Review Of Exodus 28

— by Victor Fawole

I welcome everyone to Exodus 28 – a treatise on the role of the priesthood. Priests are instructed on how to help others make proper sacrifices and worship God. The role of the priests is extremely important to God – for they stand before God on behalf of men. As believers, we have been automatically made priests (1Pet. 2:9, Rev. 1:6). This is the identity of everyone who is saved by grace.

Let us review:

1. THE GARMENT PREPARATION

Exo. 28:1-2 “Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

God selected Aaron and his family purely on the basis of grace, not by merit. Under the law, nobody could earn it by effort or by ambition. It was a matter of birthright – you must be born into a priestly tribe (Levi). Under grace, our priesthood is also not earned. We are priests because of our new birth.

Moses was commanded to make special garments for the priests. They were not ordinary garments:

• Made Holy:
  It would be set apart solely for the priests and solely for their priestly service before the Holy God.
• Made for Glory:
  It would exalt the priestly office in the eyes of the people, make them to be respected, and their office would be highly regarded.
• Made for Beauty:
  It would make the worship more beautiful. God does not despise beauty. There’s something called worshipping God “in the beauty of holiness” (Psa. 29:2; Psa. 96:9; 1Chro. 16:29).

The priest’s priority was not to the people but the God of the people. These garments were so important to God that not just any tailor could make them. The holy, glorious, and beautiful garments could only be made by men inspired by God. They were craftsmen filled with God’s wisdom. Skills plus sagacity. Oh, wow! Who said that God cannot grant you distinction even in that manual service you offer to men?

2. THE GARMENT PARTICULARS

Exo. 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an [b]ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.

Let us check out particular elements of the priestly garment and their spiritual significance:

• The Breastplate:
  Also known as the “breastplate of judgement”, this is a decorated chest covering for the high priest. It symbolises the unity of the nation of Israel, and their dependence on the ministry of the high priest. It presents them before God as His beloved people. As believers, what we have is a “breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14). Jesus has worn the “breastplate of judgement” on our behalf, for He is our perfect High Priest (Heb. 4:14-15, Heb. 7:26). He has clothed us in His righteousness. And in our spiritual warfare, we are to put on our breastplate of righteousness – for our own righteousness cannot stand before the accuser.
• The Ephod:
  The ephod is a sleeveless vest – like an apron. It is made of gold, blue, purple and scarlet thread. Remember what these colours signify? The breastplate is on the front of the ephod. The ephod is worn around the high priest’s upper body. It has two shoulder pieces which were fastened together to hold it securely. Whenever the priest wore it, he was representing all the tribes of Israel.
• The Onyx Stones:
  The ephod had two onyx stones, one on each of its shoulders. Each stone had six of the 12 sons of Jacob engraved on it, in the order of their birth. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, and Naphtali were engraved on the right shoulder onyx stone, while Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph, and Benjamin were engraved on the left shoulder onyx stone. One thing to note is that Onyx is black – signifying that they are trapped in sin. However, the names were written in gold – signifying that they are precious to God. As believers, we should remember that we are precious to God, but were dead in sin, and that is why Jesus bore us on His shoulders when He became our High Priest. I am engraved on Jesus’ shoulders!
• The Precious Stones:
  On the breastplate, God commanded that they put 12 precious stones that would cover the high priest’s heart. Wearing it over his heart is a pointer to the high priest’s love for all the people. His job was to be an intercessor to God for everyone. Jesus – as our High Priest – loved the world so much that He sacrificed Himself on the cross so that we might live (John 3:16). As believers, we are engraved on Jesus’ heart! We are precious stones in God’s eyes (1Pet. 2:5). We shine our light as the Light of Jesus shines on us.

I’m also intrigued with the fact that the precious stones had “the engravings of a seal” (Exo. 28:21). Once a man is saved in Christ, he is sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). Being sealed with the Spirit, he cannot lose his redemption.

Interestingly, the 12 precious stones mentioned here will appear on the foundation walls to the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:19-20). Only the “sealed” will stand with their Redeemer in the New Jerusalem! Only the “precious stones” will stand on the precious stones of the New Jerusalem!

• The Urim & Thummim:
  The breastplate is called the breastplate of judgement because of the Urim and Thummim on it. They are tools for discerning God’s will (Num. 27:21, 1Sam. 28:6, Ezra 2:63, Neh. 7:65). They are translated as “Lights and Perfections”. They flashed brightly with a “yes” or dimly with a “no” answer from God. The high priest is not expected to rely on his feelings to discern God’s will. As believers, God has given us two superior means to discern His will – the written Word and the Holy Spirit (Psa. 119:105, John 14:26). Thankfully, we have the promise of God’s word that whenever we ask Him for wisdom, He will give it to us liberally (Jam. 1:5).
• The Robe:
  The robe of the ephod (worn immediately under it) is completely colour blue (Exo. 28:31). The blue colour points to the focus of the priest’s heart – he’s focused on God in heaven. This robe must be untearable. Jesus had the same quality of robe. Read more in this article titled: Caiaphas Vs. Jesus
• The Pomegranates & Golden Bells:
  Golden bells were placed between the pomegranates (remember the significance of blue, purple, and scarlet?) and the arrangement is done all round the hem of the robe. The bells help the people to hear that the priest is ministering before God. If the priest died on duty, the bells would stop ringing and he would be pulled out of the Holy of Holies using a rope attached to him.
• The Turban:
  The turban is meant for the head. There is a gold plate attached to it with the inscription “HOLINESS TO THE LORD”, that directly rested on the head of the high priest. The engraved words were meant to remind the priest that he is separated unto God (for special service) and also keep the priest’s thoughts holy and focused on God. Anything less would make the high priest (Aaron) unfit for service. His ministry was that of a mediator, bearing the sins and consecrating the gifts of the people.

3. THE GARMENT PATTERNS

Exo. 28:40 “For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make hats for them, for glory and beauty.

Aaron’s sons (the regular priests) were not as ordained as Aaron (the high priest) because they had a far lesser office than the High Priest. However, their garments were also for glory and beauty. That really excites me. Because Christ has made me a priest, I bask in the glory of grace and the beauty of holiness. Hallelujah!

In vs. 41, there are three important aspects to the preparation of the priests:

• Anoint them:
  This is applying oil on the head. Every believer has an anointing from God (2Cor. 1:21-22, 1John 2:20, 27).
• Consecrate them:
  This has a connotation of equipping them for the work of ministry.
• Sanctify them:
  This has a connotation of spiritual and moral separation from all defilement. Every believer makes himself useful to God by consecration (2Tim. 2:21).

The garment particulars not given to regular priests are — the ephod, the robe, the bells and pomegranates, the breastplate over the Ephod, the shoulder pieces of onyx-stone, the turban and the engraved pure gold plate in front of the turban.

The priests are to be clothed in their priestly garments before they enter the presence of God; else, they would incur guilt and die. As believers, we have free access to the presence of God because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. That is more than heartwarming!

Dear Gogolights, this chapter should spur you into thanksgiving and rejoicing, celebrating the ministry of Jesus. Let us rejoice for He has made us priests forever. This is our heritage in Christ. Hallelujah!

Tag five people and tell them: JESUS IS MY HIGH PRIEST!

God bless you for reading. We shall continue tomorrow.

Grace to you, Church!