Exodus 28:1-3 KJV 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. [2] And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. [3] 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.
Exodus 28:31-35 KJV And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. [32] And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. [33] And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: [34] A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. [35] And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.
I. INTRODUCTION—A REVIEW
No matter where one may choose to look in Scripture there is a very noticeable trait about the order of God. That is especially true when we come to the Tabernacle of Moses and Temple of Solomon. The order in both places had to do with the majesty and design of worship. The order found in the dress of the priests had to do with behavior. Although there was much detail that was given to the uniform of the priests, each portion of the dress really was directed to the behavior of holiness as they came to worship in the Tabernacle.
Anytime that one is about to enter into the ministry of the prophetic, there will be a divine encounter with the authority and holiness of God. You will also notice that those men whom God called by and large all felt that they were not worthy or capable of doing what God called them to do. This is a pattern that is noted all throughout the Bible.
• Exodus 4—Moses lamented the fact that he could not speak for God. He determined that he possessed no human qualities that would make him qualified to do God’s work of deliverance.
• Judges 6—Gideon was troubled by the appearance of an angel calling him to service. His pedigree did not warrant his presence in a great place of service and honor for the Lord.
• Isaiah 6—Isaiah entered into the Temple and saw a God that was high and lifted up and it caused him to cry out to the Lord over his condition and state of heart.
• Jeremiah 1—Jeremiah told the Lord that he was too young and that the task of speaking was too difficult for him. It is important to note the connection the Lord made with the heart and our words (Matt. 12:34; Luke 6:45).
• Ezekiel 1—Ezekiel was given a vision and when he saw the great mystery of it, he fell on his face.
• Daniel 10—Daniel felt utterly incapable of understanding the greatness of the vision that God had revealed to him. In a physical sense, he became faint.
There are other examples that are scattered about in Scripture but just from these few references, it is clear that when we come into the presence of God and He marks us for service it is a sobering matter. Far be it from any of us who have been blessed to have a prophetic anointing touch us periodically to become arrogant and authoritative because God has assisted us to do His will. We cannot afford to become dime-store prophets and fall into the trap of believing that the Kingdom of God cannot go on without our participation. All flesh has to be entirely removed from the equation in our service to God.
Therefore we see that one of the benefits of the garments of the priesthood was to serve as a covering for flesh. God is serious about His glory and will not allow it to be given to another (Isa. 42:8; 48:11; Exo. 34:14). We are a priesthood of believers and it matters greatly to God how we present ourselves in the act of worship!!! In the span of four verses (Exo. 28:1-4) we note the phrase “that he may minister unto me” has a relationship to the priestly garments of Aaron. They could not come into the presence of the Lord unless they were properly clothed. This matter of wearing the priestly garments as described in Exodus has been negated by the New Covenant but Paul gave some instructions to the NT church when he said “that which is natural is first then that which is spiritual” (1 Cor. 15:46) and it matters greatly to God how we present ourselves in the act of worship!!! Each of these garments represents something in the higher order of the New Covenant which we became partakers of in the New Birth experience.
To briefly review where we have been so far with this study, we can see how the garments of the priesthood are related to New Testament worship.
• The Linen Breeches—The righteousness of God in our secret parts—in our inner life. God has provided an element of righteousness for our inner life.
• The Coat of Linen—Our external acts of righteousness that is in the form of our behavior.
• The Mitre and the Bonnet—A covering for our head—our thought life—our will being brought under the subjection of Christ.
We now move forward to the robe of the ephod.
II. THE ROBE OF THE EPHOD
The whole purpose of this series is to press home the point that the New Testament church is a priesthood of believers. Because of this there are certain analogies that we need to incorporate into our own spiritual walk with the Lord. Just as the priest had to be attired to go into a place of worship, there is the necessary spiritual preparation that needs to take place as we go about our walk of worship. However, it needs to be reiterated that the typology of the priestly garments point directly to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ and His power over sin, the world, and the devil.
A. The Design of the Ephod
The design of the ephod was as unique and intricate as the linen breeches and coat was simple. It was to be made entirely of blue material and it was to be woven without a seam. The high priest would put it through a hole that had been cut out. The robe would reach the knee. It also must be understood that this ephod was specific to the high priest and the general order of priests would not wear this garment.
1. Of Spiritual Authority
This is the first time in Scripture that a robe is mentioned. The linen coat was used as a covering. The robe of the ephod was always worn as a symbol of the office of the high priest and the authority that it embodied. Throughout Scripture there is the observation of the authority that those who wore the robe would have.
1 Samuel 24:4 KJV And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.
Job 29:14 KJV I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
Ezekiel 26:16 KJV Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.
From these passages (and there others), it is clear to see that the robe carries a sense of dignity and it is the apparel of those who are in royalty. The man who would wear the robes found some dignity just by virtue of wearing the robe. Several Bible scholars have made the analogy to a judge who wears the robes of justice in the courts of law. It commands respect and honor is given to those who wear the robes. By virtue of Aaron divesting the robe of the ephod, his position commanded respect.
When the believer is filled with the Spirit, he becomes a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17) which gives him the power of a covenant relationship with the Kingdom of God. All through the Word of God there are various kinds and types of spiritual authority that are afforded to us. Just as Aaron’s robe of the ephod gave him the authority to go into the Holy Place, we have and need the same kind of authority.
• Proverbs 8—A chapter concerning wisdom and the authority that comes from attaining it.
• Matthew 16:24-26—Authority that comes from the Cross. Self-denial, taking up the Cross, and following the Lord equips us far more than we could imagine. It frees us from the sin of self-sufficiency.
• 1 Corinthians 12-14—Authority that comes from the work of the gifts of the Spirit.
• 1 John 4:1-6—Authority that allows us to be able to test the spirit of those who may seem spiritual.
These are matters that every minister and saint of God needs to actively pursue. The Kingdom of God and its advancement greatly depends on those who are willing to seek after divine authority.
2. Of Spiritual Grace
With regard to the robe being associated with royalty, it is obvious that this robe of the high priest is associated with the perfect, holy life of Jesus Christ. There never has been a life that could even come equal to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone, God robed in flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), only has the right to serve in the role as a redeemer of man’s sin. Blue is the color of manifestation of God in flesh. It speaks clearly of the incarnation.
Blue was a very prevalent color all through the Tabernacle. In light of its relationship with the incarnation, it can be associated with the grace of God. Blue was in the veil, the curtains, the door, and the gate. Blue lace was present on the mitre on the head of the priest and it secured the breastplate of judgment to the ephod. Every piece of furniture was covered with a blue cloth while it was in transit.
If we go back to the idea of the concept of the robe having authority, we can see that there are aspects of authority that comes from grace. Just from the epistles, the following component of the authority that comes from grace is noted:
• Romans 1:7—Grace and apostleship together.
• Romans 3:24—Grace and the power of redemption.
• Romans 5:2—Grace gives a saint the authority to stand.
• Romans 5:15—Grace has authority over the fall of man.
• Romans 5:20—Grace has authority over sin. (In a general sense of mankind.)
• Romans 6:14—Grace has authority over the dominion of sin. (In a specific sense in the saint of God’s life.)
• Romans 15:15—Grace gives men the authority to carry out ministry.
• 1 Corinthians 3:10—Grace gives us the authority to build the church.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9—Grace gives us authority to overcome weakness.
• Hebrews 13:9—Grace has the authority to establish us.
The fact remains that man did not deserve the grace of God but we ought to let worship and gratitude pour out of our heart because we have received it. The righteousness of God is depicted in the white linen coat and by the natural man could never be attained but God covered the white linen with blue just as certainly as He covered the law with grace. That grace grants us access to the Kingdom of God (Eph. 2:18; 3:12). The foundation of the grace of God is the righteousness of God!
3. Of Spiritual Fruitfulness
There were also pomegranates made of blue, purple, and scarlet that was around the hem of the robe. They acted as pads between the golden bells that were also part of the robe. The pomegranates speak of a fruitfulness that is to be present in the lives of all believers. The pomegranate is a fruit that is a cross between an apple and a grape. The apple is the fruit of love (Song. 2) and the grape is the emblem of joy (John 15). Furthermore the pomegranate speaks of peace (Joel 1). When we look at the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, and peace all go together. Pomegranates were bought out of the land of Canaan by the spies (Num. 13:23) in contrast to the leeks, onions, and garlic that were common to the land of Egypt.
The only true love, joy, and peace that will grace our lives comes from God. In all of this, there is still that evidence of Jesus Christ. Through the fruit of peace that came because of the work on the Cross, this Prince of Peace stands as the King of peace and righteousness.
The golden bells also about the hem of the robe can be associated with the golden altar, the golden candlestick, and the table of shewbread. The sound of the bells came in the presence of holy place where communion with God took place. True fellowship with God takes place when we are given to prayer and to the ministry of the Word which can only take place by the illumination of the light of illumination and revelation.
Those who are truly born-again will manifest a level of fruitfulness in their lives. This primarily is an area that speaks to the aspects of Christian character. Our character as saints of the Lord is solely derived from what Peter identifies as being a partaker of the “divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Therefore those who have experienced the Holy Ghost will find it at work in their lives. These will be manifested in the growth and development of the nine kinds of spiritual fruit that is mentioned in Galatians 5.
Galatians 5:22-23 KJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Furthermore, Paul hints at a key portion of the development of these qualities in our life in the following two verses that is often overlooked:
Galatians 5:24-25 KJV And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Spiritual fruitfulness is directly related to crucifying the flesh which means that the passions and desires of the saint will come under the governing influence of the Holy Ghost. That is the negative side of fruitfulness and the positive side of fruitfulness is that we will walk in the Spirit. Some other ways to perhaps modernize the fruit of the Spirit is taking on God’s character (Eph. 4:22-24); devotion to God (Rev. 15:4); humility (Luke 18:14); love (Col. 3:14); joy (Rom. 14:17); peace (Rom. 12:18); patience (Col. 3:12-13); kindness and goodness (Gal. 6:10); faithfulness (Prov. 20:6); gentleness (Col. 3:12); self-control (Prov. 25:28); and seeking a deeper devotion to godliness (Ps. 119:10).
4. Of Spiritual Hearing
The sounds of the bells were evidence of listening to God while moving about in service to God. As the priest ministered in the Holy Place putting incense on the golden altar, supplying oil to the candlestick, and changing the bread, his activity would cause the bells to ring. The sound of those bells indicates that we listen to God as we move about in his service. The illustration below shows what the Holy Place looked like.
Without going into great detail on this matter, it is a great priority of all saints that we have the capacity to hear the voice of God. God’s primary choice to speak to us will always be His word. While He may speak to us in visions, dreams, and through the active operation of the gifts of the Spirit, the primary method will be the Bible. Therefore it is crucial that we develop and love and desire to saturate our mind and life with the Scriptures. Suffice it to say that we can never get enough of the Word of God!
III. A SIDE NOTE CONCERNING HONOR AND RESPECT
This portion of the study sort of jumped out as I was working through the aspect of Aaron’s authority when he would put on the robe of the ephod. I think that it merits some discussion particularly in the age that we live in. Overall, authority at large has lost its standing in our society. Very little regard is given to those who are in a position of authority and it is telling on us as a nation and as a church.
Every servant of the Lord who ministers in holy things should respect the office and should be respected because of his office. I believe this same element should persist in our times. In fact it is biblical to do so.
1 Timothy 5:17 KJV Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 KJV And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; [13] And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
Hebrews 13:7 KJV Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Hebrews 13:17 KJV Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
The passage in 1 Timothy 5 is the primary passage that encourages honor to those who are involved in the ministry and care of the churches. The word “elder” is a general term that could also be rendered “overseers” (1 Tim. 3:1). Anyone who fills the roles as elder, pastor, and overseer is a man worthy of both earthly honor and respect. Honor can also be deemed as financial support. This is gathered from the cross-reference found in 1 Timothy 5:3. When Paul was noting the responsibility of the church to widows, he used the word honor which gave the indication to show respect or care, to support, or to treat graciously. It also included meeting financial needs (cf. Matt. 27:6, 9; Acts 4:34; 1 Cor. 6:20; Prov. 3:9).
What Paul was really homing in on was an issue of the heart. As was his custom, Paul does not directly refer to money (2 Cor. 8:6-7; 9:1, 12-13; Gal. 6:6; Php. 4:18) but what men honor, they will support. What men do with their money is always an issue of the heart. Those who honor elders will not begrudge generosity in paying their support to these men who are giving their lives to the calling of the gospel.
There are other ways to honor those who are pastors and spiritual leaders. Trust is important to be offered to them. The devil would love nothing more than to cause suspicion, criticism, and dissension to take place in a local church. Generally these matters come into play because of a lack of trust.
Honor can be given in the form of service. For a local church to have continued success, it will be because those who are members choose to serve willingly. This may mean that there will be times when we have to do things that aren’t particularly suited to what we may desire. However a mark of spiritual maturity is helping a church move forward for the greater good. Those who become consumed with self become a detriment to the church. The mission of the church is far more important than each of the individual needs and whims of every person who attends.
Honor can be given when there is a readiness to defend those who are involved in spiritual leadership. There is no way that a pastor, even Super-pastor, can live up to the expectations of everyone who attend a local church. But it is a great thing when there are good men and women who will come along and defend the man who is working diligently to fulfill the calling that God has placed on their lives. One of the hardest things to do is to have a proper attitude when slander comes to our lives. We owe it to ourselves not to get involved in such matters and when we hear others who are actively slandering the work of the ministry, we should do our dead level best to speak the truth. If you hear negative comments, respond by giving positive comments. If misinformation is being spread, correct it with accurate information. If people are gossiping, just walk away from it.
Honor can be given to pastors and elders by praying for them. The spiritual warfare in our times has escalated to a point as never before. Ministry is as intense now as it ever was. Although America is relatively free from physical persecution, we are being overcome by a withering spiritual darkness that the first century church experienced. Their world was filled with paganism, atheism, and humanism and the only way they could operate was through the support and work of the Holy Ghost. This meant that they needed the active prayers of those good saints of God who would give themselves to the work of prayer.
IV. CONCLUSION—A MATTER OF PRIORITY
As we can see, it is very important to make the matter of understanding the garments of Aaron a priority. Although this passage of Scripture is from thousands of years ago, there are still very relevant truths that can be mined out to help us in our walk with God.
Philip Harrelson
May 13, 2013
