Sharp Dressed Man

Sharp Dressed Man

Uniforms… they are all around us! Here are some that are easy to identify. (Slides: firefighter, surgeon, scuba, policemen, sports team, judge, bride) What we wear can identify what we are doing or what we do to make a living. What we wear identifies us as a sports team, a firefighter or policemen, and even if we are about to get married! A uniform or dress code, in most cases, is carefully designed to aid in the work of that particular craft, as well as identify the man or woman as part of that company or team. God’s team of intercessors was no different. God showed us a graphic picture of the pattern of worship in the furniture and fabric of the Tabernacle – but he also showed it in the foremen and their fashion! These important individuals were called by God and chosen for their task – and their uniform helps us understand their Divine purpose. God chose the priests, and then carefully specified the uniforms they were to wear. The care and planning of each portion were obvious, but it reflected the purposes of God in the work the men were called to accomplish. We’ve all heard the expression, “It’s the clothes that make the man.” There is truth in this – and in more ways than we often realize at surface level. Mark Twain once humorously quipped, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” However, there is a little more to the depth of what clothes can convey than simply the absence of nakedness.

This morning, we are going to see that clothes do truly make the man. Most of Exodus 28 will spell out specifically who the high priest of the Israelites will be and what clothes he will wear. It will also spell out who is to make the articles of clothing and what the clothing is to symbolize. We will also learn from the clothing what the function of the high priest and the other priests are. The high priest’s clothing will be holy, glorious and beautiful. Lastly, we will learn about our Great High Priest and about our role as a “royal priesthood” today and how we are to be clothed. That brings us to our big idea this morning that God demands His people be clothed in holiness, glory and beauty.

Let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunity and privilege to be in your house this morning. We thank you for your desire to reveal your heart and your Word to us. Help us to be willing to align our hearts with yours and to obey your Word. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us as we learn from your Word today. We humbly ask that you give us insight and wisdom, to heed the warnings, to claim your promises and to follow the principles in it. Help us to grow in our faith and in our love for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

There are two points this morning. The first is Explanation found in Exodus 28:1-5. This is what God’s Word says, “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. Tell all the skilled workers 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. These are the garments they are to make: a breast piece, 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. Have them use gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.”

As I have said for the past couple of weeks, Moses is still on the mountain. He has been getting the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle, God’s house, that will dwell among the Israelites. We have seen instructions for the construction of the house itself, the furniture inside of it, the courtyard around the house and the altar that sits in the courtyard outside the house. Two weeks ago, we ended with instructions about keeping the lamps lit that sit on the lampstand, inside the Holy Place.

Now that God commanded that the lamps should be kept lit, it logically follows, that he should instruct Moses about those who were to tend the wicks and the flame to keep the lamps lit. We learn a lot in this first verse of chapter 28. One, those who were to keep the lamps lit were to be called priests. Two, they were to serve the Lord, himself. Three, the priests were to come from Aaron’s family. Aaron and his sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, were specifically and specially called by God to serve Him as priests in the tabernacle. It is important that Moses was to have Aaron, and his sons brought to himself to give them the news. This showed that the priesthood was not elected by popular demand, or filled by someone who could buy the position or take it by force. It was given by God himself to Aaron and his family and was to be passed down from generation to generation.

Just to give you a little bit of background into these men, Aaron, of course, is Moses’ brother, and he was called by God to be the first High Priest of Israel. His sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, were called by God to be Aaron’s deputies assisting him in the Holy Place, tending the lampstand, taking care of the showbread that sat on the table of the Presence, and offering sacrifices for themselves and the people. Nadab and Abihu will become remembered for sinning against God by disobeying Him and will be killed by the Lord in Leviticus 10. And because of their deaths, Eleazar will succeed his father as high priest. Ithamar’s descendants will include the priest, Eli, and Abiathar, a high priest during the time of David.

All but four verses in chapter 28 are focused on the High Priest and what he is to wear in service to God in the Tabernacle. These clothes were special and only to be worn while serving the Lord and the people. Aaron did not make the clothes special, the clothes made the man special, signifying that he was the High Priest, chosen by God. Later, when Aaron died, the high priestly clothes were removed and put on his son, Eleazar, making him the high priest of Israel. Numbers 20:28 says, “Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain.” These garments were sacred, or “holy” meaning that the clothes “set apart” the man who wore them. The high priest was set apart to serve the Lord and the people in the tabernacle. The priests would stand between a holy God and a sinful people mediating God’s holiness to them. The high priest was the only one who was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies and was only allowed to do that, one time a year, on the Day of Atonement.

In addition to setting Aaron apart as holy, these specially made clothes would also give him dignity, glory and beauty. “Dignity” is translated “honor” speaking of his status; meaning that the high priest had a high standing in the community. It also speaks to the concept of “beauty.” These clothes made with gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted white linen would be stunningly beautiful and would dignify the person wearing them. The clothes reflected the glory of the Lord that the High Priest served. If the Lord’s high priest was adorned in this way, how much more glorious must the Lord be. The clothes of the high priest would testify to the presence of the Lord among His people and to His willingness to guide and forgive their sins. But these clothes also, as Ross says, “helped the people to picture something of the wonder of what God had in mind for them as they experienced His presence in their lives.”

Next, we find out who is to make the clothes for Aaron. Moses is to tell the skilled workers, to whom God had given wisdom to in such matters, to make his clothes. These clothes are to be made in the name of the Lord by “skilled men” or literally “those wise of heart.” God had specially and specifically given them the wisdom and skill to be able to make these clothes for the high priest. From the instructions given them by Moses, God’s wisdom would enable them to think through what was required to make the clothes, make the proper decisions in making the clothes and then be able to complete the work of making the clothes. In Exodus 35:31 we are told that the Lord chose Bezalel and “filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skill.” Interestingly, he is the first individual in the Bible to be called “Spirit-filled.” This has not been said of Adam, Noah, one of the patriarchs or even Moses. And these were the same skilled workers who would make the curtains for the tabernacle. These clothes are to be made for Aaron’s consecration as the high priest of Israel, so he can properly, with holiness, dignity, honor, glory and beauty serve the Lord in the tabernacle (Big Idea).

Next, we see the six pieces of clothing the skilled workers are to make for the high priest. They are a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. The high priest wore several layers of clothing. On top of his linen undergarments was a woven tunic. “Woven” is translated “patterned” or “embroidered” and would have been tight fitting to the body and arms. Next, there was a sash or belt worn around the waist. On top of the tunic was a one-piece blue robe, a long garment that went down to their feet. On top of the robe was an embroidered linen ephod. And on top of the ephod was the breast piece, a stunningly embroidered and jewel-encrusted article of clothing that would be folded to make a small pouch. The breast piece is mentioned first because it would be the most important piece of clothing and the costliest that the high priest would wear. Finally, there was a turban which of course would be worn on their head (picture). We are again reminded that these clothes were sacred or holy and were to be made for Moses’ brother, Aaron, and his sons.

The skilled workers were to make these six pieces of clothing with gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine white linen. These were the same materials that were to be used to make the first layer of curtains over the tabernacle and the curtain between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place, not including the cherubim. It most closely resembled the entrance curtain to the tabernacle but the main difference between the high priest’s clothes and all the curtains was the gold thread that was to be woven into the clothing, settings and chains. We have already talked numerous times about what the colors symbolized and the same is for the clothes but what was most important was that it connected the high priest to his role inside the tabernacle and his access to it. They would be representing God to the people and interceding on their behalf with the Lord in performing the sacred duties and service to God within His house.

Wiersbe says, “It was the task of the priests (Aaron’s family) to serve in the tabernacle and represent the people before God. The priests were also to represent God by teaching them the law and helping them to obey it. Today, God wants His church to minister to the world as a ‘holy and royal priesthood.’” 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” There are significant parallels between the work of the Jewish priests and the ministry of the “royal priesthood” today. God’s choice of Aaron and his sons was an act of sovereign grace. They did not earn it or deserve it. And the same is true of us. God also chose us as an act of his sovereign grace and we didn’t earn it or deserve it. We should be in awe that he chose us, saved us and formed us into a “royal priesthood” and want to live that privilege out daily. That brings us to our first next step which is to Dwell on the awesomeness that God chose me, saved me and formed me into a “royal priesthood” and “live” it out daily.

That brings us to our second point, Ephod, found in Exodus 28:6-14. This is what God’s Word says, “Make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen—the work of skilled hands. It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. Its skillfully woven waistband is to be like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen. “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. Make gold filigree settings and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.”

Even though the first article of clothing mentioned above was the breast piece, when God gave Moses the instructions for making the clothing, He started with the ephod. This was because the ephod would support the breast piece. We saw this with the ark of the covenant law and the atonement cover in Exodus 25. The ark supported the atonement cover and so instructions were given for it first. The ephod symbolized that the high priest represented the people before the Lord and the Lord before the people.

The ephod was to be made of gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted white linen and it was to be done by the work of skilled hands. Scholars are divided on just what the ephod looked like. The best description I can come up with is it may have looked like a bulletproof vest. It was sleeveless, tight fitting and had a place for the neck to go through. It was probably waist-length with a belt or waistband that could be tied to keep the bottom of it tight to their body. The skillfully woven waistband or belt was to be made of one piece with the ephod and was also to be made of gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted white linen. It was to have two shoulder pieces attached to its two corners so it could be fastened together.

The most important thing about the ephod was what was on it. The skilled workers were to take two onyx stones and engrave the names of the sons of Israel on them. These stones were probably not what we would call onyx today but more likely carnelian, a fiery red semi-precious stone. The names of the sons of Israel were to be engraved on the stones, in the order of their birth, six names on one stone and six names on the other. There are a number of lists of Jacob’s sons in the Bible. Some include Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim and some don’t include Levi. The engraved names would have been the original twelve sons, including Levi and Joseph. Also, the names were to be in birth order not like some of the lists where the sons are listed in the order of their mothers.

These twelve names, in order, were probably Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan and Naphtali on one stone and Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulon, Joseph and Benjamin on the other. The names were to be engraved on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. A seal bore an individual’s mark which authenticated who the seal belonged to. The cutting of a seal was highly skilled work and the names of Jacob’s sons were to be engraved on the stones by highly skilled craftsmen and then mounted in gold filigree settings and fastened on each of the shoulder pieces, one on each side. The filigree settings were delicate ornamental work of gold wires. These were to be memorial stones for the sons of Israel meaning that Aaron would bear their names on his shoulders when he went into the tabernacle before the Lord. This was a permanent reminder that the high priest appeared before the Lord as a representative of the entire Jewish community and symbolized that they were also being brought into God’s presence. Lastly, they were to make two more gold filigree settings and make two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope and attach the chains to the settings. These chains would be used to attach the breast piece to the ephod. The word “rope” indicates that the chains were strong enough to take the weight of the breast piece.

Of course, the high priest was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, just as the tabernacle and its furnishings were. Aaron and every other high priest of his line were sinful, and as such, no matter how holy, glorious and beautiful their clothes were, they could not hide the sin in their hearts. Their sacrifices on behalf of themselves and the people were neither perfect nor permanent. God demanded perfect holiness and the high priest, or any other human couldn’t attain it. God’s people needed a perfect and sinless high priest, holy, glorious and beautiful. God provided the perfect high priest when he sent His son to earth to die on a cross for our sins. Ryken says, “When he died on the cross, Jesus was carrying us on his shoulders, taking our sin upon himself in order to deal with it in the presence of God.”

Our names have been written on God incarnate, for as God said through the prophet Isaiah, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” He was and is God’s faithful prophet, holy priest and godly king. What the high priest did in the tabernacle, Jesus, does for us in heaven. Hebrews 4:14 says, Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” And when we fix our hearts and minds on Jesus, our great High Priest, we find the assurance of our salvation. Hebrews 3:1 says, “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our Apostle and High Priest.” While the garments of the High Priest had particular and symbolic meaning in the context of the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament sacrificial system, they foreshadow the garments and clothing which Christians are to wear today. However, unlike the physical garments outlined in Exodus 28, the spiritual garments of the Christian are not made of earthly materials – wool, yarn, linen, gold, and the like. The garments of the Christian are the garments of faith! We as Christians are to “put on” clothes of holiness, glory and beauty (Big Idea).

Some of these articles of clothing are as follows: The believer is to put on Christ. Galatians 3:27 says, “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” The believer is to put on the new man – the new nature and new creation we become in Christ. Ephesians 4:24 says, “and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” The believer is put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12 says, “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” The believer is to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and love. Colossians 3:12, 14 say, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

The believer is to put on incorruption and immortality by the power of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:53 says, “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” Lastly, the believer is to put on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The armor of God is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.

Why these clothes of faith? It is these clothes of faith which empowers, enables, and impels us to serve the Lord and His people. No firefighter can enter a burning building without the fire suit necessary to equip and protect him to save lives. No surgeon can enter the operating room without the proper scrubs necessary to maintain sterility and cleanliness in the surgical environment. No diver can engage in sustained exploration of the ocean’s mysteries without the proper SCUBA gear. And no Christian can expect to successfully march forth to do ministry in a lost, dying, and hostile world without the clothing of faith which God has given and commanded us to wear - clothing of holiness, glory and beauty. That brings us to our last next step this morning which is to Put on the clothing of faith: garments of holiness, glory and beauty.

As Gene & Roxey come to lead us in a final song and the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings, let’s pray: Our Lord and our God, thank you for being with us this morning as we have gathered in worship to you, our Savior and King. We give you all honor, glory and praise for who you are and what you have done for us. We glorify you for choosing us, saving us and forming us into a “royal priesthood.” We humbly ask that your Holy Spirit guide us to “live” that privilege out daily. Help us to put on the clothing of faith; garments of holiness, glory and beauty. Thank you for your watchful care over us and love shown toward us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Opening: Mark Twain, “Mark Twain Quotes,” Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/12946-clothes-make-the-man-naked-people-have-little-or-no

https://randalldsmith.com/grasping-gods-purpose-suit-up-exodus-28/

Closing: preachertalk.blog