www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 CLOTHING OF THE PRIESTS EXODUS 28:1-43
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 TEXT: EXODUS 28:1-43, CLOTHING OF THE PRIESTS 1. And you, bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites, so that they may minister as my priests Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron s sons. 2. You must make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for glory and for beauty. 3. You are to speak to all who are specially skilled, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, so that they may make Aaron s garments to set him apart to minister as my priest. 4. Now these are the garments that they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons, that they may minister as my priests. 5. The artisans are to use the gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. 6. They are to make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen, the work of an artistic designer. 7. It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be joined together. 8. The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that is on it is to be like it, of one piece with the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 9. You are to take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10. six of their names on one stone, and the six remaining names on the second stone, according to the order of their birth. 11. You are to engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel with the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a seal; you are to have them set in gold filigree settings. 12. You are to put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod, stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron will bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for a memorial. 13. You are to make filigree settings of gold 14. and two braided chains of pure gold, like a cord, and attach the chains to the settings. 15. You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, the work of an artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 16. It is to be square when doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide. 17. You are to set in it a setting for stones, four rows of stones, a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl the first row; 18. and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 19. and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 20. and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They are to be enclosed in gold in their filigree settings. 21. The stones are to be for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to the number of their names. Each name according to the twelve tribes is to be like the engravings of a seal. 22. You are to make for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 23. and you are to make for the breastpiece two gold rings and attach the two rings to the upper two ends of the breastpiece. 24. You are to attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 25. the other two ends of the two chains you will attach to the two settings and then attach them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 26. You are to make two rings of gold and put them on the other two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that is on the inner side of the ephod. 27. You are to make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 28. They are to tie the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it may be above the waistband of the ephod, and so that the breastpiece will not be loose from the ephod. 29. Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of decision over his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 30. You are to put the Urim and the Thummim into the breastpiece of decision; and they are to be over Aaron s heart when he goes in before the Lord. Aaron is to bear the decisions of the Israelites over his heart before the Lord continually. 31. You are to make the robe of the ephod completely blue. 32. There is to be an opening in its top in the center of it, with an edge all around the opening, the work of a weaver, like the opening of a collar, so that it cannot be torn. 33. You are to make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet all around its hem and bells of gold between them all around. 34. The pattern is to be a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe. 35. The robe is to be on Aaron as he ministers, and his sound will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he leaves, so that he does not die. 36. You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it the way a seal is engraved: Holiness to the Lord. 37. You are to attach to it a blue cord so that it will be on the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. 38. It will be on Aaron s forehead, and Aaron will bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the Israelites are to sanctify by all their holy gifts; it will always be on his forehead, for their acceptance before the Lord. 39. You are to weave the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen, and make the sash the work of an embroiderer.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 40. For Aaron s sons you are to make tunics, sashes, and headbands for glory and for beauty. 41. You are to clothe them your brother Aaron and his sons with him and anoint them and ordain them and set them apart as holy, so that they may minister as my priests. 42. Make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked bodies; they must cover from the waist to the thighs. 43. These must be on Aaron and his sons when they enter to the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they bear no iniquity and die. It is to be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants after him. (NET) Introduction: I. Key Points:... A. The clothing of the priests:... Commentary: 1. The ephod,... I. The clothing:... 2. The breastplate,... 3. The turban and... 5. The undergarments.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 A. The reason for special clothing. 1. Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, were chosen by God to minister as His priests. To do so, they were required to wear garments that were holy and beautiful, reflecting the glory of God. 2. Note that the Artisans chosen to make the clothes were above the ordinary; they were specially skilled because of the blessings with which God had gifted them. a. Romans 12:6, And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. (NET) 3. Paul recorded that God has given each of us different talents so that we will be able to work in concert with others. 4. These garments were so extraordinary that they identified Aaron and his sons from all others. B. The clothing consisted of a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban and a sash. II. The ephod:... 1. The colors were gold, blue, purple and scarlet. The material was fine linen.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 A. An apron-like garment or vest that is associated with the high priest. 1. A matching waistband was used to cinch the ephod in the back. B. Two shoulder pieces were fastened together by clasps. C. The onyx stones, engraved with the twelve tribes of Israel six on each stone were set in gold, attached by two braided gold chains. 1. The tribal names were engraved in the order of their ancestors births. D. The high priest was representing all the people of Israel. He was bearing their names on his shoulders when he went before the altar of the Lord. III. The breastpiece:... A. The purpose of the breastplate was to seek God s guidance when making important decisions. B. The fabric was made to match the ephod using gold, blue, purple and scarlet linen. This was doubled over to form a square pouch nine inches by nine inches that contained the urim and thummin. C. The front was adorned with precious stones set in three rows of four stones.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 1. The twelve stones represented the twelve tribes of Israel. 2. The name of each tribe was engraved on a stone, then placed in a gold setting. 3. The stones God instructed Moses to use were a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl in the first row. The second, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald. The third row, a jacinth, an agage and an amethyst and in the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper. 4. These twelve stones were another reminder that the high priest was representing all of the people (tribes) of Israel as he conducted his priestly duties before God. 5. Similar listings of precious stones are in the Old and New Testament. a. Ezekiel 28:13, You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared. (NET) b. Revelation 21:19-20, The foundations of the city s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate,
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. (NET) D. Remember the twelve tribes of Israel? They were descendants of the sons of Jacob. 1. Genesis 35:23-26, The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel s servant, were Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah s servant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram. (NET) E. The breastpiece was attached to the ephod with braided gold chains that fastened to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. F. Urim and thummim were placed in the breastpiece so that they were over Aaron s heart. Not only did he wear Israel s names on his breastpiece; he was bearing on his heart the decisions of divine importance being made for all his people. This served as another reminder of his responsibility before God. G. What were urim and Thummim? The Hebrew words translate to lights and perfections but this does not describe what they physically were. They may have been
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 two stones, light and dark, or engraved with yes and no or maybe sticks. They may have been cast like dice or possibly drawn or shaken from a bag. Without a description in the Bible, it is all conjecture. The fact that they were used in decision making is recorded in the Old Testament. 1. Leviticus 8:8, He then set the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim into the breastpiece. (NET) 2. Numbers 27:21, And he will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the Lord by the decision of the Urim. At his command they will go out, and at his command they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him, the whole community. (NET) 3. Deuteronomy 33:8, Of Levi he said: Your Thummim and Urim belong to your godly one, whose authority you challenged at Massah, and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah. (NET) 4. 1 Samuel 14:41-42, Then Saul said, O Lord God of Israel! If this sin has been committed by me or by my son Jonathan, then, O Lord God of Israel, respond with Urim. But if this sin has been committed by your people Israel, respond with Thummim. Then Jonathan and Saul were indicated by lot, while the army was exonerated. Then Saul said, Cast the lot between me and my
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 son Jonathan! Jonathan was indicated by lot. (NET) 5. 1 Samuel 28:6, So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him not by dreams nor by Urim nor by the prophets. (NET) IV. The robe of Aaron:... A. The robe of the high priest was blue with a design of pomegranates in blue, purple and scarlet decorating the hem, alternating with gold bells sewn on the robe. B. What is the significance of the pomegranates? Since it is not explained, we can only make suppositions. 1. Pomegranates are a very common fruit in the middle east. 2. The pomegranate is a symbol of fertility. 3. It may have been a token of God s bountiful blessings on the Israelites. 4. Another idea put forth is that the pomegranate was to be a reminder of man s sinful nature and his fall from God s grace by partaking of the forbidden fruit. C. Fruit was an important part of God s plan from the beginning.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 1. Genesis 1:12, 29, The land produced vegetation plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. Then God said, I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. (NET) 2. The first fruit (crop) to ripen was to be offered to God. a. Exodus 23:16, You are also to observe the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year when you have gathered in your harvest out of the field. (NET) b. Proverbs 3:9, Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first fruits of all your crops; (NET) c. Deuteronomy 26:10, So now, look! I have brought the first of the ground s produce that you, Lord, have given me. Then you must set it down before the Lord your God and worship before him. (NET) D. Paul wrote about the fruit that we manifest as we grow in the spirit of Christ.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 1. Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (NET) E. The gold bells on the hem served a practical purpose as well as a decorative purpose. V. The turban:... 1. The sound of the bells as the high priest moved about in the tabernacle signaled to the people outside that he was engaged in his priestly duties for them. 2. It also was proof that the priest had not been struck dead by God in retribution for a sin. 3. The bells also signaled God that Aaron was properly dressed in the robe so that he could approach the Lord. A. The turban of the priest was made of fine linen. On the front was a gold plate engraved with, Holiness to the Lord, which was attached with a blue cord. B. Exodus 28:38, It will be on Aaron s forehead, and Aaron will bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the Israelites are to sanctify by all their holy gifts; it will always be on his forehead, for their acceptance before the Lord. (NET) 1. This verse tells us that Aaron bore the ultimate responsibility for the atonement of any transgressions
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 related to the sacrifices or offerings. All that was brought before God had to be pure and holy. 2. This foretold Jesus Christ who atoned for our sins that we may be made holy and acceptable to God. Jesus was the only pure, unblemished and holy sacrifice that could accomplish this. a. 1 Peter 2:24, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. (NET) C. Revelation 22:4, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. (NET) 1. Just as the gold plate above the forehead on the turban marked the high priest as one chosen by God, in heaven his chosen people will bear his name on their foreheads. VI. Linen undergarments:... A. Aaron and his sons were directed to wear linen undergarments under their robes whenever they entered the tabernacle. This was to assure that their nakedness would not accidentally be exposed and incur the wrath of God. 1. This was one more way God set his people apart from their neighbors. The pagan worship included nudity and behavior that was strictly forbidden by God.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 B. In all of God s creation, mankind is the only one who must wear clothing which signifies our sinful nature and fall from God s grace. Conclusion: 1. Genesis 3:7, 21, Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. (NET) I. In this segment of chapters 25 through 28 we have seen that God had a definite plan to which he wanted the Israelites adhere to when worshiping Him. From the tabernacle to the ark of the covenant, the gold lampstand, and the table for the showbread, to the courtyard, the altar and the clothing worn by the priests, his instructions were always explicit down to the last detail. No symbol or idol, no part of pagan worship was to be adopted by the Israelites. A. God reminded Moses many times as he was instructing him to make these things just as he had been shown. The Lord knew that verbal instructions can be misconstrued. Therefore, in a vision on Mt. Sinai, He showed Moses what the finished product would look like. B. This should be our guide for our spiritual lives. God knows how He wants us to live our lives, what our final product should look like. He has given us his instructions for constructing our lives written down in the book we know
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 as the Bible. Prophets from ages past foretold what God required of mankind, then He sent His Son to teach us His Father s message that we may have eternal life with Him in heaven. Like a master architect God has given us His blueprint for a life pleasing to Him. It is the responsibility of each of us to follow the plan to completion. It is probably no coincidence that prior to his ministry Jesus was a carpenter working in construction, following plans. Even knowing the final outcome of His work on earth, He obediently followed His Father s plan unto the end, doing so for our salvation.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 Questions on Exodus 28:1-43 1. The ephod had two stones of one on each shoulder. 2. The stones on the ephod were engraved with, on one and on the other. 3. Explain the purpose of these two stones on the ephod. 4. The breastpiece was worn over the. 5. The breastpiece was decorated with. 6. The stones on the breastpiece were set in and arranged in rows of. 7. Name the types of stones used on the breastpiece. 1. 2. 3.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 8. Each stone on the breastpiece was engraved with 9. The breastpiece was folded and formed a pouch. What was carried in the breastpiece? 10. What were the contents of the breastpiece used for? 11. Is it recorded in the Bible that the contents of the breastpiece were ever used? If so, provide references and details of each use. 12. Gold bells were sewn to the hem of Aaron s robe. What was embroidered on the hem? 13. The gold bells on the robe served specific purposes. Mark all that are correct. A. They told Aaron s sons where he was. B. They warned animals to get out of the way.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20 C. They signaled to the people that Aaron was engaged in his priestly duties. D. They signaled God that Aaron was dressed appropriately to enter His presence. E. They signaled the Israelites that Aaron was walking through the camp.