Exodus 28: Garment for the Priests
1 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.
"This paragraph introduced a dramatic change into the religious economy of Israel. Until this point, Moses himself had acted in the capacity of a High Priest (Psalm 99:6), actually sprinkling the blood upon the people in the ratification of the Covenant (Exodus 24:8). There had never been an established priesthood dedicated to the worship of Jehovah prior to the one commanded here. Job offered sacrifices for his family. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as countless others, as the first-born or heads of families, had discharged the duties of priests. That entire period of history was called the Patriarchal Age, but now, with the setting up of the Aaronic priesthood, the Mosaic Dispensation would begin, meaning the age which in matters of the priesthood would follow the instructions God gave to Moses.” (Coffman) "Moses... evinced the piety as well as humility of his character, in readily complying with the command to invest his brother with the sacred office,...” (Jamieson; Fausset; Brown)
2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
"holy garments — No inherent holiness belonged either to the material or the workmanship. But they are called 'holy' simply because they were not worn on ordinary occasions, but assumed in the discharge of the sacred functions (Ezekiel 44:19).” (Jamieson; Fausset; Brown)
"For glory and for beauty… The high priest was gloriously apparelled, to strike a religious reverence into the eyes and hearts of the beholders, and to set forth the beauty and bravery of Christ and his Church.” (Trapp)
3 So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest.
"Nothing in the priests but what was above the ordinary. The very workmen are to be filled with the Spirit of wisdom, to make their attire.” (Trapp)
"And thou shall speak unto all that are wise hearted,.... That have knowledge and understanding in mechanic arts, particularly in making garments; and it required men of more than ordinary skill to be employed in making these, because they were uncommon ones, and required a good deal of thought and judgment, and care and application, to make them exactly as they should be:
whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom; for besides a common understanding of things, these required a peculiar gift from God, which some men, as Bezaleel and Aholiab had:
that they may make Aaron's garments, to consecrate him to put upon him at the time of his consecration; and indeed this was one way, by which, as well as by sacrifices, that he was consecrated, see Exodus 29:1,
that he may minister unto me in the priest's office for the priests, without having these garments on, might not minister in their office; for when these garments were off, as they were when they were out of their service, they were as other men, as laymen; see Gill on Ezekiel 42:14.” (Gill’s Exposition)
4 And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, [that is, an ornamented vest] 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.
"The different portions of the priest's state-dress mentioned in Exodus 28:4 are described more fully afterwards. For making them, the skilled artists were to take the gold, the hyacinth, etc. The definite article is sued before gold and the following words, because the particular materials, which would be presented by the people, are here referred to.” (Keil & Delitzsch)
"All the garments of the priests were 'holy garments,’ and Aaron's official garments were 'for glory and for beauty' (vs.2-4). The garments of Aaron are first considered at length before those of his sons are spoken of… Those for Aaron are listed in verse 4, 'a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban and a sash,'” (L. M. Grant)
“Were not these robes worn by the priests to remind the people of the robe of Jesus' s righteousness, and his garments of salvation? Isaiah 61:10; Psalms 132:9-16.” (Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary)
"The holy garments not only distinguished the priests from the people, but were emblems of that holy conduct which should ever be the glory and beauty, the mark of the ministers of religion, without which their persons and ministrations will be had in contempt. They also typified the glory of the Divine majesty, and the beauty of complete holiness, which rendered Jesus Christ the great High Priest. But our adorning under the gospel, is not to be of gold and costly array, but the garments of salvation, the robe of righteousness.” (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary)
Morning Repost: Exodus 28: The Breastplate of Judgment
15 You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. 16 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. 17 And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; 18 the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. 21 And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.
22 You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. 23 And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; 25 and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.
26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. 27 And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the intricately woven band of the ephod. 28 They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.
29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before Yahweh continually. 30 And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before Yahweh. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before Yahweh continually.
Breastplate of judgment-- "So called because the priest was to put it on when he was to inquire and give sentence as from God. [Numbers 27:21” (Trapp) Breastplate of Oracles— "The Seventy render the word λογειον, oracle, because hereby the Lord gave answers to the inquiries made by the high-priest in behalf of Israel.” (Benson) It was "a rich piece of cloth curiously wrought with gold and purple (same design as the ephod- upper garment), two spans long, and a span broad; so that, being doubled, it was a span square.” (Wesley) "It was doubled for greater strength, that it might better support and secure the precious stones which were put into it, and that it might receive the Urim and Thummim, Leviticus 8:8.” (Poole)
In the Jewish religion of Old, the high priest went to Yahweh for the oracle of God on a matter. Still they are not left without witness, today. What advantage then has the Jew? "Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the Oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.”" ( Ps 51:4) (Romans 3:1-14) These oracles were committed to believing Jews from Creation until the time of the Prophets. They safeguarded them. These involves "oral proclamation, and refer to the living voice of God and the truths which God spoke to men. God entrusted them to the Jews over long periods of time. The Jews collected them… the word ‘logion’ itself stresses the particular utterance of God." (Wycliffe) The great gift is the red letter Words of Bible—not the cry of the saint, but rather the answer of God.
Perhaps the stones on the breastplate of the high priest do not represent the physical tribes, as some say, but rather spiritual ones— whose faith resembles the actual sons of Israel... Or rather Jacob their father, who wrestled with God and prevailed. And the meaning is "to signify how precious, in God's sight, believers are, and how honourable, Isaiah 43:4 . The high priest had the names… both on his shoulders and on his breast, noting both the power and the love with which our Lord Jesus interceeds for us. How near should Christ's name lie to our hearts, since he is pleased to lay our names so near his? And what a comfort is it to us, in all our addresses to God, that the great High Priest of our profession has the names of all his Israel upon his breast, before the Lord, for a memorial, presenting them to God?” (Wesley's Notes)
"In the description of the New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:19-20 there seems to be an allusion to these twelve stones in the high-priest's vestment.” (Coke) Urim and Thummim-- "There are many conjectures what these were…” (Henry) And the answer is uncertain; some think they were two more stones. But "The words signify ‘Lights’ and ‘Perfections'; and nothing more is meant than the precious stones of the breastplate already described (compare Ex 39:8-21; Le 8:8). They received the name because the bearing of them qualified the high priest to consult the divine oracle on all public or national emergencies, by going into the holy place—standing close before the veil and putting his hand upon the Urim and Thummim, he conveyed a petition from the people and asked counsel of God, who, as the Sovereign of Israel, gave response from the midst of His glory. Little, however, is known about them.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown)
Think of how you intercede for your loved ones in prayer, but often make wrong judgments about them. Israel was now appointed a high priest to go to Yahweh for judgments. If you are spiritual Israel, your High Priest- namely Jesus- has a beautifully woven breastplate doubled over for strength with a setting for a stone representing you, as well as each of His sons or daughters by faith. Let us consider the preciousness of each believer in His heart. But let us also, as we think of the Urim and Thummim, quake at the Light and Perfection of His judgments. Divine revelation centres in Jesus. "... and comes to us through him; he is the light, the true light, the faithful witness; and from him we receive the Spirit of truth, who leads us into all truth. The joining of the breast-plate to the ephod signifies, that his prophetical office was founded on his priesthood; and it was by the merit of his death that he purchased this honour for himself, and this favour for us. It was the Lamb that had been slain that was worthy to take the book, and to open the seals, Revelation 5:9.” (Benson Commentary)
Jesus was made High Priest by an oath of Yahweh, as it is written: “Yahweh has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’”),[Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:21]-- rather than Aaron. “By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever." (Hebrews 7:20-28)
"Though the holy place of heaven is not yet accessible, yet, our High-Priest bearing our names there, it is our privilege even now to sit with Him by faith in heavenly places.” (Coke’s Commentary)
Afternoon Repost Exodus 28: The Robe of the Ephod- All Blue
31 You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. 33 And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before Yahweh and when he comes out, that he may not die.
"It is called the robe of the ephod, because the ephod was placed immediately upon it… Some have supposed, that as the high-priest was a type of the MESSIAH, the light of the world, so the blue colour of his robe referred to this striking particular....” (Coke), representing His heavenly origin.
Josephus adds that it went down to the knees, but we are interested in Scripture rather than the tradition of men. "The Septuagint version calls it a garment down to the feet, using the same word as in Revelation 1:13.” (Gill) Thus agreed Thomas Coke: "The robe...was long, reaching down to the ancles, in form something like one of the surplices used in our churches, without sleeves…” "It covered him completely so his natural nakedness did not appear (cf. Genesis 3:21).” (Constable) "This pullover robe of one piece reminds us of Christ's seamless robe. John 19:23 seems almost an indirect reference to Christ's High Priestly office.” (Fields)
The hem of blue, purple and scarlet remind us of our Great High priest’s Origins, royalty and atoning death.
The earthly high priest, after the order of Aaron, entered the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for his own sins, as well as those of the children of Israel. He wore the right attire “that he not die.” Spiritually he must put on the robe of the Messiah of Israel, representing His imputed righteousness, conferred by Him to those who trust in Him for their personal salvation from sin and death.
The pomegranates on the hem of the robe "remind the Israelites of God's commandments. The pomegranate was probably a symbol of the spiritually nourishing quality of God's Word (cf. Proverbs 25:11; Psalms 19:8-11; Psalms 119:25; Psalms 119:43; Psalms 119:50; Deuteronomy 8:3; Proverbs 9:8; Ecclesiastes 12:9-11; Ecclesiastes 12:13).” (Thomas Constable)
We know that Jesus lived a perfect life and died for our sins... and sat down at the right hand of God. "The alternating bell and pomegranate on the skirts of the priest's robe were typical of his obligation to testimony and fruit bearing." (Morgan) This knowledge must be taught to the people. Ring the bells and tell of God's redeeming love. "The glorious achievements of Christ, who caused the sound of his doctrine to be heard by all men, and offered up himself as a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour, Ephesians 5:2." (Poole's Commentary)
Jesus will appear a second time, apart from sin for our eternal salvation. But meanwhile in the earthly administration of the tabernacle on the annual Day of Atonement: "The sound of the bells would remind the high priest of the solemn nature of his work, and remind him so that he may not die.” (David Guzik) MOREOVER, “...the people outside could trace the movements of the priest within, who was of course invisible to them. By this they would know that his offering had been accepted, and that he had not been struck dead." (Cole)
Jewish tradition "taught that one end of a long rope should be tied to the high priest's ankle before he entered the Holy Place. Since his slightest movement would cause the bells to tinkle, the people outside would assume that all was well as long as they could hear them. But if the bells fell silent for a time, the people outside would naturally assume that their priest had either fainted or died. They would then tug on the end of the rope to pull him out, making it unnecessary for unauthorized persons to enter the Holy Place in order to remove his body." (Youngblood)
Exodus 28: The Turban of Aaron— the High Priest
36 You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO YAHWEH. 37 And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban.
38 So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
"Thus was the office and person of the high priest marked out by God before the people, until He should come who was Himself holy (cf. Heb 7:26)... The high priest was exalted into an atoning mediator of the whole nation; and an atoning intercession was associated with the office.” (Wycliffe Commentary)
Gold plate- Deity
Blue cord- Heaven
“Through this the high-priest was considered as holy, and was the appointed means of expiating the defects that were in the services of the people, and of procuring acceptance for their persons. Now, whilst the end for which it was worn manifests, beyond a doubt, that the appointment was typical, it enables us to declare with certainty the true intention of the type. This institution then was intended to foreshew, I. The holiness of our great High-Priest… II. The need we have of an interest in it… III. Its efficacy in our behalf…” (Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae)
"That Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things… Get the people’s pardon. This Christ did indeed for all his. [1 John 2:1-2]” (Trapp)
"Here is a weighty truth for the soul. The golden plate on Aaron's forehead was the type of the essential holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. 'It shall be ALWAYS upon HIS forehead, that THEY (all believers in Him) may be accepted before the Lord.' What rest for the heart amid all the fluctuations of one's experience! Our High Priest is ‘always' in the presence of God for us. We are represented by, and accepted in, Him. His holiness is (credited as) ours. The more deeply we become acquainted with our own personal vileness and infirmity, the more we enter into the humiliating truth that in us dwelleth no good thing, the more fervently shall we bless the God of all grace for the soul-sustaining truth contained in these words, 'it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.'
If my reader should happen to be one who is frequently tempted and harassed with doubts and fears, ups and down in his spiritual condition, with a constant tendency to look inward upon his poor, cold, wandering, wayward heart; if he be tried with an excessive vagueness and want of holy reality — oh! let him stay his whole soul upon the precious truth that this great High Priest represents him before the throne of God. Let him fix his eye upon the golden plate and read, in the inscription thereon, the measure of his eternal acceptance with God. May the Holy Ghost enable him to taste the peculiar sweetness and sustaining power of this divine and heavenly doctrine!” (C. H. Mackintosh's Notes on the Pentateuch)
Exodus 28: The Apparel of the Ordinary Priests
39 You shall skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.
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. 41 So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests.
"The uniqueness of Moses is again here brought out. He is the one who under God is to establish the priesthood. They receive their commission from him. He is to clothe Aaron and his sons in the apparel that has been described, and is then to set them apart for the priesthood by anointing, consecrating and sanctifying them.” (Pett's Commentary on the Bible)
The white linen of the ordinary priests' tunics contrasts with the blue undergarment of the high priest. But they both had the same material for the head coverings. Here the priestly attire is in view:
"The tunic, or inner vest, was to be of fine linen, and of spotless white. Both the material and the hue denoted purity. God's priests must be clothed in purity from top to toe. Purity must wrap them round on every side. This purity may be hidden—unseen of man, or nearly unseen. But God sees it and honours it. The tunic, though it must be all of white, shall not lack its ornamentation. It is to be diapered with a pattern, like the best damask cloths, and so to be rich and costly." (Pulpit Commentary)
"For glory and for beauty.—It is certainly remarkable that so plain a dress as that of the ordinary priests—a white tunic, a girdle, which may or may not have been embroidered, and a plain white close-fitting cap—should be regarded as sufficing 'for glory and for beauty.' White robes, however, are in Scripture constantly represented as eminently glorious (Daniel 7:9; Mark 9:3; John 20:12; Acts 1:10; Revelation 4:4; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 7:9-14; Revelation 15:6, &c.)." (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)
"Was not this fine linen emblematical of the righteousness of Christ?" (Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary) "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Rev 19:7-8)
You shall: ANOINT them — "He anointed Aaron by pouring the holy oil (signifying the Holy Spirit) upon his head, Leviticus 8:12; but his sons only by sprinkling some of it upon their garments, as he did upon Aaron’s also, together with some blood (of atonement)..., Exodus 29:21; Leviticus 8:30." (Benson) CONSECRATE them- "Is the translation of two Hebrew words, meaning the filling of the open hand, and signifies the perfect equipment of the anointed one for the discharge of that ministry." (Morgan) In Exodus 29:1-3, Moses fills their hands with the proper sacrifices. SANCTIFY them- "Means literally, to make clean, and refers to the spiritual and moral separation of the priest from all defilement." (Morgan) Jesus prayed to the Father: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." (John 17:17-19)
42 And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs.
"This prescription for undergarments alludes to and reminds one of the clothing which God made for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:21)." (Sailhamer) Surely they covered their physical nakedness in ministering around the tabernacle of meeting, but really it was a picture of that spiritual covering that was needed.
43 They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place, that they do not incur iniquity and die. It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.
"And they shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons,.... Not the linen breeches only, but all the other garments:
when they come into the tabernacle of the congregation; even into that part of it where the people assembled, the court of the tabernacle, and where stood the altar of burnt offering, on which they offered the sacrifices of the people, but never without the priestly garments on:
or when they came near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; at the altar of incense which stood there; or when they came to trim the lamps of the candlestick, and set the shewbread on the table, and take away the old, which candlestick and shewbread table were both in the holy place.” (Gill)
They shall be on Aaron and his sons…. that they do not incur iniquity and die… "The death penalty is threatened against the sin of ministering without the garments needed..., as against the sin of neglecting to wear the robe of the ephod... In both cases a Divine vengeance (and perhaps at the Judgment), rather than a legal punishment, is probably intended.” (Ellicott)
“It shall be a statute for ever unto him, and his seed after him; as long as the Aaronic priesthood continued, until Christ should arise, made an high priest, not after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek, and should put an end to the priesthood of the former, by answering and fulfilling all the types and shadows of it; this respects all that is said in this chapter concerning the vestments of the priests, one and another.” (Gill) Here Moses was like God unto Aaron and his sons (Exodus 7:1). But in the order which was to come, and now is, Jesus, as our Great High Priest- is God and thus the One who establishes the church, and clothes the saints... and anoints, consecrates and sanctifies them.