily Devotions · January 31
Reading for January 31
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Exodus 28–29 · Acts 7
Exodus 28–29 · Acts 7, Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 28
“Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests. 2 Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, to give him glory and splendor. 3 You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as priest. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may serve Me as priests. 5 They shall use gold, along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. 6 They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached at two of its corners, so it can be fastened. 8 And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod must be of one piece, of the same workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: 10 six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth. 11 Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings. 12 Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the LORD. 13 Fashion gold filigree settings 14 and two chains of pure gold, made of braided cord work; and attach these chains to the settings. 15 You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. 16 It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. 17 And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald; 18 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 in the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and in the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings. 21 The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. 22 For the breastpiece, make braided chains like cords of pure gold. 23 You are also to make two gold rings and fasten them to the two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Then fasten the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and fasten the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 26 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two additional gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near its seam just above its woven waistband. 28 The rings of the breastpiece shall be tied to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the waistband of the ephod and does not swing out from the ephod. 29 Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he shall bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder before the LORD. 30 And place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will continually carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD. 31 You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening shall be a woven collar with an opening like that of a garment, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all the way around the lower hem, with gold bells between them, 34 alternating the gold bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear the robe whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters or exits the sanctuary before the LORD, so that he will not die. 36 You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. 37 Fasten to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 And it will be worn on Aaron’s forehead, so that he may bear the iniquity of the holy things that the sons of Israel consecrate with regard to all their holy gifts. It shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be acceptable before the LORD. 39 You are to weave the tunic with fine linen, make the turban of fine linen, and fashion an embroidered sash. 40 Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons, to give them glory and splendor. 41 After you put these garments on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them so that they may serve Me as priests. 42 Make linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh, extending from waist to thigh. 43 Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants.
Exodus 29
“Now this is what you are to do to consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish, 2 along with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour, 3 put them in a basket, and present them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams. 4 Then present Aaron and his sons at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. 5 Take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, and the breastplate. Fasten the ephod on him with its woven waistband. 6 Put the turban on his head and attach the holy diadem to the turban. 7 Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. 8 Present his sons as well and clothe them with tunics. 9 Wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons and tie headbands on them. The priesthood shall be theirs by a permanent statute. In this way you are to ordain Aaron and his sons. 10 You are to present the bull at the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. 11 And you shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 12 Take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 13 Take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But burn the flesh of the bull and its hide and dung outside the camp; it is a sin offering. 15 Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. 16 You are to slaughter the ram, take its blood, and splatter it on all sides of the altar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces, wash the entrails and legs, and place them with its head and other pieces. 18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. 19 Take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head. 20 Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the remaining blood on all sides of the altar. 21 And take some of the blood on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. Then he and his garments will be consecrated, as well as his sons and their garments. 22 Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the lobe of the liver, both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a ram for ordination), 23 along with one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD. 24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. 25 Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar atop the burnt offering as a pleasing aroma before the LORD; it is a food offering to the LORD. 26 Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and wave it before the LORD as a wave offering, and it will be your portion. 27 Consecrate for Aaron and his sons the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the heave offering that is lifted up from the ram of ordination. 28 This will belong to Aaron and his sons as a regular portion from the Israelites, for it is the heave offering the Israelites will make to the LORD from their peace offerings. 29 The holy garments that belong to Aaron will belong to his sons after him, so they can be anointed and ordained in them. 30 The son who succeeds him as priest and enters the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place must wear them for seven days. 31 You are to take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32 At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket. 33 They must eat those things by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no outsider may eat them, because these things are sacred. 34 And if any of the meat of ordination or any bread is left until the morning, you are to burn up the remainder. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred. 35 This is what you are to do for Aaron and his sons based on all that I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. 36 Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering each day for atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. 37 For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy. 38 This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old. 39 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight. 40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives, and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. 41 And offer the second lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning, as a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. 42 For the generations to come, this burnt offering shall be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with you. 43 I will also meet with the Israelites there, and that place will be consecrated by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests. 45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 And they will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.
Acts 7
Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?” 2 And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’ 4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living. 5 He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child. 6 God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 7 ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’ 8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 9 Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household. 11 Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food. 12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. 13 On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. 16 Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver. 17 As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number. 18 Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt. 19 He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die. 20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house. 21 When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22 So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. 23 When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. 25 He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not. 26 The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’ 27 But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons. 30 After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’ 35 This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness. 37 This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ 38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us. 39 But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40 They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 41 At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43 You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’ 44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45 And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built the house for Him. 48 However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: 49 ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be? 50 Has not My hand made all these things?’ 51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers— 53 you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.” 54 On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
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Why daily devotions?
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