July 29

EXODUS 28

⁴⁰ “For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty. ⁴¹ And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. ⁴² You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; ⁴³ and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.  – Exodus 28:40-43

EXODUS 28 GARMENTS FOR PRIESTS

In this account, God specified special garments for Aaron and his sons. They were to have coats, sashes and caps. God wanted them to have a symbol of his glory and beauty. Sadly, we see some denominations that miss the symbol of these priestly garments.  It was to remind them that they are God’s special chosen members of his people. They were to be the intercessor for the people. They were to wear linen undergarments. Linen was symbolic of purity. They were supposed to wear them when they go inside the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place. This was a requirement for them to follow, including the following generations of priests.

In Matthew 22, at the wedding feast, someone came to the wedding without a wedding garment and he was confronted by the king. The king ordered him to be taken and thrown into the darkness where there was gnashing of teeth. Just like proper wedding garments in a wedding feast, believers are also expected to wear purity in order to be part of the wedding feast that Jesus and his people will participate in. Also, in Ephesians 6, we are reminded to wear the armor of God at all times and on every occasion. This way, we will never be defeated by the tactics of the devil. In Revelations 16:15, God’s people are warned to keep on their garments all the time as they wouldn’t know when Jesus would come, like a thief in the night. The priests were anointed, ordained and consecrated. To anoint is to apply the sacred oil on the head. To consecrate according to a commentary by Morgan signifies the perfect equipment of the anointed to discharge his ministry. Sanctify means to literally make clean.

REFLECTION

·       How are these priestly garments applicable to all believers?

July 27

EXODUS 28

²² You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. ²³ And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. ²⁴ And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. ²⁵ The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. ²⁶ You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁷ And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. ²⁸ And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. ²⁹ So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. ³⁰ And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly. – Exodus 28:22-30

EXODUS 28 AARON BEARS THE NAMES OF ISRAEL ON HIS HEART

Aaron was given a big role to play in being the intercessor for the people of God. He foreshadowed Jesus’ role as High Priest. In his shoulder and in his heart, he would have to bring the people of God to get closer to him and ensure that they are cleansed from sin when they approach God’s presence.

According to inspiredscriptures.com the high priest wore the stones over his heart as a memorial to his love for all the people. His job was to be an intercessor to God for everyone. “It was not enough that the High Priest worked for the people (having them on his shoulders). David Guzik also comments that the high priest must also love the people – that is, bear them on his heart. It isn’t enough for a priest to have a heart for God. He must also have a heart for the people, and bear them on his heart in his entire ministry unto the LORD.”  Jesus as our High Priest loved the world so much that He sacrificed Himself at the cross so that all might live -John 3:16. Those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life, but those who don’t will not be able to enter God’s kingdom.

REFLECTION

• How does the breastspiece of judgment remind us of our salvation?

July 25

EXODUS 28

⁶ “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. ⁷ It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. ⁸ And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. ⁹ You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. ¹¹ As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. ¹² And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance. ¹³ You shall make settings of gold filigree, ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings. – Exodus 28:6-13

EXODUS 28 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRIESTLY GARMENTS

After the Lord God appointed Aaron and his sons as priests, he specified to Moses that they must wear certain garments to identify them apart from the rest of God’s people. They were intercessors for the people and God gave them authority to do so. These garments would indicate and remind the people of God that they had authority to intercede for them. So, this is a special clothing that represents God’s spiritual authority given to the priests.

The ephod was made of gold. In the bible, gold has many symbols and meaning. It could be of material wealth and prosperity, divine sacredness and purity, wisdom, righteousness and tests of faith. Linen was a symbol of purity. Blue, purple and scarlet yarns were also used to make this ephod just like the curtains and coverings in the tabernacle. The onyx stone is a very dark stone which probably represents sin or darkness and adding the engravement of the twelve tribes of Israel will remind them of the sinfulness of God’s people. The priest who will wear the ephod will carry on his shoulder the sins of the tribes of Israel.

Because Jesus has already died for all sinners, we don’t need these garments for priests anymore because he is our High Priest and our intercessor.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think priests in the Catholic Church still wear priestly garments?

July 23

EXODUS 27

¹⁶ For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases. ¹⁷ All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.²⁰ “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. ²¹ In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel. – Exodus 27:16-21

EXODUS 27 INSTRUCTIONS ON THE GATE AND THE TENT OF MEETING

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

According to a commentary by Kaiser, the purpose of the gate was fourfold. (1) it was a barrier in that it prevented unlawful approach; (2) it was a protection, keeping out all wild animals; (3) it was a positive line of demarcation between the world and the holy presence of God; and (4) with its single gate, it was a way of approach to God.”

The gate opened from the east because according to Isaiah 41:2, the Messiah will come from the east. According inspiredscripture.com, this also meant that believers faced westward toward the Holy of Holies to pray to God. Praying away from the sun reversed the practice of the pagans who prayed toward the rising sun. This has two meanings today. First, your worship of God should not mix the belief systems of the world. Second, you shouldn’t worship the things or idols of the world. The gate to the Tabernacle was 20 cubits long. By contrast, the door leading to the Tent of Meeting was only 10 cubits long This means that the path to God narrows the closer that you wish to draw toward Him: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14).

REFLECTION

• Why do you think the path to God is narrower than the path to destruction?

July 22

EXODUS 27

⁹ “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. ¹⁰ Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. ¹¹ And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. ¹² And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. ¹³ The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. ¹⁵ On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. – Exodus 27:9-15

EXODUS 27 INSTRUCTIONS ON THE OUTER WALLS OF THE TABERNACLE

The following verses narrates God’s instructions on the outer walls of the tabernacle. He wanted fine twined linens of hundred cubits long for one side with bases of bronze and the hooks of the pillars made of silver. Both the north and south side have equal number of pillars, bases and hooks. The west and the east side have the same fifty cubits in its breadth with ten pillars and ten bases.

What do these outer walls of the tabernacle symbolize in the life of Christians? The twined linens symbolized “righteous acts of the saints” according to a commentary. As Rev.19:8 says, the bride was granted to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure. Without Jesus, we cannot be cleansed because we are all sinners. Linen was white and reflects the light, which makes sense why the Lord God wanted it to be used in the outer walls of the tabernacle. We cannot enter the holiness of God when we are unclean. In the book of Matthew 5:14-16, we are reminded of what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount. We are supposed to be the light shining in this dark world.

Bronze symbolizes judgment and because Jesus took the judgment of God on us when we broke God’s laws, we cannot flee from God’s judgment unless we come through Christ. Silver is a symbol of redemption and refinement. It is good for us to be reminded that as we are being redeemed, we are also being refined into the image of God.  He made us out of love and righteousness. Let us live in this imprint he gave us.

REFLECTION

• How can one protect oneself from the automated sinful nature?

July 21

EXODUS 27

“You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. ² And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. ³ You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. ⁴ You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. ⁵ And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. ⁶ And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. ⁷ And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. ⁸ You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made. – Exodus 27:1-8

EXODUS 27 ON THE MAKING OF THE ALTAR

According to a website on bible plants, this type of wood was only mentioned in the making of the altar in the tabernacle and Noah’s ark build. Acacia wood grows very slow, and because of this, the wood is hard and dense. It is very strong and resistant to decay. When pierced, its sap can be used as both pharmaceutical and a preservative. According to inspiredscriptures.com. this symbolized Christ. In Psalm 16:10, David alludes to this non-decaying state of all those who believe in him. No wonder God specified this type of wood to be used in the making of the altar to foreshadow his Son’s strength and indestructibility.

Furthermore, the commentary says that the altar turned the sin into ash. That sin had to be disposed of because sin cannot be in God’s presence. To do this, God ordered the Jews to prepare bronze utensils to remove and dispose of the ash. This again foreshadowed Christ. His blood will not just cover your sins. His blood will take away your sins: “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”’ (John 1:29). The altar was designed to be portable. The Levites carried it using acacia / shittim poles. This signifies that Christ will bring His sacrificed blood to any place where a sinner may repent.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think God was very specific with the wood to be used in the altar?