Gems from the Garments of Glory

 These notes are from Sam Gordon's Truth for Today series on the High Priest's garments

EXODUS 28 VERSES 1 TO 5 AND HEBREWS 5 VERSES 1 TO 10

GEMS FROM THE GARMENTS OF GLORY – NUMBER 1

As I was reading through these notes again from Sam Gordon I was reminded of a principle and process we all should follow when we read or study God's word.  It reminded me of Jen Wilkin's book Women of the Word.

Sam asked 6 questions in his opening to the study of the Garments of the High Priest.

What is the pattern for our Study?

What is the purpose of our Study?

What is the programme for our Study?

What is the progression in our Study?

What are the parallels in our Study?

Who are the people in our Study?

In the first point Sam talks about our pattern - he reminds us of the story of Cleopas  and his wife as they journeyed to Emmaus from Jerusalem.  Their minds and talk was full of what had just happened - Jesus dying on the cross of Calvary.  It was then that Jesus himself drew near and we read that he "opened the scriptures" to them and explained to them things concerning himself.  Sam's comment is this: "isn't it amazing, Jesus talking about Jesus and his launchpad is the books of Moses.  That's where he started ... after a while and we have no idea how long he took, he ended up looking at the prophets.  Jesus shared with them something of the grandeur and greatness and grace of Christ."  Cleopas and his wife later remarked that their hearts burned within them.  Surely that should be our pattern every time we open God's word - that Jesus would draw near and that he would open the scriptures to us so that we become so alive with what is being said to us that we take it with us into the day. 

In the second point - the purpose of studying God's word, Sam talks about the Greeks who came to Jesus' disciples one day with one request - "Sirs we would like to see Jesus."  Imagine if we had that determination every time we opened God's word - just to see Jesus on every page of scripture, won't that be thrilling!

 

When we think of the garments of the high priest, we cant miss seeing him ... he’s there – all speaks of him, all speaks about him. 

“And in his temple, all cry ‘glory’.” Psalm 29 verse 9

Aaron as high priest is a type of the Lord Jesus, our great high priest.  The garments he wore are therefore symbolic of the character and ministry of the Lord Jesus.  The sons of Aaron were priests – they are a shadow of you and I as believer priests; as Peter called us “a royal priesthood and a holy priesthood”.  The garments they wore represent features that ought to be evidenced in your life and mine as we exercise the ministry of a priest.

Verse 2 – these garments were “for glory and for beauty”.  A real sense of dignity to the man and his ministry – he was instantly recognised as he walked about the camp.  A reminder: The Lord Jesus  is now glorified in the heavens, exalted far above all, enthroned on high – “he is the altogether lovely one”.

Verse 3 – these garments were specially made b highly gifted individuals – skilled men, gifted artisans, men who are “filled with the spirit of wisdom” ie these garments set them apart.  A reminder: Jesus was holiness on 2 legs.  One who is fully yielded to the Father’s plan and purpose, one who surrendered all to do his will, even though it meant Calvary – that was in his own words – his pure delight.

A key thought in verse 3 – “that he might minister to Me as priest”.  There was nothing passive about his role – he was there and he had a job to do – he was to represent the people before their God and in so doing he was serving the Lord ... he had an audience of One!  A reminder: Jesus’ work continues as he intercedes for us at the throne of God.

The high priest was in harmony with his surroundings in the tabernacle – the inner covering for the tent of meeting was of fine twined linen in the colours of blue, purple and scarlet – he blended in beautifully, there was nothing out of place!  It is essential that there is harmony in the house of God and when carrying out the work of God.

 

The programme  - 2 options open to us – either by order of dress Exodus 29 verses 5 and 6 or order of dictation Exodus 28 verse 4

the ephod speaks of his ability

the breastplate speaks of his ability to love his own

the urim and thummim speak of his ability to guide his own

the waistband or girdle speaks of his ability to serve his own

the blue robe tells me of his deity for he is the Lord from heaven

The golden bells and coloured pomegranates attached to the hem remind us of his balanced life, full of grace and truth, one of testimony and fruitfulness.

The woven tunic or broidered coat affirms his humanity – think of Yom Kippur, the Da of Atonement when he went beyond the veil into the holy of holies, he was dressed not in his robes of glory and beauty but only in his white linen coat.

The mitre or turban declares his authority

The golden plate which was specially engraved highlights his holiness

 

The progression – it is apparent that he priesthood is progressive.  It was a priest for himself originally (think of Noah and Abraham), then it changed in Exodus 12 the last night in Egypt when the Passover lamb was killed and the blood applied – the man in the home became a priest for his family.  Now it becomes a priest for the nations – the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood up to Caiaphas and the death of the Lord on Calvary.  Today we have a priest for the global church – the one who passed through the rent veil, who sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high has a round the clock prayer ministry, is praying for us.

The parallels – Christ is not a priest after the order of Aaron – he came from the tribe of Levi.  Jesus came from tribe of Judah.  Hebrews 7 he is the order of Melchizedek ie he lives for evermore.  He keeps on going, it is universal – he prays for all people around the world.  And it is uniform for he is the king of righteousness and king of peace.

5 similarities we can focus on ...

Likeness of calling – divine appointment and armed with divine commission

Likeness of cleansing – washed with water Exodus 29 verse 4, anointed with oil Exodus 29 verse 7.  Washing before anointing! Calvary precedes Pentecost!  We are washed in blood and anointed by the Spirit of God.

Likeness of clothing

Likeness of consecration – Exodus 29 verse 20 the blood was applied in 3 areas – tip of right ear signifying our words, tip of right thumb speaking of our works and tip of right big toe which homes in on our walk.  Our words, works and walk is to be fully yielded to God.

Likeness of compassion – he has compassion for he cares and fully understands us.  A God of tenderness with a loving and sometimes firm touch.

The people – Aaron as the high priest typifies the priestly ministry of our Lord Jesus.  The sons of Aaron represent you and I as the children of God, the church of God.  Leviticus 8 tells of the ordination of Aaron and his sons – verse 35 they are “to do what the Lord requires”.  Hebrews 5 verse 1 they were to do what was needed on behalf o the people as they ministered daily at the brazen altar, every offering had to be approved by them.  They also had to trim the lamps of the golden lampstand in the holy place along with burning incense on the golden altar just before the veil and arranging and dispensing the shewbread on the table.  Our Lord Jesus, our Great High Priest offered one sacrifice for sins for ever and sat down – his redemptive work on earth is finished but his priestly ministry goes on.  Revelation 2 and 3 Jesus walks among the lampstands, he ministers on our behalf at the golden altar, he feeds us with the living bread.

 

Exodus 28 verses 4, 15 – 29

GEMS FROM THE GARMENTS OF GLORY – NUMBER 2

The breastplate of 12 precious stones

The wisdom behind it – not of human origin, the divine thumbprint is all over it.  Made of gold and blue, purple and scarlet yarn and of finely twisted linen.  James and Paul refer to a “wisdom which comes from above” and we see evidence of that here for such divine wisdom is manifested in 2 directions:

The wisdom behind their identity – 2 lists of names associated with the high priest – those on the 2 onyx stones one on each shoulder and those which graced the breastplate.  Names listed according to birth in Genesis 49 ie Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan and Naphtali on right shoulder and on the left shoulder were Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and finally Benjamin.  They were there according to the tribes in Numbers 10 – when they struck camp they did it in a certain order.  A reminder: one says that is what I am by nature and the other says this is what I am by grace.

The wisdom behind their inscription – precious gems and costly.  Echoes of the truth that we are “graven on the palm of his hand.”  Each could say “I am precious to him no mater where my stone is.  All that matters is that I’m there.”

Reuben – “turbulent as waters” Genesis 49 verse 3.  Stone was turquoise, sea green speaking of water.  He had a great weakness – up and down, marked by instability, to and fro, from pillar to post – his curse: “he shall not excel”  God put him on the stone near to his heart and on his shoulders – why – because he knew he would need him ... and so do we!

Zebulin – his stone was beryl, associated with glittering brilliance, a flashing stone, linked with energy.  A tribe by the sea which went out in ships, outgoing people always active.

Gad – his stone was diamond, cannot be marked, strong and used to cut glass.  He would be “attacked by a band of raiders but he will attack them at their heels”.  At first he is overtaken, he’s overrun, he’s overcome, then he is victorious at the end.  God placed him on the breastplate – the secret of his winning in the end, of overcoming, was in he ability of the high priest to represent him – there’s victory in Jesus!

Judah – sardius stone, ruby red.  He is the first one placed in the breastplate – her supremacy, her royal line, renowned for plenty of good things, an abundance of riches.  But Judah as leading tribe needed the high priest just as much, if not more as any of the other 11.  No matter who we are or where we are, we are all precious to him!  We need God every day.

The wonder of it – 12 precious stones, no two alike, all very different in colour and texture – yet when together they make up 1 breastpiece.  Paul said we are many members of one body.  We are not all the same yet, in Christ we are all one!

The wonder of their fellowship – a sense of unity, absolute harmony, they are bonded.  Each stone is in its proper place, where it’s meant to be.

The wonder of their foundation – individual mounted “in gold settings”.  Silver is a type of redemption but gold points us in the direction of deity.  Each one was “set in a setting of gold” – I am divinely held.  A reminder of God’s everlasting arms around us – I am firmly held, eternally secure.

The wonder of their formation – a jewel is a piece of ordinary clay that has passed through an extraordinary experience.  We are clay in the hands of the Potter – he shapes us, he fashions us, he moulds us and he does that through trials and troubles over a period of time.  He knows what he is doing and he can visualise the finished article.  Malachi 3 verse 17 “they shall be mine in that day when I make up my jewels.”

The wealth of it – seen first in their representation – no duplicates here!  No 2 stones are the same, so very different.  A reminder of ourselves and our personalities, gifts, ideas yet not one can be done without! 

Seen in their resplendence – each stone had a light of its own which god had given to them.  Our lives are shining lights in today’s dark world. 

Seen in their responsibility – every stone reflected the beauty of the light – we shine for Jesus and in so doing we reflect the light that comes first from him.

The worth of it – each is seen in its unique position.  One they are near to his heart and second dear to his heart. 

They are also bound to his heart – held in place by chains of gold – speaking of strength, power and ability.  They are also attached with blue ribbons – hints of tenderness of love and concern from a love that will not let us go!  We also read of rings of gold which highlights the thought of everlasting love. 

They are supported upon his heart.  The material was doubled to form a kind of pouch in which the Urim and Thummim were placed.  It was foursquare.  With the weight of the 12 softness upon it, it needed to be an extra strong fro them to be kept in that position – it prevented them from falling away from his heart.

They occupied all of his heart – a span of 9 inches so the breastplate took up all of his heart.  All 12 were there – his whole heart was behind them.  What would it be without the love of God?

Exodus 28 verses 4 – 7, 39 verses 2 and 3

GEMS FROM THE GARMENTS OF GLORY – NUMBER 3

Ephod – one of the garments “for glory and beauty.”

Multi-coloured outer garment – a garment exclusive to them.

An examination of the ephod. 

Its composition – made up of 2 components – one the material to be used described as “finely, twisted linen” or “fine woven linen.”  And two the metal is “gold”.  The gold was beaten down into thin sheets, then cut into threads of wire.  The gold wasn’t just added on to the top of the various yarns, or stitched alongside them – it was woven into the fabric. It was incorporated into the material.  This was done by skilled craftsmen – men who were artisans of their profession and the outcome was eye-catchingly beautiful.

Its colours – 24 times in the book of Exodus, these same colours of “blue, purple and scarlet” are spoken of in exactly the same order.  The same colours are found in the Tabernacle.  The inner covering, the veil between the holy place and the most holy place, the curtain of the door into the holy place, the ten curtains all around the sanctuary and the entrance gate curtain – all in the same colour.

Its construction – the breastplate was attached to the ephod – it was held in place by chains of gold and ribbons of blue.  Then there were 2 onyx stones – one on each shoulder – the back and front of the ephod was joined by these 2 stones.  And finally in relation to the waistband – it was wrapped around the ephod, just like you’d wrap a belt around your dressing gown.

The excellence of the ephod

Christ in all the scriptures!  Right here in the ephod we catch a glimpse of Christ in all the shades.  In Psalm 8 verse 1 we read of the excellence of his name, as David declares “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth.”  In 2 Corinthians 4 verse 7 Paul reminds us there of the excellence of his power – “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.”  In Psalm 68 verse 34 we are confronted with the excellence of his rule when David affirms that “Ascribe ye strength unto God; his excellence is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.”  In Philippians 3 verse 8 the apostle shares his story of redeeming love and talks openly about his sole ambition in life, by focusing on the excellence of his knowledge – “Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”  In 1 Peter 1 verse 17 we see the excellence of his glory – “For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”

There is the grandeur of the gold.

Gold is that which speaks to us of something unchanging, everlasting.  It is the same all of the time, it never loses its power, never tarnishes or deteriorates when exposed.  And this is what God takes to represent himself – his deity.  So in the gold, we see Christ the Divine one.

There is the loveliness of the linen.

It comes from the flax – and flax comes from the earth – so here we see Christ the Human One.  The gold was worked in to the linen, both brought together – for he is the God-man – here is Christ the Incarnate One.  Think of the boat on a stormy lake – he was asleep but he also said “peace be still”.  Sitting wearied on a well - he was tired out - but he also said to the woman, "go call your husband".  At the grave scene in John 11 Jesus wept but he also said in a loud voice “Lazarus come forth.”  It was made of “fine woven linen” – Revelation 19 verse 7 the bride, the church makes herself ready and then we are told that “fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear”.  She is clothed by another.  What is it?  The writer leaves us in no doubt for he tells us that it is “the righteous acts of the saints”.  Speaks of purity, holiness.

There is the brilliance of the blue.

Blue is the colour of the heavens – it conveys the idea of his heavenly origin, in a sense it speaks of his authority.  We see him here as Christ the Spiritual One.  He is the heavenly man!  He is the Lord from heaven, the Lord of heaven, and the Lord who went back to heaven and today he is the Lord in heaven.

There is the preciousness of the purple.

This is the colour of royalty – Mark 15 verse 17 and 18 – “they put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.”  It’s the shade worn by kings, queens, and princes – our Lord is the Son of David.  He was born king – Matthew 2 verse 2 – the “king of the Jews.”  Revelation 19 verse 16 presents him as the “King of kings”.  Revelation 15 verse 3 portrays him as the “king of saints”.  Daniel 8 verse 25 sees him as the “Prince of princes”.  Here is Christ the Sovereign One.

There is the splendour of the scarlet.

This is found in abundance in Judea – on the back of the leaves of the cactus tree you will find little worms – when these are crushed they look like blood.  This was then used to dye the garment to a scarlet colour.  It’s called the cochineal, that is, the scarlet worm.  Here is Christ the Sacrificial One.

Christ in all the Colours.

The colours blend beautifully together.  The New Testament shows the Lord Jesus as one with whom there is a real balance, the ideal combination, for he is “full of grace and truth” – he is “merciful and faithful” and there are others!

An explanation of the ephod

John 1 verse 1 and Hebrews 1 verse 8 we see the gold – “and the Word was God” ... but about the Son he says “Your throne O God.” In John 1 verse 14 and Hebrews 1 verse 9 we see the linen.  “The Word became flesh” ... “you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.”

In John 1 verse 10 and Hebrews 1 verse 10 see the blue – we read “He was in the world and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him”.  “In the beginning O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands.”  In John 1 verse 49 and Hebrews 1 verse 8 we see the purple – we read “Nathanael declares, ‘You are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel’”.  But about the Son he says “Your throne O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the sceptre of your kingdom.” 

In John 1 verse 29 and Hebrews 1 verse 3 we see the scarlet – we read “Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”.  “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

An evaluation of the ephod

2 very important questions for us to ask ...

What did this mean to the Israelites?  When the Jewish person saw the high priest in and around the camp, he beheld these garments “for glory and beauty” – they were meant to convey to him 2 realities: one, they were admired because of their attractiveness; two, there were assured because of his ability to act on their behalf.

What does it mean to you and me? In our Lord Jesus we have our great high priest – we marvel at the virtues he possesses; again, like them, we admire him because of his attractiveness for he is “the altogether lovely one.”  And we are most assured because of his amazing ability ..

First, his ability as God for the question is asked, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”  we recall the words in Daniel “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us.”

Second, his ability as Man – because he suffered he is the one who is able to succour us – he fully understands us and undertakes for us.  He knows what it’s like!

Third, his ability as King – according to Philippians 3 he is the one who is able to subdue all things.  Because he rules and reigns on high, he is the Sovereign Lord who runs every show from start to finish – and we gladly submit to his sovereign purposes and plans for he knows best.

Fourth, his ability as the Lord – we’re reminded so often that he is able to keep us from falling, he is able to keep us in the hour of trail and even in the hour of temptation.

Fifth, his ability as the Lamb – here is the one who has won our hearts, redeemed our souls and is preparing us for life on the other side.  To this day, he is strong and mighty to save.