Exodus 28:1

The Bible says in Exodus 28:1-6, “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.” In the previous chapters of Exodus God told Moses how to construct the tabernacle, and now God tells Moses the details about the individuals who would perform the tasks and services pertaining to the tabernacle.

The first thing to notice is that God chose who would perform the service in the tabernacle. God said to Moses in Exodus 28:1, “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.” God looked out at the children of Israel, and God made the calling and God made the choosing. Once God made the choosing, then God told Moses to “take” Aaron and the others. This is how a leader should be chosen for a Christian ministry: God chooses someone and then it is important that believers find out whom God has chosen. It says in Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” God makes the calling. If you want to choose someone for a leadership position, then it is critically important that you find out whom God has chosen for the position. Prayer will be the key to being enlightened with God’s choice. What a contrast to the priorities that people often make in these last days. What is common to see is a church that needs a pastor, and then they list all the requirements for the position: a particular degree in theology, sometimes from a particular seminary, and so many years “experience” being a pastor at a large church. Therefore, they often end up with a person who was called by man for the position instead of called by God. No wonder there is no power in the churches. It says in Psalm 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

We already saw that the Tabernacle was made of blue, and scarlet, and fine linen; and was filled with objects that were made of gold and silver. It does not surprise us therefore, that the priests are given clothing that is also made of fine linen and is covered in jewels and precious stones. There is a connection between beauty and truth, and there is a connection between beauty and holiness. There is an old saying: “cleanliness is next to godliness.” We can add to that: “beauty is also next to godliness.” It will be beautiful in heaven. The Apostle John saw a glimpse of heaven, and John wrote in Revelation 21:10-11, “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;” And John also wrote in Revelation 21:18-21, “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”

There once was an elderly lady who lay close to death in her hospital room, and as she closed her eyes for the last time perhaps she had a small view of heaven because she said to her daughter, “Oh, Dorothy, it is so beautiful.” She was right. Undoubtedly, heaven has a beauty that is beyond our ability to fully imagine, and it will be wonderful to be there. There is some kind of close connection between beauty and truth and between beauty and goodness. We are not talking about the cheap sensual beauty of the world: we are talking about the rich, precious, and pure beauty described for us in the Bible. Notice that God said to Moses in Exodus 28:2, “And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.” One of the ways that we can represent the glory of God is with the beautiful things that He has placed upon this earth. Christians should know how to use beauty in a way that is pure and godly. The world often does not know how to represent beauty: they often corrupt it and misuse it, and abuse it. That is because as in all things there must be a change in heart in order to be able to understand the ways of God. Jesus must be first and things second. When the priorities are right, true beauty can be discovered and given its proper place and proper meaning. Make the world around you a more beautiful place, and you are making the world more like heaven.

The Bible says in Exodus 28:7-12, “It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.” The “ouches of gold” had to do with how the gold was embroidered into the material. Notice that the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved in two pieces of onyx stone: six on one and six on the other. An onyx stone is a precious stone. The names were engraved on stone to represent their permanence, and they were engraved on precious stone to represent their value to God. God values His children. Once you have been chosen by Jesus, God will not cast you away. You are a permanent part of His plan from now through eternity. God made eternal promises to Abraham about the children of Israel, and God always keeps His promises. God does not forget. Jesus has made promises to every believer. He knows our names. We are precious to Him. He loves us. Jesus will not forget us. Jesus said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”

Not only were the names written upon the stones that were set upon the shoulders, but the names of the children of Israel were also on the part of the priest’s garment known as the breastplate. It says in Exodus 28:15-21, “And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.” In these verses the word that is translated “stones” refers to the twelve precious gems that were attached to the priest’s breastplate. Using these twelve precious stones emphasizes the fact that God highly values His believers. A precious stone is beautiful and valuable. And if you pay a great price for something, then you value it even more, knowing what you sacrificed in order to obtain it. Just think of the price that Jesus paid in order to save you: His precious blood. The Bible says in First Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Is there a higher price that could have been paid? Not only does He love you with an eternal love, He also values you as the most precious of His possessions, and you will be so valued forever. Notice what it says in Malachi 3:16-17, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”

Continuing with the description of the garment of the priest, God said to Moses in Exodus 28:30, “And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.” The word “Urim” means “lights,” and the word “Thummim” means “completeness” or “perfection.” These were other precious stones that were also sown into the priest’s garment, right over the heart. An interesting phrase tells us one of the priest’s responsibilities: he “shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.” The priests were among the leaders of the community. They would make decisions that would affect the lives of the people. They would make “judgments.” For the priests to make proper decisions, they needed to be enlightened. Too often we make imperfect decisions because of our own incomplete knowledge. We desperately need enlightenment. It says in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

It is important to notice that the “Urim” and the “Thummim” were sown into Aaron’s garment right over his heart. This symbolizes the need to love God in order to receive His wisdom and His enlightenment. One of the principal reasons for the problems of the world is because people love everything you can think of instead of God or in place of God. Have you ever made a bad decision in your life that caused you pain and sorrow? Here is one of the reasons that you made that decision: you did not love God as much as you should have. You forgot about Exodus chapter 28 that tells us that the “Urim” and the “Thummim” were placed over the heart of Aaron. Jesus said in Mark 12:30, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

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