Of altars and taxes and lavers... a study in Exodus 30

 Introduction

 80 years ago Jewish people were finally emancipated from Nazi Germany’s forced labor camps and allowed to settle down. Many chose to move to another country, including Israel or Australia. But many settled back into their country of birth, in Europe or Russia. The war was finally over.

Throughout our history we have been chased from one country to another. At least in the last 800 years, this is true. England, France, Spain, Russia, Poland, all have laws in their history of hostility to Jews and a record of expulsion. Being Jewish meant forced travel. 

This was certainly the case in the beginning of our post-Egyptian history as well. Moses took the captives, who had been away from home in forced labor camps for centuries and delivered them. But we didn’t immediately settle into new housing provided by the government. We moved. From one area of the Sinai desert to another, over the course of 40 years. That’s a substantial amount of time! 60 years ago I was getting ready for my Bar Mitzvah as a 13-year-old puppy in Kansas City. I think 60 years is a long time.

But the point is that moving is tough on people, and we need some stability whilst we move around. One of the foundational teachings for the Jewish people is that our stability is found in God, and not in a permanent place. We could live in Tehran or New York or Melbourne and be found to be comfortable with God because God was our strength and song, and He became our salvation. No physical structure was ever to give us a sense of the permanent. God alone was our permanent. 

Now, into that mix, of faith and longing, comes the instruction by God to Moses about a traveling tent. Something to make statements to the people around and to the people of God at the same time. 

The statements were:

1)    God is alive and well and wants to dwell with Israel.

2)    The people of God owe God everything

3)    There is one way to know God and to follow Him

We’ve been studying the furniture and the tabernacle and the priesthood. Today we look at the altar of incense, the half-shekel census tax, and the laver. It’s a little particular, but I don’t want you to miss out on the overall picture. The picture is designed to teach us about God and His presence. He wants us to see the big picture and not get lost in the details, but definitely to observe the details.

Altar of incense (acacia, gold, daily, smell)

The box of incense is a strange item to be sure. 359 days of the year it is in the Holy Place, this middle section of the layout. It takes its place along with the menorah and the table of showbread, about which we will be speaking later. But one day of the year it moves into the Holy of Holies. Can you guess which day that is? That’s right, Yom Kippur. We see that described in its uniqueness in Hebrews chapter 9.4. There we read, “the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant…”

But that unusual day should not make us forget the original design and purpose of the altar itself. 

It was to be made of acacia wood, that very common material out in the wilderness. Then it was to be overlaid with gold. That’s not so common. But the ladies had taken the gold from the women in Egypt so it was bountiful. Acacia speaks to the ordinary nature of humanity in service to the Almighty. He will overlay us with his purposes. He will make us what He wants. But he starts with ordinary stuff—you and me—and not the grand. You might better imagine God doing a makeover than a choice of a supermodel. In other words, there are not many who are very excellent from the beginning. Most of us are common.

The apostle Paul teaches this with “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble” (1 Cor. 1.26)

God wanted the people to see an ordinary thing turned extra-ordinary.  That’s why He did the overlay thing. We all standardize when we are overlaid with extraordinary gold. And we all reflect an image that is powerful and royal. The gold in the Tabernacle reflects the deity of God. 

God will make us ordinary beings to be used by Him in His service and thus reflect Him. We bring ourselves; God brings the gold and we are useful to His purposes. 

God wanted the ordinary thing to be used daily. I like the expression we read in verses 7 and 8. “Burn it every morning… and at twilight” Note the order of things. When the Bible says “evening and morning”, it means “one day.” When the Bible says it in the opposite manner, “Morning and evening”, I get the impression that it means “continual.” Why is that? The Jewish day is counted from evening to morning. (See Genesis 1). So “evening to morning” is one day. But morning (of one day) to evening (of next day) sounds like a method of communicating ‘continuity’ and thus means ‘daily.’

God is not a once-a-week reality. He is a daily concern of the people of God. He wants to be known and adored. He wants to be filling our lives and our tabernacles with His presence.

The use of incense was first and foremost a sensory problem solution. If you have a wandering community in the wilderness, and it’s hot, the people stink. The slaughterhouse described in the recent lessons, (Exodus 28-29), would have had similar smells. Leftover blood doesn’t sit well with the nose. Carcasses left in the open attract vermin and birds of prey, but are not useful in polite society. Thus the incense was primarily a cover-up of the aromas. 

Look I was a hippie, and we used incense to cover the smells of marijuana in those days, and to protect ourselves from unwanted visits by the police. Incense does a great job in overwhelming even ordinary smells.

The Bible uses the phrase “the prayers of the saints’ (Revelation 5 (cf. Ps 141:2; Lk 1:10; Rev 8:3-4)) to help us understand the metaphor of the incense. Prayers are to be said morning and evening. Prayers will fill the house of God with symbols of His presence. Prayers cover up a lot of unholy things. Prayer accomplishes what smoke screens do in modern techno-concerts.  Prayer will fill the house of God with Godlikeness and with the inescapable possibility of remembering the Almighty.  If you pray in the morning and in the evening, you will fulfill the mandate of Paul to “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thes. 5)

Yom Kippur and the altar of incense

Why then was the altar moved in the Holiest of All on Yom Kippur? And really a bigger question is “how!?” The poles are affixed to the side of the box, which was only a meter tall and half a meter wide and long. It sat usually on a box in the Holy Place. So during Yom Kippur preparations, the High Priest would have to move the box into the Holiest of All. How did he do that? The bible doesn’t describe this, but it must have been a lot of work. The box would have weighed enough for Aaron at 83 years old to get a good workout!

Why then was the altar moved? 

I believe that it is a symbol of the combination of priestly and personal responsibility in the Yom Kippur sacrifice. The priest does something, in fact many things, on that day. Israel is called to participate, and the number one way we are ‘called’ is to smell the incense. You know the phrase, “wake up and smell the coffee.’ Now someone else made the coffee. Your job, in reality terms, is to simply smell it. 

That’s what God is after with Israel. He will make sure that atonement is made. Israel must participate along with Him on that day. Don’t’ miss it. We are required to smell the coffee each day, but on one day Atonement is merged with this altar in some very significant way. Miss this and you will not have the benefits of forgiveness of sins.

The half shekel tax (.11-16)

The word for “ransom” or “atonement” signifies “to deliver or redeem by a substitute.” In this case the substitute was money by taking a census. Usually a census was equivalent to mustering troops; that is why it was so dangerous in David’s case (2 Sam. 24). It is clear, however, that those who were numbered under the proper circumstances would be under divine protection. 

The shekel was mentioned in 21:32. A “half shekel” would be about one-fifth of an ounce. This tax was to be paid by adults of military age. The fact that the rich were to give the same amount as the poor shows that it was not how much one had that obtained atonement for his life. The proceeds from the census tax were to be used by the Levites in their service for the Lord and were also to serve as a memorial for the Israelites (v. 16).

This half shekel was to determine how many adults there were in Israel. That’s it. It wasn’t for atonement in the sense of redemption from sins, merely as a counting devise.

The laver (.17-22)

This scrub basin is one of my favorite pieces of furniture in the entire Tabernacle. It was to be made of bronze, and was to be used by all the priests in their feet and hands as a lavatory. After all the sacrifices and butchering of the entrails and the kidneys and the …and traveling in the unsettled dust of the wilderness, a sink makes a lot of sense. 

In chapter 38.8, we read “he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.” Whether the mirrors were made of sand/glass as in modern days or just by polishing brass or bronze, the point is clear. The wash basin was a place where you could see yourself in a mirror if there were water or if there were not. 

As we continue to unpack the meanings in the Tabernacle, I believe the laver has very great significance. It is a place of cleansing, and that cleansing is directly related to the mirrors of the women. What could that symbolize?

Reading two verses in the Newer Testament may help us.

Paul wrote the Ephesians:

“He (Yeshua) might sanctify her, having cleansed her (the church) by the washing of water with the word” (5.26) and again in James’ letter we read

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. (1.22-25)

I believe the laver is a symbol of the Scriptures that have the capacity to cleanse and to reveal to us what we need to fix. God help us if we investigate the pattern of the Tabernacle or the pattern of the apostles or the pattern of the Lord Yeshua and find it all interesting, but we do not adjust ourselves to God’s purposes. It’s as silly as a man who looks into the Bible, reads it, then forgets what he reads. Let’s say when I look in a mirror and see a smudge, I wash it! Our cleansing is by the water of the word, and that Word is a mirror of our God who wants to cleanse us all, inside and out, with His Spirit.

I don’t believe any part of the Tabernacle was designed to be ‘outside’ or ‘external’ only. Each piece was to teach us of God’s program and God’s promise of His presence with us and all people. 

Thus the laver is a teaching devise to remind us of the place of cleansing, both inside and out, for the believers, and the role of the Word of God in such cleansing. Let His word dwell in you richly and thus be ever seeing yourself in it. As a result of seeing yourself and learning, we not only hear, but we become doers of the very law of God which is described as a law of liberty. Doing God’s word brings liberty. That’s what the wash basin is all about.

Three gifts (Gold, incense, myrrh)

One last point, and it’s about the magi in the Christmas story. Hang in there, it’s not as far-fetched as I just introduced it.

“The magi came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2.11)

Whoever the magi were, they had some presents to bring Yeshua. And what they brought Him indicated that they understood something about his life and ministry. For our story today I am reminded of the three gifts, each one already listed here in Exodus 30 (.3, .4, .8, .23). These three gifts are Tabernacle-based. In other words, the magi who had learned the Bible from the people in the Babylonian captivity and the deposit they left, were reflecting something in particular. The magi believed as you and I do, that Yeshua is the Tabernacle of God among men. Their gifts said, “Yeshua, you are the priest and you are the Tabernacle. I want to be with you and you with me. God is Immanuel, God is dwelling with me, the Tabernacle of God is with men.” 

 Friends, as we travel along with God in our world, in Sydney, in the Eastern suburbs, in Australia, Korea, Greece, or wherever we go, we have to have our hope fixed in Him. Our hope is not fixed in the permanence of a building or the efficacy of the ministers there. It’s certainly not in our government or its leaders. Our hope is fixed in Yeshua, the Tabernacle of God among men, as He lives with us and in us this day. To God be the glory forever, amen.

Lessons learned

I believe we should see applications from our chapter today. 

1)    God’s demands on his  people for participation are not to be yielded to the clergy and the priesthood. We all are a priesthood to the Almighty

2)    Daily prayers will make sure that we are thinking about God throughout the day

3)    No one gets special favors in Israel; all alike are called to pay the same for the count. We all count in God’s eyes.

 

Food and ordination...a study in Exodus 29

Introduction

They say that every Jewish holiday is celebrated the same way. So the story goes. Here’s the liturgy of any Jewish holiday whether Passover or Hanukkah or whatever: Our enemies tried to kill us; we won; let’s eat. That may be a bit simple, and certainly not as holy or significant as some would want, but food is a major concern in the Bible in relation to the people of God. What we eat tells a story. And it is the story that is important. 

It’s so common it’s almost laughable, whenever a group of Jewish people are on a weekend together, during one meal, plans are always made for the next one. So as Jews, let’s never diminish the relevance of the food itself. Or the story.

For instance---Three men-- an Italian, a Frenchman, and a Jew, were condemned to be executed. Their captors told them that they had the right to have a final meal before the execution. They asked the Frenchman what he wanted. 

"Give me the best French wine and French bread," he requested. 

So they gave it to him, he ate it, and then they executed him. Next it was the Italian's turn. 

"Give me a great big plate of pasta," said the Italian. 

So they brought it to him, he ate it, and then they executed him. Now it was the Jew's turn. 

"I want a big bowl of strawberries, " said the Jew. 

"Strawberries!!! They aren't even in season!" 

"Nu, so I'll wait..." 

Food, glorious food. Oliver Twist knew that gruel and a second plate of it, was worth his asking. What does God want for us to eat, and what did the priests eat, and what is the significance for us as 21^st Century people? What is the significant purpose of priests and ordination also? That’s what we will look at today.

Ordination of the priests: What to eat?

“Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration” (.33) This verse is tucked away later than most would like. The chapter begins with a consecration ceremony filled with pomp and circumstance. Garments for the ceremony were in place. We discussed those last week. Now there are some animals involved, and specifically killed. Their blood is dealt with in different ways and each titled a different kind of offering. But what was all this for?

Only in verse 33 do we understand the purpose. It was for atonement. “V’achlu otam asher koopar bahem”

God wanted our Jewish people to learn and to build into the system of our diary the major theme of sin, and atonement, the requirements to remove it from us. Sin is a terrible thing. It undermines all human relationships and it ruins our relations with God as well. God goes to seemingly immeasurable lengths to prevent our sin and if we do it, to deliver us from both it and its consequences. True love found in the Almighty requires this kind of ruthless orientation to the nature of sin.

So what kind of animals attended the ordination ceremony of the priests? Bulls and rams and lambs are listed. Bulls are a major supply of both future animals by siring and of food itself by slaughtering. Nevertheless, the bull used in this ceremony was for a sin offering, and thus was not eaten by anyone. Some would shout, “Waste!” and they are right in the human level. 

Do you hear the sounds of Judas Iscariot?  Listen to this story from John’s recording of it, some 60 years after the death of Messiah. The story takes place just before the crucifixion, and Mary and her sister Martha are near Yeshua.

“Mary took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Yeshua, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said,  “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.” (John 12.3-6)

When some cry ‘waste’, others are crying for ‘elaborate.’ God goes to no small end making sure we know the costs of the separation from Him. Bob Mumford was a Bible teacher who influenced me greatly when I began in Messiah some 50 years ago. His books are still out there. He said in a conference once, “Do you want to know how far we fell (referring to the Garden of Eden and man’s sin)? Look how hard it is to get back to him and how hard we try.” In other words, you don’t know how far you’ve fallen away until you try to return. 

Sin is and always has been the problem between God and man. And there is only one way with which to deal with this. That is by atonement and blood on the altar.

Friends, I don’t know how often I hear from Jewish folks about the irrelevance of the Bible to them. Listen, if you dismiss the reality of your own sin, yes the Bible becomes a thick, religious book, wrapped in dull history and mythological fanciful tales. If you say the Book cannot dob you in for your part in the play of human failure, then its requirements become banal and boring.

However, if you see yourself in the mirror of God’s Word, not as a superhero, but as a sinful needy person, you will find in the Bible a wealth of future and hope. You will find the requirements to be promises, and its details filled with depth. You will find forgiveness and relevance in the Lamb of God who died for our sin and made us to be priests to our God.

So which is it? Are you the sinful soul needing forgiveness? Are you climbing your way back to God in desperation and longing? Or do you find the text to be historically dismissable and shamefully filled with animal violations? Your answer determines more than your pleasure today; it determines your eternity.

So first and foremost, the food the priests ate was a teaching devise to remind them of their own sin and the sin of all Israel.

You can imagine as Israel is wandering in this wilderness without a grocery store nearby, that they might have been angry at Moses in whom they didn’t have too much confidence, if he asked for their bull. They might have thought he had lost it.

Ordination of the priests: The choice

Moses is told to bring in Aaron and his children. The chapter unpacks the timing of the ceremonies. It will take place over 7 days. One by one, the priests, first Aaron, then his sons, will be anointed in this elaborate gala. For seven days the bulls will be killed, and atonement made. For seven days lambs are brought in to atone for the altar itself. For this one week, with all Israel watching, God would Himself consecrate with His glory the section of the Tabernacle where others would hope for pardon. The altar would forever do its job in healing the rift between sinful man and Holy God.

Let’s think a bit about the choice of the priests. Aaron was Moses’ older brother. He was at least 83 at this time. Most nowadays would retire this man; But it’s God’s good pleasure to keep saints going in His service until He’s done with them.

I’ve been thinking a lot about ordination lately, not only because of this section of Bible we are reading. And it’s precisely because of God’s call that He chooses priests to exist.  All Israel is called to be a kingdom of priests, as we read in chapter 19. (Mamlechet kohanim)

Israel is to be a priest-nation so that the nations of the world might know about God. We need priests who would represent God to us, so we can represent God to the goyim around us. Ordination then is not so much a representative governmental system, rather it’s a present tense system of incarnation. It’s God in the midst of His people so that the people can be God in the midst of the nations. This seems cosmic; it’s certainly ‘out there.’

Robert Terwilliger (a US Anglican priest) described it this way in his book To be a priest: 

“God gave us a priest- this is the Gospel… Jesus is the one and only priest…Jesus is the end of all other priesthoods. The priesthood of Messiah is sent forth into the world. The commission of the apostles is part of the gospel. Jesus projects what he is and what he does for man into history in the persons of other men. He chooses them to go forth in his name. They are not merely teachers and examples but extensions of himself and his divine mission.” (Matt 10.40) “(Seabury Press, 1975, New York City, page 5)

Yeshua is our priest and we are called to be a nation of priests who will serve our God and bring His word and Him through us to the nations. We are not just informers; we are not his reps. We are God in Christ calling to the world. This is dangerous if you misunderstand this.

Touching the altar

They say, “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Paul quoted that in his Corinthian letter. I was explaining this principle to a teenager yesterday about how some Christians are not keen to watch the Harry Potter movies. They use this principle, and I used the image of a bunch of grapes, and the requirement to rid the bunch of any rottenness. You will often see this kind of bunch in the shops when the grapes are in a plastic bag. One of the first things to do with the bag is remove it. Otherwise, if a rotten grape exists it will ruin the others. A person who wants to get the most out of the purchased bunch must remove any rotten grapes first.

Now in our text today we see this phrase,

“whatever touches the altar shall be holy.” (.37)

In other words, the altar is the sanctifying agent. If you touch the altar you are cleansed.  Some used it later as a magic home base in the game of ‘You’re it” (1 King 1.50, 2.28) but the altar was not originally designed to be a safe haven in human terms; it was designed to be the place of finding safety in our relationship with the Almighty.

Yeshua knew about this and challenged the Pharisees in the same way. “You say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering upon it, he is obligated.’  You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?” (Matt. 23.18-19)

The way the rabbis fought the misuse of vows and oaths was by differentiating between what was binding and what was not. In that sense, they encouraged evasive oaths, and therefore lying. Jesus cut through these differentiations by insisting that people must tell the truth. He charged the teachers of Torah in those days, and the Pharisees with mishandling the Scriptures they claimed to defend.

Yeshua knew this principle of change. He knew that the Bible here in Exodus teaches that altar does the sanctifying. We stand before a holy God who has holy things on His table. We stand or fall in relationship to that and to Him, not to how efficacious we are in doing things for Him. In other words it’s the God of the altar who is the sanctifying agent supreme. He is the One who cleanses and changes us.

Ordination of the priests: Final purpose

God wants to have priests so that people have a connection with Him.  You would think this is exactly opposite of the understanding in a sacerdotal system. The priests are probably the power brokers. The priest will get in on relationship with God. The priest will represent the people to God and the God to the people. That’s a priest’s job, isn’t it? But in Israel it was to be different. Listen to verse 45. It’s a continual theme in the book of Exodus, and we saw it first in chapter 25. 

“Consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. And I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God.” (verse 44-45 here)

The purpose of the ordination of the Aaronides was for the people to know God personally and that He might dwell among us. Anything less than that is simply less; it’s substandard. It’s unacceptable to the Almighty. 

Priests are there so that you know God, not so that they know God. It’s not a reserve for the priesthood; it’s an overflow of the effusive God that all of us might know Him that in our awareness of and in our incarnation of God we go out to the world that they might know him.

Priesthood is not about a separate caste of special holy ones; it’s about you being in relation to the Almighty.

Lessons learned

I believe we should see applications from our chapter today. 

1)    God’s demands on his people to represent Him makes us aware of our own sinfulness

2)    We have a responsibility to the nations of the world

3)    Sin is the problem in the world and it is surmountable by the love and forgiveness of God if done in his way

4)    Yeshua is the Jewish messiah and calls us to be priests in His service and in His name to the world

 

The clothes make the priest ... a study in Exodus 28

Introduction

When they lived with us, my son and daughter used to have a system of approval. I wasn’t at all privy to how this worked. I’m in fact, refused entry to the system completely. One wants to wear something to go out for the evening, and the other has to give the thumbs up. And it’s not easy to gain the approval of the other. They are harsh critics. The good thing is that Nate has given his sister Jessica permission to approve and Jess has done the same with Nate. I’m disallowed because, well, it’s obvious.

Do you remember that strange US TV show, Queer guys for straight folk. It’s about 5 homosexuals who try to adjust the clothing and lifestyle of a straight man. Strange show in its popularity and its thesis.

They say the clothes make the man. I think many other factors are significant in man making, but I’ll leave the axioms to others. In our reading today we will study the clothing of the priests of the Jewish people. 

Maybe you are like me and when you go to a museum or gallery, you want to see art, like paintings and sculpture. Sometimes they have ancient clothing on exhibit and you think… maybe I’ll go have a look. But you never do.  Although I visited the Chinese clothing exhibit in Vienna.  Clothing doesn’t really grab me. Maybe that’s why I prefer the seats at the shopping mall rather than the stores.  And why Patty and I shop so slowly some days. And so separately others.

Maybe the words of Charles Dickens fit well here

“Probably every new and eagerly expected garment ever put on since clothes came in fell a trifle short of the wearer's expectation.”    [Charles Dickens, from Great Expectations]

Or how about this one from H.D.Thoreau, “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” 

So today we will look at the garments of the priests and see how we should be living, for each garment has something to teach us about our own lives.  And how we can be priests today.

 And the summary is found in verses two three.  “Make clothes for Aaron…for glory and for beauty… for his holiness and for him to minister to me as a priest.” For today’s lesson could be titled, “The clothes make the priest.”

The ephod and waistband

The ephod probably was a high priestly waistcoat woven of blue, purple, scarlet, and white linen thread—all entwined with gold thread. Instead of having sleeves or being joined at the sides, it was hung from the shoulders by straps on which one onyx stone was mounted on each strap on top of a golden clasp with the names of the six younger sons of Israel engraved on one stone and the six elder sons engraved on the other stone. The names symbolise that the high priest represented all Israel when he ministered in the tabernacle. A “waistband” made of the same material and style as the ephod held the front and back of the ephod to the priest’s body. It doesn’t seem to have any significance of its own.

The breast piece

The breast piece, [KJV: Breastplate] a square piece of cloth made the same way as the ephod, was folded in half upward to form a sort of pouch in a square, a span, which is about 9 inches by 9 inches. Two rings at the inside lower corners attached the breast piece to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord. Two golden rings on the top of the breast piece fastened it to the shoulder pieces of the ephod with two golden chains. Twelve stones, one for each tribe, were set in four rows of three stones: the name of each son of Jacob was engraved on its respective stone in the proper birth order of the sons. Thus the nation was doubly represented before the Lord. The Bible even explains what the symbolism is (v. 21) And yes, the stones are very similar to the precious stones of Revelation 21 in the New Jerusalem, although not exactly the same.

The “Urim and the Thummim” (lit., “lights and perfection”) often were used in times of crisis to determine the will of God (Nu 27:21), but just how they functioned and what they looked like are unknown. Perhaps they only symbolised the special revelation open to the high priest rather than being the necessary means of achieving that information. [See also Lev 8:8; Nu 27:21; Dt 33:8; et al. ] It’s well possible that these were ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ in answering the questions posed by the questioner.

The robe

Under the ephod was a long, sleeveless and seamless blue robe, which reached a little below the knees. It had slits for the arms and a hole for the head to pass through. Along the hem were blue, purple, and scarlet alternating pomegranates and golden bells. The bells, which jingled as the high priest served in the tabernacle, assured all who listened that he had not died in the Holy of Holies and that he continued to minister on their behalf. Some make the point that the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit should operate together.

The turban

The most conspicuous and important feature of the “turban” was the golden plate with the engraving “Holy to the Lord.” The plate stretched over the forehead from ear to ear and was attached with a blue band going through two holes at the ends of the plate and then over the top of the head to a hole in the center of the plate. 

The “tunic of fine linen” no doubt referred to a long white linen coat worn over the linen drawers or breeches (v. 42), which perhaps reached down to the ankles and was close-fitted to the body as were the sleeves.

If our mind is kept on the holiness of the Lord, if we are thinking right about God, and thinking right about ourselves as His servants, then our clothing will be complete.

The armor of God

Now all these items are intricate and detailed, and specific in purpose. God wants his priests to be dressed, and to bring him glory and to prevent their ‘incurring guilt and dying” (v. 43). He wants them to be for “glory and for beauty.” (v. 40)

It also reminds me of a Newer Testament section of clothing, that is, what every believer should wear. It’s called by nickname the “armor of God.” Ephesians 6 records this section. “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.   And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph 6.14-17)

What does a military armor have to do with the priesthood of Exodus? There could be no link except that Romans 15 has a fascinating verse about priesthood. “But I have written very boldly to you on some points, so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Messiah Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, that my offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (.15-16)

This is the only time in the Newer Testament that the word “priest” is used in a verb form and it is an exact translation of Exodus 28.3. There we read about the Cohen gadol, who is called “L’chahano lee” (To priest to me).

The priest is to priest or minister to God. In Paul’s understanding, believers are all called to minister as priests to God and to the Gentile nations around them. Thus we need to be dressed in clothing appropriate for a priest.

And the priestly garments for believers in Ephesus are military garb. The breast piece is characterized as righteousness; the headgear is a helmet of hope of salvation. No turban now, we are called to think rightly and futuristically about the assurance of salvation.  The breeches are the truth of the Scriptures and the truth of God. The dignity and honour, the glory and beauty are to be the testimony of Yeshua, who is the preeminent High Priest. He was clothed in garments of humanity, and then stripped of any dignity to become for us the eternal sacrifice. His death on the cross in Calvary

We will speak more about Jesus’ priesthood in tomorrow’s sermon from chapter 29.

But let me repeat the need for believers to be clothed correctly, to minister as priests to the lost. It’s not for the professionals only; it’s for all of us to be serving the Lord and to be serving people.

Our clothing needs to be fixed in the truth of the Gospel, that is, that Yeshua died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and raised from the dead the 3^rd day according to the Scriptures. He ministered as a priest to the people of the world, and we are called to do the same.

It’s only in relationship with Jesus that anyone can truly be found dressed correctly. And that will bring God honor and glory that will be beauty. That will make you and God both smile.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in “Letters and Social Aims” “I have heard with admiring submission the experience of the lady who declared that the sense of being perfectly well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquility which religion is powerless to bestow.”  

If only these religion-rejecting people knew the God behind the clothing, it would be to their advantage. And God would make the man. Amen?

Lessons learned

I believe we should see applications from our chapter today. 

1)    God’s demands on his people to represent Him and to serve others requires a change of clothing and of mind

2)    We have a responsibility to the nations of the world

3)    Dressing for success may make us wealthy, but dressing for God gets us ready to serve Him

4)    As happened with Yeshua, when you serve God, you don’t always get to wear the clothing you choose. He was stripped and left to die.