Exodus 39:1-31
“And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work. They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together. And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:1-5)
Gold is the softest and most malleable of the metals, and can be beeten down into very thin foil sheets for gilding things without becoming brittle. The sheets of foil could then be cut into narrow strips or wires that could be woven into the cloth along with the various colored linen threads or yarns. It required extremely skilled weavers and goldsmiths to produce such fine wires and weave them into the cloth successfully. The Ephod and belt or girdle were extremely fine pieces of workmanship.
“And they wrought onyx stones enclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:6-7)
Two onyx stones, each engraved with the names of six tribes of Israel were set in gold settings and attached to the shoulders of the ephod, as a reminder that the high priest carried the responsibility for the sins of the nation just as Christ carried the sins of the world.
“And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were enclosed in ouches of gold in their enclosings. And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.” (Exodus 39:8-14)
Made of the cloth like the Ephod, the breast plate was doubled over forming a pouch, held against the chest. Each precious or semiprecious stone was engraved with the name of one of the tribes of Israel, symbolizing the personal love and attention Christ has for individual Christians. The Urim and Thummim were to be placed in the pouch of the breastplate. While we do not know exactly what they were the names mean Lights and Perfections. Christ justifies the Christian, so that as far as God is concerned our sin is gone as completely as if it had never happened. We are perfect in his sight.
“And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold. And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it. And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward. And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:15-21)
The breastplate demonstrating our relationship to Christ was attached to the ephod so it could not be loosened or removed emphasizing the fact that we cannot be plucked from the father‘s hand..
“And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend. And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates; A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:22-26)
Even the details of the bells and pomegranates around the hem of the high priest’s garments met the standard specified by God. As our high priest, Jesus Christ met every one of the prophecies and qualifications God had specified. Without doing so, he could not be the Messiah.
“And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses. And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:27-31)
The garments for the priests were designed by God and provided through his actions and direction, rather than the efforts of the priests. Our righteousness is provided by God’s design and Christ’s sacrifice, not our own work.
“And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work. They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together. And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:1-5)
Gold is the softest and most malleable of the metals, and can be beeten down into very thin foil sheets for gilding things without becoming brittle. The sheets of foil could then be cut into narrow strips or wires that could be woven into the cloth along with the various colored linen threads or yarns. It required extremely skilled weavers and goldsmiths to produce such fine wires and weave them into the cloth successfully. The Ephod and belt or girdle were extremely fine pieces of workmanship.
“And they wrought onyx stones enclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel. And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:6-7)
Two onyx stones, each engraved with the names of six tribes of Israel were set in gold settings and attached to the shoulders of the ephod, as a reminder that the high priest carried the responsibility for the sins of the nation just as Christ carried the sins of the world.
“And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were enclosed in ouches of gold in their enclosings. And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.” (Exodus 39:8-14)
Made of the cloth like the Ephod, the breast plate was doubled over forming a pouch, held against the chest. Each precious or semiprecious stone was engraved with the name of one of the tribes of Israel, symbolizing the personal love and attention Christ has for individual Christians. The Urim and Thummim were to be placed in the pouch of the breastplate. While we do not know exactly what they were the names mean Lights and Perfections. Christ justifies the Christian, so that as far as God is concerned our sin is gone as completely as if it had never happened. We are perfect in his sight.
“And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold. And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it. And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward. And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:15-21)
The breastplate demonstrating our relationship to Christ was attached to the ephod so it could not be loosened or removed emphasizing the fact that we cannot be plucked from the father‘s hand..
“And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend. And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen. And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates; A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:22-26)
Even the details of the bells and pomegranates around the hem of the high priest’s garments met the standard specified by God. As our high priest, Jesus Christ met every one of the prophecies and qualifications God had specified. Without doing so, he could not be the Messiah.
“And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses. And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 39:27-31)
The garments for the priests were designed by God and provided through his actions and direction, rather than the efforts of the priests. Our righteousness is provided by God’s design and Christ’s sacrifice, not our own work.
It is very interesting how every detail of the priest's mode of dress is a picture of the Christian's relationship with God.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent post.
Thanks, Frank.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much to be learned from these passages to help us understand God's plan. I am troubled that so many don't realize the truth of II Timothy 3:16.