(Exodus) Exodus 28:1-3 — J. Vernon McGee

The Priestly Garments as Pictures of Christ

Now, as we come today to the 28th chapter of the book of Exodus, it seems like we have a departure here. It actually is not from the instructions of the tabernacle. The tabernacle, we've already seen a great deal of it.

Aaron as the Great High Priest

The details have been given to us, and we've seen that in every thread and every color, every chord, why there is the meaning that it all suggests Christ in His person and in His work. Now we come to the ones that are going to serve in the tabernacle, and the Levites will serve, the family of Aaron will serve as priests, and Aaron himself will be the great high priest.

Christ as Our Mediator and Advocate

And he'll have to have garments to serve, and these garments all speak of Christ. And we are given here the instructions for the garments, and it reveals to us Christ as our great high priest. And I know of nothing that reaches down and illustrates how Christ today meets our needs in such a wonderful way.

Reading the Instructions for Exodus 28

Now, I begin reading at chapter 28, verse 1, and I have to confess that a great deal of these instructions, they do not make thrilling reading. This doesn't read like a detective story, but it has more meaning in it than a detective story or a mystery.

Seeing Christ in the Bible's Picture Book

And there's no mystery here because it reveals Christ. And therefore, if we don't see Him here, then it's extremely boring, I can assure you. And you wonder why God would give us all these instructions.

Well, He gave them to us because actually the Bible is a picture book, and that's the way little children learn is by pictures. I can still remember when I was a little one, and I was given a book, and in it I can see those pictures to this good day.

A is for apple, B is for baby, C is for cat, and D is for dog. And as far as I can go, I wasn't that precocious to go all the way through the alphabet, but I do remember those. And God has given us these pictures that you and I as babes in Christ, and I'm not sure that many of us get past that stage, I find that a great many of the super-duper saints are just great big overgrown babies today, and we all need the picture book to see this great truth God has for us.

The Holy Garments of Aaron

Now let's look at this chapter 28, "...and take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, and among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Eliezer, Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

Holiness Means Being Set Apart for God

And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory, and for beauty.". Now, I don't get the idea that there's something holy about the garments in the sense that you and I think of that today.

This is not a handkerchief that's been prayed over, friends. That's superstition. That's not what you have here. You see, the word for holy here means in the Hebrew, set apart, and it means that which was set apart for God.

Consecrating What Belongs to God

Anything that's set apart for God is holy. Now, you may have in your pocket book today $10. You may want to take $1 out of that and give that to the Lord's work. And I just well carry that illustration right on through to its logical conclusion.

Maybe you want to send it to the Through the Bible program. Well, the minute that you set that aside for the service of God, that $1, and you may have gotten it at a store, and that store may have gotten it from a gambler, and a gambler may have gotten it from a prostitute, and a prostitute may have gotten it from one who is a thief, and so on and so on.

The Minister's Holy Garments

But the minute that that is set aside for God, that's holy. Anything that's set aside for God is holy. Now, these are holy garments. They are to be used in the service of God, you see. And I am able to claim today, I don't wear a robe, but I do use a suit, a mohair suit that I use exclusively for the pulpit.

And I have a lot of fun kidding my intimate friends. I tell them, I have on my holy suit today. I have on my holy clothes. Well, in one sense, that's accurate. It is set aside for just one thing, that is, the ministering of the Word of God.

God's Glory and the Beauty of Creation

Now, thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And notice, they're for glory, the glory of God and for beauty. And I love that. Things don't have to be ugly, friends, just because they're in the service of God.

I personally resent today that the world and the flesh and the devil has to get everything that's beautiful, even a beautiful woman, beautiful colors, beautiful buildings. Why can't God get the beauty?

God as the Creator of Beauty

He's the one who made beauty. And if you don't think He splashes color around, watch a sunset. Or look at the leaves in the fall. Or go out and look at the heavens during a storm, even. Oh, God majors in colors and beauty.

And there is a beauty. And so they're for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I fill 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.