Jesus In Exodus

Chapter 28

· Exodus 28:2-5, Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests.

There were seven garments for Aaron. Only six were enumerated here but there was another one that was the “holy crown”. And notice that the breastpiece is mentioned first which means it has special significance. It was the chief and most costly of the garments. It is a type of the very heart of Jesus. 

· Exodus 28:6-7, "Make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen--the work of a skilled craftsman. 7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened.

The ephod was made of two parts, one covering his back and the other covering his front. The function of the ephod was to support the breastpiece. The spotless linen spoke of the holy humanity of Jesus; the gold of His divine glory; the colors, of the various perfections of His character. He is Jesus, and He is the Son of God.

· Ex 28:31-42, "Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. 33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 34 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. 35 Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the LORD and when he comes out, so that he will not die. 36 "Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. 37 Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38 It will be on Aaron's forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron's forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the LORD. 39 "Weave the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen. The sash is to be the work of an embroiderer. 40 Make tunics, sashes and headbands for Aaron's sons, to give them dignity and honor. 41 After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.

This is the first time the word “robe” is mentioned in the Bible. This robe of the ephod was a garment of dignity, one of office, one which gave priestly character to Aaron. It embodied the color of heaven, all blue. Once again, it pointed to the heavenly character of Jesus, our Great High Priest, who is now ministering on our behalf. This is important because it defines the essential difference between Christianity and Judaism.

The inscription “HOLY TO THE LORD” signified that the high priest was devoted to and dedicated exclusively to God and the gold plate on which it was engraved speaks of the One who was truly dedicated to God.

The golden plate was a symbol of the essential holiness of Jesus. The saints are represented by Him and accepted in Him.

Typically the undergarments spoke of the personal righteousness of Jesus. Finally, the headdress of the high priest intimated his subordination to God.

The Breastpiece

· Exodus 28:15-30, "Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions--the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 16 It is to be square--a span long and a span wide--and folded double. 17 Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; 18 in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; 19 in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; 20 in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. 21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. 22 "For the breastpiece make braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 23 Make two gold rings for it and fasten them to two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 26 Make two gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 28 The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod. 29 "Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD. 30 Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron's heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.

The breastpiece was the chief and most costly of the high priest’s vestments. the other garments being a background for it . It pointed to the very heart of Jesus. You remember that we passed over the description of it in chapter 28 because we wanted to devote special attention to it which we will now do.

There are five things about the breastpiece that help us see its typical meaning.

· First its name: it is called the “breastpiece of judgment”.

· Second, the twelve gems set in it, on which were engraved the names of Israel’s twelve tribes.

· Third, its inseparability from the ephod.

· Fourth, the place where the breastpiece was worn: over the high priest’s heart.

· Fifth, the mysterious Urim and Thummim which were placed on it.

The purpose of the breastpiece was to be a support to the precious stones which were set in it, as well as to provide a background for the beauty of the stones. On the stones were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes. Therefore what we have foreshadowed here is Jesus, as our Great High Priest, bearing on His heart His chosen people.

Whenever Aaron went into the Holy Place, there on his heart were the names of all of God’s people. To emphasize this truth of security, notice that their names were not simply written on these precious stones, but they were engraved on them.

Notice also how each jewel was attached to the breastpiece by a golden setting. This made it impossible for any of them to be lost. And they were chained with gold chains. Thus the people of God were chained to their high priest. This clearly depicts the power of Jesus to hold onto those that have been given to Him.

There were twelve jewels, one for each tribe, and they were set in four rows of three. We can’t be certain what each of these jewels would be called today but to be sure they were very precious stones. And the fact that they were precious stones indicated how God felt about His people.  

Now think about this: each of these stones is precious, not in its own right, but only as it reflects the light that strikes it. In the dark they would not be beautiful stones. And so it is with God’s saints. As long as we are spiritually in the dark we do not reflect the light of the world which is Jesus. God sees us through the light of Jesus.

A jeweler will tell you that a jewel in its natural state has little beauty or value. But it is made valuable by the skill of the cutter who cuts and polishes the stone so that it reflects the light cast on it. Surely the type is clear. These stones were all different but like God’s chosen, each one is special to the Lord, and they are all close to the heart of our Great High Priest.

We come next to the Urim and Thummim. For most of us these seem to be very mysterious items. There is much speculation as to their meaning. But unless the Scriptures tell us what to make of them, we should not speculate. From several passages where they are mentioned it seems that they were used in some fashion to determine the will of God in certain situations. The Zondervon Biblical Dictionary tells us that they are not specifically described; perhaps they were something like dice. They were placed in the breastpiece of the priest. Several passages indicate that the priest would use them to inquire of the Lord. Given what we know about God’s view of horoscopes, gambling, etc., it does seem unlikely that they were used like dice to see what numbers come up when they are rolled.

Let me summarize this segment. Urim means “light”. Thummim means “perfection”. Together they become a good type of Jesus as light and perfection. Next Jesus is the one in whom all the counsels of God center and if we wish to understand God’s will we should seek Jesus. We also can feel truly confident in praying for direction in our lives when we seek guidance of the Holy Spirit.

All of this is can be grasped as understanding the Urim and Thummim. But our difficulty arises when we try to understand how these two pieces were used to know God’s will. Could it be that when the priest was faced with a question of wondering what God desired him to do, that maybe he should pray for God’s guidance?