Blog

96_The priestly garment

Exodus 28:1-5 “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

A young man once attended a royal banquet by invitation. He had also received fine festal garments to wear to the feast. However, he chose to wear his own clothes instead. As the king greeted his guests, he noticed the man’s attire. “Friend,” he asked, “how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” The man had no answer. The king ordered his servants to expel the guest. This parable, in Matthew 22, indicates the significance of the right garment in the presence of the King.

When our first parents sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, they immediately realized that they were naked, and they felt ashamed of their nakedness. In fact, they had been naked from the day of their creation, but, wrapped in innocence, it had never been a problem. But now, conscious of guilt and fearing God’s disapproval, they were afraid to appear in their nakedness before him or before each other. Man’s sin had corrupted his heart, and he was no longer one with God in seeking God’s will.

When they knew that they were naked, their immediate response was to make a covering of fig leaves. This was far from being a good solution, as the leaves withered as soon as the sun became hot. But when God sent them out of the garden, he did not send them naked. himself clothed them with a garment of animal skins. Thus, their clothing, prefiguring the restoration of a good conscience, came at the price of an animal’s death. Without death, sin cannot be atoned for.

The high priestly garments were not designed merely to cover nakedness. This is plain from the multiple layers and the elaborate design. The ephod is a colorful apron extending above the waist. It represents the God-appointed authority of the high priest to represent the people before God, to bear their iniquity, to turn away wrath from them, and to minister to him. The Lord said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

On the two shoulder pieces of the ephod were two stones engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel. Carried on the strong shoulders of the Good Shepherd, the people of God find security. About Benjamin, the last of the tribes, Jacob said, (Deut 33:12): “Of Benjamin he said,

“The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.
The High God surrounds him all day long,
and dwells between his shoulders.”

The breastplate was worn on top of the ephod. It carried twelve precious stones engraved individually with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The people of God are known to Christ our High Priest by name, they are called by name, and they are carried close to his heart. Our Lord has both strength and love to save and sustain us.

The breastplate is called the breastplate of judgment. Inside its pocket were the Urim and the Thummim. These are considered to have been precious stones used to enquire of the Lord. The Spirit of God has been poured into our hearts to be our constant guide and leader. Walking in step with his leading, we can be sure of being in the will of God at all times. Our High Priest assures us, “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. And I give them eternal life.”

The blue robe underneath the ephod was one woven piece without a seam. Blue speaks of heaven, from where our Lord Jesus Christ came to be born among men. The seamless robe reminds us of the robe he wore when he was taken to his trial. There is no fault or weakness in his perfect righteousness, for he always did what pleased his Father. Our High Priest came from heaven, and speaks with authority of heavenly things. Today he is seated in heaven at the right hand of God, interceding for us. Through him, we are made partakers of the divine nature.

The hem of the blue robe had an attached border of pomegranate fruits alternating with bells of gold. The walk of the High Priest was thus accompanied by a pleasing sound. Those whose attention is drawn by the sound see the fruits hanging from his robe. Both the words and the deeds of our Lord were pleasing to God, and perfectly complemented each other. In Acts 1, Luke begins: “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” In Luke 24:19, the disciples described their Master thus, during the Emmaus walk: “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” Note that deeds come before words. Indeed, righteousness and justice are not mere words, but must be first established by our deeds.

On the front of the head turban was a plate of pure gold inscribed, “Holy to the LORD”. The head represents the center of our thoughts, will, emotions, and decisions. All these should be centered around God’s holiness. As we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, our minds will be renewed through obedience to the Spirit’s leading.

In the beginning of this chapter we see that Aaron and his sons were called to “to serve me as priests”. Priesthood was never about serving the self or serving the people. The high priest served God with gifts and sacrifices, representing the people before God. Let this help us to see everything that we do as a service to God, as our true worship. Col 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

The innermost clothing is a tunic made out of fine linen. This is the base over which all the other garments go. It reminds us of the perfect righteousness of our High Priest, and of the righteousness that is ours in Christ – the righteous works of the saints in their love to God. Psalm 132:9 describes the joy of righteousness: “Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
And let Your godly ones sing for joy.”
In Revelation 19:6–8

“Hallelujah, for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”

As we come naked, filthy, blind, and sick, to God, in Christ’s name, he accepts us, cleanses us, heals us and clothes us with righteousness in Christ. His atonement and his resurrection laid the foundation of our acceptance before God. This is the garment that is given to us by our Lord, the king, when he calls us to his feast. Like the man who came in his own clothes, and was cast into outer darkness, we dare not come before God citing our goodness. We can come only in humility, conscious that it is simply by God’s mercy, and grateful for the Holy Spirit who helps us to reveal the divine nature through our lives.

Let us rejoice that our blessed Lord not only forgave us our sins and took away the shame of rejection, but also covered our nakedness. He exchanged our sorrow and estrangement with the garment of praise, and has given us authority to serve him, doing his will. God bless.