Morning Light – Exodus 28

[Exodus 28] Setting the Priesthood in Order. In this chapter, the Lord hands down to Moses instructions concerning Aaron and his sons and how to prepare them to serve in the Tabernacle. Moses is commanded to call upon wise-hearted artisans to prepare Aaron’s garments for the garments were understood to be that which would consecrate him to be High Priest. This is important for us to know because we are instructed to “put on Christ” therefore the garments of Aaron tells us much about our being clothed with His person as we serve Him as kings and priests in the New Testament.

[Exo 28:1-43 KJV] 1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, [even] Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 3 And thou shalt speak unto all [that are] wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 4 And these [are] the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 6 And they shall make the ephod [of] gold, [of] blue, and [of] purple, [of] scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. 7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and [so] it shall be joined together. 8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which [is] upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; [even of] gold, [of] blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10 Six of their names on one stone, and [the other] six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. 11 With the work of an engraver in stone, [like] the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. 12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod [for] stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial. 13 And thou shalt make ouches [of] gold; 14 And two chains [of] pure gold at the ends; [of] wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. 15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; [of] gold, [of] blue, and [of] purple, and [of] scarlet, and [of] fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. 16 Foursquare it shall be [being] doubled; a span [shall be] the length thereof, and a span [shall be] the breadth thereof. 17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, [even] four rows of stones: [the first] row [shall be] a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: [this shall be] the first row. 18 And the second row [shall be] an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. 21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, [like] the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. 22 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends [of] wreathen work [of] pure gold. 23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen [chains] of gold in the two rings [which are] on the ends of the breastplate. 25 And [the other] two ends of the two wreathen [chains] thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put [them] on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it. 26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which [is] in the side of the ephod inward. 27 And two [other] rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the [other] coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that [it] may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. 29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy [place], for a memorial before the LORD continually. 30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. 31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all [of] blue. 32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. 33 And [beneath] upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates [of] blue, and [of] purple, and [of] scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy [place] before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not. 36 And thou shalt make a plate [of] pure gold, and grave upon it, [like] the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 38 And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 39 And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre [of] fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle [of] needlework. 40 And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: 43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the Tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy [place]; that they bear not iniquity, and die: [it shall be] a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

In v. 1, God instructs Moses regarding the appointment of Aaron and his sons in the High Priestly office, and the preparation of garments that they are to wear as they serve in the Tabernacle. When we study Aaron in his high priestly duties, we bear in mind that Aaron in the Old Testament is a type of Jesus, our high priest in the New. We know this from the beginning of the book of Hebrews:

[Heb 3:1 KJV] 1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Aaron was born of the tribe of Levi, and as such, he was kinsman to the twelve tribes and descended as an elder brother for seven of the 12 tribes. Likewise, Jesus is also our elder brother and our kinsman, which the writer of Hebrews also attests to.

[Heb 2:11 KJV] 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified [are] all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

It is important to stress this because as Jesus is a priest, so you and I in our sibling relationship to Him are likewise not only priests but kings as well. Our relationship with Jesus makes us members of a priest class in the eyes of God, just as Aaron’s family members were considered priests because of their relationship to Aaron.

[Rev 5:10 KJV] 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Aaron’s name means “light-bringer.” In this, we see the connection in type and shadow with Jesus as well. Jesus in 2 Peter 1:19 is called the “Day Star” or “Light Bearer,” a specific reference to Jesus’ high priestly office. The names of Aaron and his family members tell us something about who Jesus is to us.

Aaron = Light bringer (John 8:12)
Nadab = God is Generous (3 John 1:2)
Abihu = God is My Father (John 20:17)
Eleazer = God is My Helper (John 14:26)
Ithamar = Palm Tree (Judges 4:5)

The sons of Aaron were to serve in the high priestly duties by inheritance from their father. Their names speak not only of their portion among the 12 tribes but of our inheritance as well in Christ. We don’t earn our position in Christ or deserve it through some religious performance-based approach to God. Our priesthood comes to us by virtue of the New Birth and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.

In v. 2, we see that garments are to be fashioned for the priesthood that are to be holy garments for glory and for beauty. Moses is reminded that these are for “Aaron thy brother…” which again is a reminder of the familial connection we have with Jesus as our elder brother seated on the throne as a priest ever interceding for us before the Father.

Why was Aaron chosen, and why was a priesthood necessary? The primary function of the priesthood (v. 3) is to minister unto the Lord. We rule and reign in the earth in God’s stead, which is an earthward prerogative. We minister and serve the Father as priests before him, which is a God-ward prerogative. We also see in v. 3 that it was the garments that consecrated Aaron for service. His consecration was not something inherent in Aaron but rather something he put on. He could not serve before the Father in the Holy Place without the garments of the priesthood that authorized him to do so. Likewise, as Aaron must put on consecrating garments so we must put on consecrating garments not made of linen but of Christ Himself as Paul tells us in Galatians and the book of Romans:

[Gal 3:27 KJV] 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

[Rom 13:14 KJV] 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].

What were the priestly garments composed of? In v. 4, we see they included a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered coat, a miter, and a girdle. These correspond to the garments of the believer as we put on Christ. Each article of Aaron’s priestly clothing speaks to us about our consecrated covering of Jesus Himself.

Breastplate: Righteousness (Eph. 6:14).

Ephod: Mantle for the shoulders.

Robe: Covering for the heart.

Embroidered Coat: (Joseph – FAVOR of GOD).

Mitre: Priestly Crown of the Authority (Psalm 8:5).

Girdle: Truth (Eph. 6:14).

In verses 5-8, the colors and specific cloth to be used in the priestly garments are specified. The colors speak of the attributes of God imputed to us – to our character in Christ through the new birth.

Gold speaks of the wisdom of God. We don’t have to attain wisdom for 1 Cor. 1:30,31 tells us that Jesus is our wisdom in his very person. Our wisdom is a person – his name is Jesus.

Blue speaks of prayer. As noted previously, the blue pigment used at that time derived from a shellfish, specifically a mussel that was also used for incense. For this reason, blue speaks to us of our prayers, which are incense before God. We are to be clothed in prayer. Prayer is the aroma that is ever to be found as the ambient atmosphere upon our person. 1 Tim. 2:8 tells us that we should pray everywhere and at all times.

Purple – Royal authority. Purple in all ancient cultures is a color worn exclusively to denote royalty, and Rev. 5:10 tells us we are kings and priests unto God, thus making the connection between the office of king and the office of priest as it was with Melchizedek – the priest-king of Salem in Abraham’s day.

Scarlet is a color that speaks to us of entitlement and separation by virtue of the shedding of the blood of Christ. Rom. 5:9 tells us that we are justified (rendered in God’s sight as though we had never sinned) by virtue of the blood of Christ. Before Adam sinned, he was a creature of dominion. By the blood of Christ, what was lost in the fall is restored of Edenic entitlement and dominion.

Linen speaks to us of righteousness. 1 Cor. 1:30,31 tells us that we are not righteous in ourselves or by our works; we are righteous by putting on Christ. Our righteousness is not in a code of conduct or religious affectation. Our righteousness is in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Two Shoulder Pieces: The shoulder pieces or epaulets were joined together. This speaks to us of authority as well as government. Isa. 9:6 tells us that Jesus, our High Priest is the inheritor and us with Him of a government that rests upon His (and our shoulders) – a government that shall never end.

Curious Girdle. This was a belt or a strap around Aaron’s middle. Eph. 6:14 tells us we are to have our loins (our middle) girded with Truth, which is the word of God. This is curious indeed and even foolish, but it is by the foolishness of preaching that we are saved (1 Cor. 1:21).

We now come (vs. 9-12) to the stones that decorated the ephod. Firstly there are two onyx stones with the names of the 12 tribes engraved on them. What were these stones, and what can we know about them?

Two Onyx Stones with names of the children of Israel. This particular stone is of a pale green color. The Hebrew word for “onyx” is “soham” which comes from Sanskrit meaning “I AM” or “I AM THAT” speaking of the All Sufficiency of God for every bloodline in the nation of Israel and by extension you and I as inheritors through Christ of the blessings of Abraham.

Verse 15: There is a breastplate of judgment “after (similar to) the work of the ephod.” The word ephod here is the Hebrew word for a mantle or priestly mantle. It is a specifically religious garment dedicated in its use to God only. There was something about the derivation of the ephod that was similar in style and appearance to the ephod. Here again is a connection between Priestly ministration and Kingly rule, a connection between the breastplate of righteousness, the judgment of God, and the mantle of anointing.

This breastplate is not a breastplate of MERCY but a breastplate of JUDGMENT, yet it speaks of the entitlement of the 12 tribes represented by 12 individual stones on the breastplate. Because of the MERCY SEAT, you have been judged righteous. The gavel of the full judgment of God has come down to adjudicate you as RIGHTEOUS and ENTITLED on the basis of the blood of the lamb sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies… it isn’t God overlooking or being loose in any way in his regard for us. He is adjudicating you as RIGHTEOUS in His sight through the lens or on the basis of the shed blood.

The Breastplate and Mantle are of GOLD, BLUE, PURPLE, SCARLET, and LINEN. Again we address the meaning of these colors that are repeated redundantly over and over in the construction of the Tabernacle and its accouterments.

Gold (speaks of nature of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Pet. 1:4).

Blue (Speaks of prayer by virtue of the shellfish used to make the blue pigment was also used for incense – a type of prayer). This was specifically the Cerulean mussel – named after the concussive sound that could be made with them, derived from the Hebrew word for roar. This tells us that prayer can be a loud and boisterous thing. Make some noise with your prayer. Prayers are not to be a whimper but a roar.

Purple (again), speaks of royalty (Rev. 5:10).

Scarlet speaks of the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. The word for scarlet comes from the word for a dried-up maggot crushed to produce the red dye. 2 Cor. 5:21 tells us that Jesus made Himself to be a despised thing before God, becoming sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God.

Linen speaks of righteousness. Malachi spoke of the Messiah coming as fullers soap (bleach), and a refiners fire to render us white and pure before the Father.

The breastplate was not rectangular but foursquare speaking of the four gospels and the four pillars of Evangelical faith which are:

1. Salvation
2. Baptism in the Holy Ghost
3. Healing
4. Return of Christ

In vs. 17-18, we see that there were 12 stones placed in the breastplate representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Malachi speaks of these as well in connection with the coming of the Messiah and the ultimate end of the age:

[Mal 3:17 KJV] 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

The order of the stones in the OT is different than the order given in the New Testament. This tells us that literally, through the work of redemption, Jesus brought a new order of things.

The first stone in OT is Sardius (Flesh) – Sixth in the NT.

The First Stone in NT is Jasper (Fire) – Last in the OT

(See Rev. 21)

1. Reuben / Sardius

2. Simeon / Topaz

3. Levi / Carbuncle

4. Judah/Emerald

5. Dan/Sapphire

6. Naphtali/Diamond

7. Gad/Jacinth

8. Asher/Agate

9. Issachar/Amethyst

10. Zebulun/Beryl

11. Joseph/Onyx

12. Benjamin/Jasper

Verse 21 tells us that each of these stones was representative of a specific patriarch and tribe. The tribes mentioned in the Old Testament are different than the order and tribes mentioned in the New. What is the lesson? There are tribes in God. What tribe are you? Jesus was of the tribe of Judah (on his mother’s side.) There are spiritual meanings to the twelve tribes. (See Rev. 7:3-9).

Verses 22-28 tell us that there were chains to hold the breastplate to the ephod of the high priest. The chains and rings mentioned here are to bind the breastplate to the ephod. Notice that the breastplate (righteousness) and the ephod (mantle) are bound together by a blue (prayer) binding. This speaks to us of the importance of prayer and the connection God makes between who you are in Christ and what you are called to do in the kingdom (your mantle).

Verse 30 introduces us to the manner of divination used by the High Priest to hear from God via the Urim and the Thummim. The Urim and the Thummim represent the gift of discernment and the voice of God. Notice they are set (stored) in the breastplate (righteousness). You cannot discern accurately unless you first discern yourself. You must establish in your heart your own position before Christ and accord others their position before Christ – viewing others from your position in Christ through the lens of who Jesus is to them.

Verses 31-34 describes an outer robe of blue that Aaron wore over the priestly garments. Again the color blue – the robe – this is the idea of a PRAYER COVERING. it was pulled on over the head so it wouldn’t be rent – signifying the importance of a continual, uninterrupted prayer covering (remember the color blue was derived from shellfish dye meaning “to roar – the voice of many waters.”)

The priestly robe had pomegranates embroidered on it. Pomegranates were symbolic to the Hebrews (or would become symbolic) of the fruits the spies brought back from Canaan. In other words, the robe represents prayer, and the pomegranates represent the outcome of prayer – the fruits of your faith. Pomegranates were known in ancient Israel as the fruits which the scouts brought to Moses to demonstrate the fertility of the “promised land”. Jewish tradition also holds that the pomegranate symbolizes righteousness and is, therefore a reminder that prayers are answered because of Christ’s merit, not our own.

Verse 35 tells us as well that the robe (prayer) was designed probably with bells to make a continual sound (prayer) that “he die not.” What difference continual prayer makes in our lives. The bells on the priest’s robe represent (according to Hebrew scholarship) the joy of the Lord. Don’t lose your joy!

Verse 36-38 describes for us that there was a golden plate that covered the High Priest’s forehead with the inscription “Holiness to the Lord.” This speaks to us about being “God inside minded.”

[Phl 2:5 KJV] 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

These garments, in their full description, tell us that we are to put on as our persona in Christ. We are consecrated with oil – the anointing, not religious works or secret knowledge. By being clothed in Christ, we escape “the corruption that is in the world through sin.”