The Clothes And Ordination Of The Priest Exodus 28-30 This morning we will be looking at Exodus 28-30. It s all about the clothing and consecration of the priests, in particular the high priest of Israel, and it contains a lot of detail. It s passages like this that reminds me that God cares greatly about the little details that we sometimes look past or don t consider. Jesus tells us that a sparrow doesn t fall to the ground with our Heavenly Father knowing. He tells us that God knows the number of hairs on our head. In my case God doesn t have to count very high. I could subtitle these three chapters, God In The Details because of all the particulars that the Lord gives about the making of these clothes and the ordaining of these men as priests. Even the hem of Aaron s robe was to be made a certain way. I tend to be an It looks good from the street kind of guy. When we lived over on Blake, it took quite a while to paint our house. Part of the problem was the size. It was 2 ½ stories tall. The main problem was that it was built in 1912 and had been painted several times (it seemed like several hundred times). I would have had to take a heat gun or blowtorch to remove all the old paint. Instead, I scraped the loose paint away, primed the bare wood, and painted the rest of the siding. It looked good from the street, but up close you could see the layered or modeled paint effect. We don t have an It looks good from the street God. When I read Exodus 28-30, I come away convinced that God cares deeply that His glory, His beauty and His holiness be seen in the details of each our lives and the ministries He s entrusted to us. Now, there is a lot of material in these three chapters and like last week, I m only going to read a small portion of it. In fact, I m really just going to deal with 28-29 this morning. Let s read 28:1-3. The Lord chose Aaron and his sons to be His priests. The phrase, To minister as priest(s) to Me is repeated in 28:1, 3, 4, 41, 29:1, 44. The first order of business regarding this task was that they be clothed as God instructed. Like the tabernacle, each part of the high priest s clothes had meaning and purpose. 28:2 tells us that these clothes were to be holy garments that displayed God s glory and beauty. Some translations will read, for dignity and honor. These men were to be God s special messengers, so even their clothes were to testify of God s greatness. Some of us like our clothes to make a statement about who we are. These clothes made a statement not just about who the high priest was, but also about the nature of God. So as we look at this chapter, we ll see how detailed God gets in His instructions explaining what His high priest was to wear and how the other priests were to be clothed. If God had set Aaron and his sons apart for this work, then their garments will visually set apart and equip them for the work He has chosen for them.
Exodus 28:4 gives the summary statement. The clothes of the high priest are to include a pouch, a robe, a tunic, a turban and a sash. Like the various items in the tabernacle, each of these pieces of clothing is significant and has a purpose. They are torah. They are God s instructions and His will. These are not man-made ideas that come from a designer in Paris or New York or ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia. Remember how detailed the tabernacle was? Now look at these clothes. 28:6-14 tells us how the ephod was to be made. Notice that it had two onyx stones engraved with the names of the 12 tribes. The high priest was to bear the names of all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, even in the days of the divided kingdom. One priest for one people. Next came the breastpiece or pouch (28:15-30). The pouch or breastpiece of judgment was to have 12 stones in four rows each representing a tribe of Israel. 28:29-30 tells us that the pouch was to be over Aaron s heart and would hold the Urim and the Thummim which the high priest would use to discern the will of God. In Numbers 27:18-23, Moses will instruct Joshua to seek the counsel of Eleazer, the high priest, with the Urim and Thummim as to whether he should lead the people into battle when they enter Canaan. Joshua may have gone to Eleazer to use The Urim and Thummim to determine whose sin caused the nation to be defeated at Ai (Achan took things from Jericho even though God had placed everything in the city under the ban to belong to Him). As we read 28:31-35 we can see that the high priest s robe was to be blue and his pants khaki (I was just seeing if you were paying attention nothing is said about pants, unless we re talking about his underpants which are mentioned in 28:42 where God instructs that they be made of linen and tells how long they re to be). At the hem of the robe there were to be blue, purple and scarlet pomegranates intermixed with bells so that the high priest could be heard jingling and jangling as he ministered before the Lord. The people couldn t see the high priest minister in the tabernacle, but they could hear him. It s interesting how as Christians we don t always get to see others doing God s work, but we do get to hear about it. 28:36-38 tells us about the turban and how it was to have a gold plate fastened to it. The gold plate or crown was to be engraved with the words, Holy to the Lord which clearly stated that this man was set apart, sanctified or consecrated from all others as God s high priest and mediator. Just like the caps we wear have a way of I.D.ing us (we re Cubs fans or Twins fans), this turban told everyone who the high priest was. The non-high priests got a cap also, but it didn t contain the engraved plate. The other priests also were to get tunics and sashes as well (28:40). Like the clothes of the high priest, these garments were to visually set them apart from everyday people and as such were to display God s glory and beauty. 28:40 teaches us that God s glory is much bigger than one particular type of clothes for one particular type of task is able to display. God s glory and beauty is on display everywhere His commands are followed and His will done. God s glory is on display in our lives when we submit ourselves to His plan of redemption and serve Him no matter how big or small the task.
The whole point of these clothes was to showcase, as did the tabernacle, the holiness of God in detail. The holy garments of the high priest I.D.ed the one who was set apart and equipped to do the work of a mediator between God and man. One who could plead to God to be merciful to sinners, but who also could preach God s message to the people. Do you know how many times the book of Hebrews will refer to Jesus as our high priest? Over 10 times! Here are just two passages. Hebrews 4:15-16: For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Jesus knows our needs, even when others don t. He understands that as humans we are ignorant and misguided and still, Jesus will never say, I just don t get you. Hebrews 9:11-12: But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this creation and not through the blood of goats and calves but through His own blood He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Jesus not only knows our needs, He met our greatest need; our need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The covenant that Jesus offers is summed up in John 3:16. One last thing about Christ: Jesus didn t need the clothes of the Levitical high priest. He wasn t in that order of priest. He was from the lineage of Judah, not Levi. The writer of Hebrews will compare the priesthood of Jesus to a priest who lived in Abraham s time by the name of Melchizedek and tell us that in a very real sense, Jesus clothing was His body; His flesh and blood. That s why Hebrews 10:5 reads, Sacrifice and offering You haven t desired, but a body You ve prepared for Me. What about the church? What about Christians? We re called a kingdom of priests. Do we need special clothes? Does God have a dress for success plan? Yes and no. No, in the sense of the actual clothes we put on each day; although modesty is called for as well as a mindset that we re not to worry about the clothes we wear. By the way, I ve heard that if we tend to worry about clothes, our weight or growing old, then we don t have any real problems. But the answer is also yes. Yes, there are spiritual clothes we re to put on. We re told to put on the armor of God to fight spiritual battles, but what about non-battle gear? Here is God s NT dress code for believers: Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another that s 1 Peter 5:5. Then there s Colossians 3:12-14: As those who have been chosen of God, put on or clothe yourselves with a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Finally, above all these other items in our spiritual wardrobe; put on Christ-like love.
Those are the spiritual, or holy clothes that we re to wear that set us apart and equip us for ministry. Like the Old Testament priest, these spiritual clothes dress our lives with God s glory and beauty. They are the godly details that are to penetrate every part of our life and fit us to minister the gospel to others. We wouldn t begin to think of leaving our houses without being clothed. That s like a bad dream. Neither should we think it s acceptable to go out into the world without being clothed with the spiritual garments of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and Christ-like love. Those are the attributes that show God in the details of our life. That s the part about the priest s clothes. Now comes the ordination. As we read 29:1 we understand that this section will describe how Aaron and his sons are to be consecrated for this ministry as priests to the Lord. The actual ceremony is recorded in Leviticus 8. Here s what is to occur. One thing; though the word ordain doesn t occur in this opening verse, it does throughout this section (28:41, 29:9, 29, 35). The words we translate as ordain mean to fill the hand. In ordaining someone, God is filling the hand of that person with His authority and with what is needed to accomplish the task. In one sense it s like a principal giving a high school graduate his/her diploma on graduation day. In another sense, it s like the master carpenter placing a hammer into the hands of his apprentice. The elders of Cedar Valley didn t ordain me with a ceremony, but Tom did pass his laser pointer on to me. As the ordination ceremony begins, Aaron and his sons are brought to the doorway of the tabernacle and they are washed (29:4) and then dressed (29:5), right in front of everyone. Then Aaron is anointed with oil (29:7). This anointing oil is described in 30:23-20. The actual anointing is referred to in Psalm 133. How good and pleasant it is when God s people live together in unity. It s like the precious oil upon the head coming down upon the beard, even Aaron s beard coming down upon the edge of his robes. What does that mean? Here s my guess. This ordination ceremony was a great moment in the history of Israel. All 12 tribes were gathered together around the tabernacle watching the high priest, the one who would represent them all before the Lord, get anointed. This was a very special moment of oneness for them as a nation. It was a campfire Kumbaya moment. It was a We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord moment. It was a one priest for one people moment. We read in Ephesians 4, that as believers in Christ we too are one; one Lord, one faith, one baptism. There have been Sunday mornings at Cedar Valley, when I ve been sitting in one of these chairs listening to Tom preach and I ve looked out over the room and seen believers, imperfect as we are, gathered together to hear God Word and learn His ways so that we might be better equipped to love one another. That s what the psalmist saw in this moment in the nation s history; the redeemed united together around God s tabernacle and God s priest.
Next, and we re not going to read this section out loud, but 29:10-46 is all about the sacrificial part of their ordination. Aaron and all his sons are to present animal sacrifices. There is to be a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a peace offering. This is the part of the ceremony where some of the blood of the second sacrifice is applied to Aaron s right ear, right thumb, and right big toe. Then some of the blood is sprinkled on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes too. Then, Aaron and his sons were to eat a meal (29:31-33) and as the chapter comes to an end, we read that this ceremony of ordination was to last seven days with multiple sacrifices. Why all the fuss in the details? Look at the final comments of in 29:43-46. God is sanctifying or consecrating this place and these men. God has prepared them by washing, clothing, anointing, and ordaining them through blood sacrifices to do His work. This ceremony is His stamp of approval not just on them, but also on the office, because the priesthood wasn t just important to Israel, it was essential to God s plan of one mediator between God and man. That s a description of our high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. That s why Jesus will tell His disciples, I am the way, the truth and life, no one comes to the Father but through me. Back to Exodus 29: To minister in the tabernacle was an awesome and very serious responsibility. The priests, in particular the high priest, were to make intercession for the people, discern God's will and represent the people before the Lord. That s why the prophet Malachi blasts the priests who were despising God s name by accepting blind, lame, and sick animals for sacrifice. God warns the priests in Malachi 2 that He will place a curse upon the priest who continues to offer these types of sacrifices. Then He says this. For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge and men should seek instruction from his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord. Malachi 2:7 That s why the OT prophets came along. The priests lost their way; so the Lord raised up prophets who spoke for Him. And He chose some strange ones. Just like He s chosen some strange ones of us and set us apart for ministries we may feel are beyond our human capabilities and guess what they are. And yet like Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar, God takes each of us, and in His way, anoints, ordains and equips us for the ministry that He s prepared for us in Christ. That s Exodus 28-29. As I said earlier, we re not going to look at chapter 30 today. You ve hear the expression, that guy stands out in a crowd. The high priest of Israel would have stood out in the crowd by the clothes he wore. They were glorious and beautiful, they were purposeful, and they were anointed with oil and blood. All this was God s plan. It was torah. It was God meticulously giving the details of what His priest was to look like and what his ministry would involve if God were to dwell among them. In one sense, it s the same with church leaders today, though leadership in the NT is much more about shepherding people than being a priest. Still, it is an awesome and serious responsibility to lead God s people. And God still cares that certain details mark the lives of leaders, only it s not clothes but characters traits (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1).
But in another sense, the glory of God and the beauty of His ministry in the church is that we all have a part, a role, a gift to use, a work of service to do. In that sense, just as the priests were set apart for their task, God has prepared good works for each of us. When God saves us, he sets us apart or sanctifies us or consecrates us for His work, His purpose and His ministry. Like the priests of old, He spiritually cleanses us and anoints us (with the Holy Spirit) and enables, equips or dresses us for the work He s called us to do. And age, health or life s hard knocks don t excuse us from the tasks he has set us apart to do. Whether we re in grade school and can t wait for weekends, or we re mom s and dad s that wrestle daily with our strong willed four-year old, or we re business men and women who make a boatload of money and can afford the nicer things in life or we re retired and think our work is done God has called us to serve Him and like the Old Testament priests, God cares greatly about the details of our lives and how we re showing His glory and beauty. God doesn t just want us to look good from the street. He wants every aspect of our being to reflect in someway His glory and beauty in redemption and He may have to take a blowtorch to our life to accomplish that. And like Exodus 28-29, we may not understand everything He asks of us, but we can rest assured that everything has purpose and meaning and is part of His work of consecration in us. Because, God is just as concerned about the little details of our lives as He was about His priests. It is a good thing to study the clothes of Exodus 28. But what I really hope is that we remember the clothes of 1 Peter 5 and Colossians 3 that we are to put on humility, compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another, forgiving each other and to top them all off, Christ-like love. So the application for this morning is not to go out and buy a new wardrobe with pomegranates and bells on the hems of your pants and dresses. And kids, don t run to the cupboard and get out the olive oil and start to pour it on yourselves and your family. The application for this morning is much more a prayer. Lord, may everything about my life, down to the smallest details of my thoughts, my time and my talents, show your glory and your beauty. And no matter what, continue Your work of consecration in me so that I might continue to do Your work. May others see God in the details of our lives and ministries.