PREACHED:OL,
“THE GARMENTS OF THE PREIST”
(Isa
61:10; Isa 52:1; Zech 3:4)
Symbolism
of clothing
A. Fascinating
Bible study
1. Adam & Eve
a. Fig-leaf
loincloths… Garments of skins
2. Tamar
seduced
3. Joseph
was shown favor by a special coat.
4. John
the Baptist displayed the spirit of Elijah by his camel-skin coat and leather
belt.
5. There
was appropriate dress for a wedding.
a. Matt
‚
A. Exodus
28
1. Priests
“set apart” for the spiritual.
(Vs
1)
2. Special clothing
a. V 40,41. “For Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and
sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty. 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 as priests.”
b.
Two purposes:
1) KJV, RSV, ESV: “glory and beauty…”
NIV: “dignity and honor…”
LIVING: “beautiful garments that will lend dignity
to his work.”
c. Precious,
costly materials were used to make the garments:
1) V 4, 5. “They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to
serve me as priests. They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet
yarns, and fine twined linen.”
c. Skilled,
knowledgeable and gifted people were commissioned to make the various parts of
the garments.
a. ASV, “wise-hearted…”
b. Men
who knew their craft and how to effectively perform it!
ƒ Who are God’s Priests today?
A. We are! All Christians!
1. And
the place where we minister is the church!
a. In
one sense we are the church, but in
another we are in the body, the
church!
B. Note the symbolism of Peter:
1. I
Pet 2:5, 9
C. John adds:
1. “…He has freed us from our sins by his
blood, and has made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory
and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev
1:5,6)
D. Our special garments:
1. Gal
E. Our
precious materials:
1. “…virtue, knowledge, self-control,
steadfastness, godliness, brother
affection… love…” (II Pet 1:5-8)
a. These
“materials” keep us from:
1) “being ineffective
or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
E. Skilled,
knowledgeable and gifted people heeded the commission of Jesus to prepare us so
that we might be the kind of priests we ought to be!
1. II
Tim 2:15. “Do your best…”
„ What were the special items worn by
the priest?
A. Ex 28:4. “These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece,
an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash…”
1. Underneath
were underpants of linen and a coat of linen that probably extended to the
feet.
a. Symbolic
of our thoroughly, genuine purity of life—more than what is readily
visible to others!
1) Rom 12:1,2. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers…”
2. On
top of the linen coat was the beautiful blue robe of the ephod.
a. Woven in one solid piece!
1)
Reminds us of the undivided affections and the singular purpose of our
lives!
a) Phil 3:13. “…But one thing I
do…”
b. To
the hem was attached a row of alternating bells and pomegranates.
1) Reminds
us of the fruit we must bear in our lives, but also the fact that people “hear”
and “see” what we are!
a) Matt
3. Over
the linen coat was the Ephod.
a. Apron-like
covering, attached at the shoulders to two stones.
1) Names
of six of the 12 tribes of
a)
Reminds us of our Christian responsibility to the people of God, God’s
spiritual
b) I Cor
II Cor
4. Around
the middle was a sash or girdle!
1) It
was the anchor for the breastplate and security for the garments.
2) Reminds
us of the importance of love!
a)
5. Attached
by golden chains was the breastplate covering the heart!
1) Made
of “…gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine-twilled linen…” (Ex 28:15)
2) It
as doubled, creating a pouch.
3) It
was called, “the breastplate of judgment
on his (Aaron’s) heart…” when went before Lord on
behalf of the people.
4) Inside
the pouch was the “Urim and the Thumim,”
the
mysterious items that helped the priest to
determine what was right and wrong, and the Lord’s will!
5) On
the Ephod were attached 12 precious stones, indicating the unity of the people
of
6) It reminds us of:
a) Our
responsibility for the church, God’s spiritual
I Cor
someone else is building upon it. Let each
one take care how he builds upon it.”
b) Our
breastplate is “righteousness” (Eph
1) Psa 119:151. “All your commandments are true…”
V 172. “All
your commandments are right…”
c) Our
“Urim and Thumim” is the
Bible!
1) II
Tim 3:16,17.
6. On
the head of the priest was the Turban, and on the front of the Turban was a
golden plate that read, “Holy to the
Lord.”
1) Paul
spoke of our “helmet of salvation” in Eph 6.
2) This
turban and plate reminds us that we are saved, but also that we are saved
for a purpose…
a) We
have been saved to be “holy” or “set apart” for the service of God, or as Peter
put it:
I Pet 2:5.
… The external clothing was to be in
keeping with the internal life & purpose!
A. Though
the external priestly garments did not always indicate the righteousness of the
man serving, a holy, reverent, godly man was made aware by what he wore externally,
the dignity and the beauty of his service!
1. I
realize that we offer sacrifices daily to God, and should always wear the
“internal” garments of righteousness, purity, responsibility and holiness, but
when we come together to worship God on his special day of remembrance,
does our clothing indicate the reverence of the occasion and the solemnity of our
honored tasks as priests offering our sacrifices of praise to God?
a. I
am not trying to bind a dress code on the church, but to merely make us think
and give us a context from which we can determine our preparation to honor God.