Bring near to you Aaron your brother and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests – Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and beauty (28:1-2).
The garments that God’s priests were to wear, were “for glory and beauty.” They were not plain, serviceable garments, they were holy garments, that is, garments set apart for wearing when serving HaShem, who is glorious and beautiful. Everything we’ve been reading about concerning the tabernacle is not plain, but rather beautiful – items made from silver, gold, acacia wood overlaid with gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen.
I confess that in my many previous readings of these passages, these Scriptures have not really meant anything to me. Then a year and a half ago, I watched Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. Noticing the lavishness of the robes and furnishings made me think of the tabernacle (and later, the temple). The splendour that these Scriptures describe made more sense to me. A king or queen reigning over a country has honour that is shown in these ways. How much more should we have furnishings and garments “for glory and beauty” when it comes to serving God? He is worthy of the best!
We see symbolic elements on the priestly garments – on each shoulder there was an onyx stone and on each stone was engraved the names of six tribes. “And Aaron shall bear their names before HaShem on his two shoulders for remembrance” (28:12).
There were also twelve precious stones, one for each tribe of Israel, that Aaron was to wear on his breastplate “So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgement on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before HaShem” (28:29).
In the days of the tabernacle and the temple the high priest was the mediator between God and man. But when our Messiah came, the old priesthood was finished, and as Paul says, “we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Yeshua (Jesus) the Son of God” (Hebrews 4:14). Because of Him, we can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (4:16).
How amazing is that!
Prayer: I thank you, God, that we can come with confidence to your throne of grace, because of what Yeshua has done! What an incredible gift. May I come often! Amen.
