The Ephod

Well, Owen, last week we introduced a transition in the text as God moves us away from the tabernacle for the moment and into a conversation drawing our attention to the priesthood, to the clothing that the priest would wear, the implementations that they would use, and even how the priest would be set apart.

And last week we talked briefly about the priesthood and how we talked about how the priesthood itself ultimately points us towards the great high priest in Jesus Christ.

Now as we move out of that transitionary text that closes out

Exodus 27 and opens up the next couple of verses of 28, we will get into the more specifics regarding the instructions that God gives

Moses around the priest and the clothing and how they would, too, be set apart for service.

In 1905, Mark Twain wrote a short story that was published in the literary magazine entitled

The North American Review. The short story was entitled

The Sars Soliloquy. And inside of that short story,

Mark Twain wrote these words. One realizes that without his clothes, a man would be nothing at all.

That the clothes do not merely make the man, the clothes are the man.

That without them he is a cipher, a vacancy, a nobody, a nothing.

There is no power without clothes. Now from this particular quote,

Mark Twain actually was credited with what is a well -known saying in the saying of the clothes make the man.

However, the reality of that particular proverb can be traced back as far as 7 or 8

B .C. in the writings of Homer and the Iliad. But the truth that is carried on and the idea that is carried behind this proverb continues today.

And it is even illuminated for us somewhat in the text that we are going to be working through.

In fact, one theologian who spent much time studying the priestly robes commented this.

Essentially, a uniform draws attention to the office of function or function of a person as opposed to his individual personality.

It emphasizes his job rather than his name. Furthermore, we can see that in general the more prestigious an office, the more splendid the uniform.

In putting on these clothes, Aaron took on himself all the honor and glory of the high priesthood.

Now as we look around us even today, we can still see this truth played out in front of us as the more affluent an individual is or the more prestigious an office or role that this person is in, the better dressed they are.

Or at least this is our interpretation when we see someone who is well -dressed.

In the case of the priest that was responsible for ministering in the dwelling place of the

Most High, and especially the high priest, as they entered into the very presence of God and the

Holy of Holies, they wore clothing that was specifically designed by God and it was clothing that was not to demonstrate a worldly value.

It was clothing not to draw attention to them as individuals. It was to demonstrate before the world the unsurpassed glory and beauty of Almighty God.

In fact, Matthew Henry well captured this truth in his commentary when he wrote the following.

These glorious garments were appointed first that the priests themselves might be reminded of the dignity of their office and might behave themselves with all due decorum.

Secondly, that the people might thereby be possessed with such a holy reverence of that God whose ministers appeared in such grandeur.

And finally, that the priest might be types of Christ who should offer himself without spot to God and all of Christians and of all

Christians who have the beauty of holiness put upon them in which they are consecrated to God.

This morning, our text will begin our journey looking at the clothing specifically worn by the priest in general.

In fact, the text here not only refers to the specificity of the priestly clothing, but even beyond that to that of the high priest.

See, there were eight different types of clothing, four that was worn by all priests, and then four additional ones that were worn only by the high priest.

So as we get into this conversation, it is necessary for us to be reminded of a few things.

First of all, that the instructions given here regarding the fabrication and in other texts regarding the wearing of these specific items by the high priest were given for the priest that would serve

God and Israel. In fact, woven within the events surrounding Christ's death on the cross, we see two specific examples that show us that the priesthood instituted in the

Old Testament no longer exists. And this is an important truth for us to understand.

In Matthew's Gospel, we know that the tearing of the veil is a symbol that we see around the crucifixion of Christ that demonstrates the necessity of the priesthood has moved away.

However, before Christ is ever crucified, there's another moment in Scripture where we see something that occurs that seems to us, with our limited understanding, to be just a simple passing, but in fact is a violation of the law of the priest and is also a symbol of that priesthood passing away.

In Matthew's Gospel, in the 26th verse, verses 64 and 26th chapter, verses 64 through 65, we read this regarding the trial of Christ.

Jesus said to them, you yourselves said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

Now, we're all familiar with the events that occur here. We know this is Jesus standing before the

Pharisees and the Sanhedrin as he is being falsely put on trial, and they have been trying to get him to confess that he is the

Son of God and trying to get him to blaspheme himself. And so he makes this statement, and this is the response.

Then the high priest, the high priest, now you need to keep in mind that this is the high priest talking, tore his garments and said he has blasphemed.

What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy.

Now, the interesting part here is that one little tidbit before the high priest ever starts speaking tells us something that we miss oftentimes.

He tears his clothing. Now, why is this such a big deal? Well, it's a big deal because in Leviticus chapter 21, verse 10, we read these words.

And the priest who is the highest among his brothers, that would be the high priest, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been ordained to wear the garments, again the high priest, listen to this, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes.

The high priest, by very virtue of him renting his clothes at the crucifixion of Christ, unbeknownst to himself, demonstrates for us that the priesthood has now passed away.

Second thing we need to remember and recall, and this is important, we are not ancient

Israel. Now, we are true Israel because we are the church, those chosen and called out by God, but the difference is we stand on this side of the completed work of Christ.

We have no need of a priesthood to intercede on our behalf because Christ himself now intercedes on our behalf.

It abolished the necessity for the priesthood in the crucifixion. Jesus serves, again, as our high priest.

But even beyond that, as Peter writes in 1 Peter 2, 5 through 9, you also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood.

Now, let's be clear that we all understand who Peter's talking to. Peter's talking to the church.

Peter's not talking to everybody in all of creation. Peter is talking to those who profess faith in Christ, who are believers.

And Peter says of those individuals, you are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices, worship, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, for this is contained in Scripture.

Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, and he who believes upon him will not be put to shame.

This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, the stone which the builders rejected, this has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

They stumble because they are disobedient to the Word, and to this stumbling they were also appointed. But you, again, back to the believers, but you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's or for God's own possession, so that you might proclaim the excellences of him who has called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light, and that we may all have the liberty of direct access to the

Father through the Son. The priesthood is then eliminated. We have no need to repeat what has already been done away with.

Now, I bring this up because there are those in our society today who that is their very cry.

It's also a part of what the Roman Catholic Church teaches. That's the whole reason they have priests.

Someone needs to be an intercessor, and the reality we see from Scripture is that Christ is the intercessor, that by his work we now have access to the

Father. Hebrews 10, 19 through 22 confirms this. He says, Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed pure with water.

Thirdly, we need to be reminded that these articles of closing, specifically designed by God, serve just as the instructions regarding the construction of the tabernacle did to point us forward to Christ, to show us that throughout the entirety of Scripture, God's plan of redemption was being pressed forward until it found its fulfillment in Christ, and it continues to press forward until we experience that reality that we read about in Revelation 21, 1 through 7, where John records,

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he will dwell among them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be among them.

And he will wipe away every tear from their eye, and there will no longer be any death, there will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain.

The first things passed away. And he who sits on the throne said,

Behold, I am making all things new. And he said, Write, for these words are faithful and true.

Then he said to me, They are done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his

God, and he will be my son. With these things in mind, we come now to our text for this morning.

And we ask that the Holy Spirit guide us into all understanding as we work through Exodus 28 verses 1 through 14.

If you will, please rise for the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, complete, authoritative, and sufficient word.

We begin in the first verse of Exodus chapter 28, and we read,

Now as for you, bring near to yourself Aaron your brother and his sons with him from among the sons of Israel to minister as priests to me,

Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother for glory and for beauty.

You shall speak to all those wise at heart whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom that they make

Aaron's garments to set him apart as holy in order for him to minister as priests to me.

These are the garments which they shall make, a breastpiece and an ephod, and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons in order for him to minister as priests to me.

They shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen.

They shall also make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of the skillful designer.

It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends that it may be joined. The skillfully woven band which is on it shall be like its workmanship of the same material of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.

You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the second stone according to their birth.

As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel.

You shall set them all around in filigree settings of gold. You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel.

And Aaron shall bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders for remembrance. You shall make filigree settings of gold.

And two chains of pure gold. You shall make them a twisted work of cords and you shall put the chains of cords on the filigree settings.

Father, our heart is drawn out in thankfulness to you and we are thankful for your grace.

We are thankful that you sent your son. We are thankful for the influence and assistance of the

Holy Spirit and the continued intercession of Christ. Lord, we are reminded of your grace and your mercy as we serve you according to your will, as we think about eternity in your presence, as we witness your continued provision in our life.

And Lord, for the simple fact that you and you alone have raised us from death to a newness of life.

Father, we do not seek the favor of men for it is fleeting where your favor is eternal.

Our desire is to serve you in whatever way that you would require of us, regardless of the trials or the tribulations or the persecutions that may come.

Lord, may we never cease to find your grace sufficient for our lives and may we never confine ourselves to seek you on occasion, but to acknowledge you in all things, to glorify you in all things, to make your way ours.

Father, we ask all of these things in the blessed name of your son Jesus Christ. Amen. You may be seated.

And so as we mentioned last week and in the introduction this morning regarding Aaron and his sons, last week we talked about the fact that Aaron and his sons are first mentioned in that way beginning in the 21st verse of the previous chapter in chapter 27 as we come down to the final words where he introduces that these are the people who will be the priesthood.

So this introduction in verse 21 of chapter 27 served as the unofficial introduction of the priesthood.

And so as we move down into 28, especially in verse 1, it becomes more of an official introduction regarding Aaron and his sons and then the specific naming of the sons who would serve.

And so the point is not only, like we talked about last week, that there were many priests but one united priesthood.

The other thing that God does in the mentioning of his sons here is he also provides a plan of succession or a pattern of succession that is to be followed.

In other words, he is telling the people of Israel that it is not just anyone who will serve him as priest and especially anyone who will serve him as the high priest, that there is a specific order in which these things are to be done and it would be carried from generation to generation.

But it also serves to remind us of the perpetual nature of the intercession of Christ on behalf of the believers.

It reminds us that he is forever in the presence of the Father from now until we reach eternity, interceding on our behalf, ensuring that we are right in the eyes of God.

Now there is a great truth here that we should be mindful of even here today as these individuals, again, being divinely appointed and not of themselves.

Later in the life of Israel, there are a couple of instances that demonstrate the dangers of individuals desiring to set themselves up as priest.

In 2 Chronicles 13, 9 through 10, we see the following.

Have you not driven out the priest of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the people of other lands?

In other words, the people had done away with God's preordained and set path and decided, well, instead of it being what

God has ordained, it will be what we have ordained. A little later in 2

Chronicles 26, verses 16 through 21, we read this, but when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to Yahweh his

God. And he entered in the temple of Yahweh to burn incense on the altar of incense.

Then Azariah the priest entered after him, and with him 80 priests of Yahweh, men of valor.

And they stood against Uzziah the king and said to him, It is not for you,

Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who were set apart as holy to burn incense.

Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and have no honor from Yahweh. But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged.

And while he was enraged with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of Yahweh beside the altar of incense.

And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead. And they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out, because Yahweh had smitten him.

So King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh.

And Jotham, his son, was over the king's house, judging the people of the land. Now, you may recall that at the very beginning of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah in chapter 6 makes the statement that in the year

King Uzziah died. So this is King Uzziah of Isaiah fame, a man who for the most part was a man after God's own heart in his activities.

He was certainly no David, but he did well and did right, except he got to the point where he desired to serve as a priest and so this is the events that we see surrounding him.

And so both of these things demonstrated that the priesthood could not be made of people who were there by their choice, but were there by God's choice.

Now, this bears out in the lives of individuals today, first and foremost, because it should help us to realize that we are a royal priesthood that is made up of those who are chosen by God before the foundation of the world.

Secondly, and more tellingly, and quite honestly more concerning, is that although the role of priest and the role of elder, pastor is not a direct line, we would never compare the two in the sense of they perform the same function, but they are both things that are divinely appointed.

And we should take care to remember that the role of elder, the role of pastor within the church carries with it specific qualifications given by God that we cannot arbitrarily change.

However, what we see around us in the society today is that because we feel a certain way and we think a certain way and that we are 2 ,025 years removed from Christ, that we have now the right to change scripture according to our whims.

The reality is that his word stands as truth. And the truth of his word should change culture, not be changed by culture.

We should never be interpreting scripture in light of culture, but rather culture in light of scripture.

Since this role is one that is divinely appointed, these individuals will minister, and these people will minister in the tabernacle, until God determines also the manner in which these individuals should approach.

If you recall, the words I shared from Matthew Henry earlier helped to remind us that the priestly garment served as a reminder both to the priest and his role and what he did, the high calling of his work, but it also helped to remind the people of the holiness of Yahweh, the

God whom they serve. And so as we get to verse 3, we see identified for us in verse 1 the priesthood.

We see identified the plan of succession. We see identified in verse 2 that these garments should be made, and they are holy garments, and they are for glory and for beauty, not for the glory and beauty of Aaron and his sons, but for the glory and beauty of a holy

God. And then in verse 3, we see this conversation. We're going to come back to verse 3 in a few minutes because it's got some additional things that we need to discuss that tie in a little bit later on.

Verse 4 gives us a listing of these items that are made, and so it is exactly what it sounds like it is.

This is a rundown of what we will talk about throughout the entire section in chapter 28, the individual pieces, and we will work through those pieces as we get to them.

And so that brings us to verses 5 and 6. And so verse 5 identifies for us the colors that will be utilized in the making of these clothings.

Now, what we will see as we work through this is that the clothing that the priest would wear, the everyday priest, not the high priest, would be pretty much plain white linen.

The colors are reserved for the robes of the high priest. And so as you may remember from our conversation regarding the tabernacle, that these pictures that we see here, the colors that we see here, are the same as those of the curtain of the tabernacle.

But the ephod itself is a word that we run across rather frequently in the

Old Testament. And so we need to talk about it for just a minute because we need to understand that what we're seeing here is not necessarily the same thing that we see in other places.

For example, one of the most common places that we see the word ephod, that most people will point to, is the instance of David as he danced before the ark and the

Lord. And so we see that in 2 Samuel 6 verses 14 through 22.

And it says, And David was dancing before Yahweh with all his strength, and David was girded with a linen ephod.

So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of Yahweh with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

Then it happened as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David that Michael, the daughter of Saul, looked out the window and saw

King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of Yahweh and placed it in its place inside the tent which

David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

Then David completed offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, and he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts.

And he apportioned to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one.

And then all the people went each to his house. But David returned to his household, and Michael, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet

David and said how the king of Israel has glorified himself today. He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servant's maids as one of the worthless ones shamelessly uncovers himself.

And so the picture of the ephod that we see David wearing is a completely different ephod than what we see here described for us in chapter 28.

In fact, what it would be is it was a vest garment here that would go over the undergarment clothing that we'll see a little later as we close out this chapter in a few weeks.

And the magnificent breast piece that we will see described is attached to the ephod on the front.

And so, in fact, it becomes so related to one another that other than a few minor places in Scripture, every time you see the word ephod or breast piece, it is actually the two items being listed together.

And so what you see is this understanding that the ephod and the breastplate are one item in some sense.

They are united together. Now, obviously, we see in verse 3 that great care is to be taken in the fabrication, not only of this garment, but in all of the garments that is to be made.

The ephod itself was likely a two -piece garment, although there is obviously some discussion about this because Scripture is not entirely clear.

Again, the purpose is not for us to go out and recreate this piece of clothing.

It is not for us to go out and wear this piece of clothing. It is simply for us to acknowledge that it existed and the purpose for it.

And so it joined together over the shoulders in some fashion that had a sash that went around the waist.

And all three, the sash and the two pieces of the ephod, were formed from the gold and the purple and the blue and the crimson and the white.

And so as we talked about in the tabernacle, the colors there reminding us of Christ, pointing us towards him.

For the people of Israel that day, the fact that the priest wore clothing that matched the fabric that was the makeup of the curtains reminded them that this was the one way that they could enter, that through the work that the high priest did on the

Day of Atonement was the only way that they could enter into the presence of God, much like as we look forward and see these colors and see what they stand for, the purple royalty -clothed color, the blue divine color, the scarlet or crimson in the blood that was sacrificed, the white linen that represents purity, and finally the gold that was added here and its necessity of being pure as one comes into the closeness of the holiness of God.

All again stand to remind us and the Israelites of just who it was that they worship.

The garment as a whole, though, serves as a specific type.

In Revelation, again in chapter 1, John records the following description of Jesus.

He says, And in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe, reaching to his feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash.

Now this golden sash refers back to the ephod. The ephod that we talk of with the high priest was actually also known as the golden ephod because of the work of gold that was contained within it.

Again, Matthew Henry is helpful as he writes, Righteousness is the girdle of his loins,

Isaiah 11, 5, and should be of ours. Ephesians 6, 14, he is girt with strength for the work of our salvation and is ready for it.

The fastening of the ephod across the shoulders, the place of strength, recall us to the passage in Isaiah 9, verse 6, where it says,

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest upon his shoulders.

It is on the shoulders that Christ supports his bride and presents her before God.

Ephesians 5, 27, he presents her before God that he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless.

This is only accomplished by the work of Christ, sustained by the intercession of Christ.

What is interesting to note that as important as the ephod was, by the way, the ephod ultimately was also used as an idol and became a problem for the house of Gideon and judges.

As much of an important item as the ephod was, when you look at the text, there is more given to the creation and placement of the two onyx stones that would rest on the shoulders, and they become a focal point of the passage.

Now, for many, this again is just a small detail in what is considered to be a long passage that simply tells us about the clothing that the priest wore, and as such really bears very little to no impact on our lives today.

However, when we take a look at them a little deeper, there is some realities that we should take care to note.

For example, we note that the stones were engraved with the names of Israel.

Now, not only were they engraved with the names of Israel, they were set in a very delicate, well -made setting.

In fact, what we have described for us in verse 11 and 12 and 13 and 14 is the setting of these stones in the gold filigree and the gold chains that would attach them to the garments.

Now, as you may remember, as you may recall, back when we talked through the tabernacle, we talked specifically about the necessity of the closer you get to God, the more pure the materials needed to be, and so we saw that the metals that were used within the construction of the tabernacle moved from gold to silver to ultimately bronze.

What's not clear from the text and what theologians argue about is exactly where these stones ended up sitting.

Some would say that the gold filigree rested on the shoulders, and the stones were attached to the filigree by the chain, and so they would actually hang from the shoulders versus sitting on the shoulders.

Now, whether that's important or not, we'll never know because we don't have a clear picture of where they rest.

What we do have a clear picture of, however, is that the names were to be listed in the order of birth of the sons of Israel.

Now, what's difficult here is we do not have a verified listing of the birth order of the sons of Israel.

In fact, it varies from text to text depending upon the context and the surrounding, and so it's hard to know exactly which order in which they were listed, but I think that there is still an importance to be drawn here.

Many scholars would say that because this is simply a statement that says, well, they're listed in an order that makes sense.

It's a common formality of the day to list the children of a tribe or the children of an individual in the order that they were born.

It's not done in an order necessarily of specificity or preferential order, but there is still a message here, and the message actually has little to do with the names.

Now, the names were there and were important, and we'll talk about that in a few minutes, but before we ever get to the names and before we ever get to the fact that they were there, what is important,

I believe, is the fact that they were to be done in an orderly fashion.

In fact, I believe that as you take a look at everything that we have gone through regarding the tabernacle, go all the way back to the beginning of the tabernacle,

God was very specific with Moses that it was to be done exactly the way that he's shown him, exactly according to the instructions that he was to give.

We're reminded of this, and we look at verse 3 here, and we talk about verse 3.

Look back at verse 3 with me for a minute. It says, You shall speak to all those wise at heart whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom that they make

Aaron's garments to set him apart as holy in order for him to minister as priest to me. God has already given the individuals that will do this work the picture of what he has determined it to be, and so it's to be done, again, in a very specific way, in a very specific manner.

They were to be done just as they have been shown. As we take a look at that, as we look again back at the instructions regarding the tabernacle that say everything must be done according to the way that I say it, the repetition of that that we see throughout the passages, the fact that here in verse 3 we see that it's to be done by these skillful workers, it's to be done according to the plan, and then again here in this passage where it says that it's to be done in an order.

One of the things that we should be left with as we walk away from this passage in an overwhelming sense is that our

God is a God of order, not a God of chaos.

Every detail that we have discussed so far, every detail that we will discuss in the future points to this order.

We see it reflected. In fact, if we were to go through a scriptural survey from the beginning of Genesis all the way through the end of Revelation, what we would see is that there is a continued pressing in of this order, this way in which

God would have his people enter into his presence. Think back about what we've talked about about the tabernacle, the fact that there was one access to the

Holy of Holies, one access to the holy place, one access to the courtyard. Any other method, any other way became false.

Now, here's what the church today needs to hear. Because brothers and sisters, the church today needs to hear this message.

Because I will assure you, it doesn't take but a few moments of searching online to see how far away from this we have moved.

First of all, it begins with our understanding of the very nature of God. The reality of the immutability or the unchanging of God.

That it's not that he just doesn't change, it is the fact that he cannot change. That he is the God who was, the

God who is, and the God who will be. That he will always and eternally be the same

God. The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. And if the God of the Old Testament, who was also the

God of the New Testament, required order in worship from Israel, what makes us think that there is any alternative or that we are no longer required to have order in worship today?

There is nothing in the atoning work of Christ that did away with order in worship.

There is nothing in his teaching. There is nothing in either his personal teaching or the teaching of the apostles given through the

Holy Spirit that says to us or demonstrates for us that there is no longer to be order in worship.

And so the question becomes, where do we get this idea? Well, for some folks it comes from the act of unhitching the

Old Testament from the New. Where we say that the Old Testament is no longer relevant, no longer necessary, and is outdated.

Except for the psalms that we like, right? The good psalms. The good psalms that are there.

We don't want to talk about those, right? But we want the good pieces and the rest of it we can do away with because that God, the

God of the Old Testament, well, that's not really the God of the New Testament. What we have missed is that the

New Testament fulfills what the Old Testament predicts. The New Testament helps us interpret the passages in the

Old Testament that speak of the Messiah. The necessity of the Old Testament and the New Testament proclaiming the entire scope of God's plan of redemption.

It's so easy to make up our own stuff when we take away half of the teaching of God.

The other thing that tends to happen, or the other way it comes, is that folks will cite actually the scripture passage

I read a few minutes ago regarding David dancing before God. Well, David didn't have order when he danced before God as they brought it back into Jerusalem.

Well, first of all, context plays a big role in everything that was happening there. You should really understand it.

Secondly, that was not a normative action. In other words, that was not a normal part of Israelite worship.

It was not a normal part of the church in Acts or any of the epistles.

At no point do we see it being a normative part or a normal everyday portion where we take this one piece of event, and we decide that, okay, well, if David did it, it's okay for everybody to do it.

David also committed adultery. Does that mean it's okay? David also murdered.

Does that mean it's okay? The reality is we want to look at these things, and we want to miss the fact that this is not the word of God.

The order mentioned speaks to all of these things, but then the names themselves, the listing of the names of the tribes of Israel.

When you look at Exodus verse 12 in chapter 28 from our text this morning, you read these words.

You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders for remembrance.

In other words, as Aaron enters the presence of the almighty

God, he stands before God, not just representing his own personal family, but he stands before God representing the entirety of Israel.

Now, this carries with it a dual truth. First is the truth that we all welcome, hopefully, as we sit here today as believers, and that is the truth that this speaks of Christ, our great high priest who is intervening continually, perpetually on behalf of his people, the church.

The strength that upholds all things, upholds us, the church, whose names are reflected or etched or deeply engraved in the book of life.

But there is one additional reality. As weighty as it would have been for Aaron to stand in the presence of God on behalf of the people, bearing all of the people on his shoulders, and so carrying their names as part of the responsibility, how much more so is it to stand in sight of the people as a representative of God?

And so as he bears these stones, he stands before the people reminding them that he stands before God on their behalf, but he also stands before them on God's behalf and not just them, but the entirety of the world.

Okay, well, preacher, that's all well and good. What does that got to do with me? Here's what it's got to do with you. You remember the verse

I read a few minutes ago from Peter? Had something to do with you being a royal priesthood chosen.

See, you don't just represent fellow believers within the body.

You don't just love on the fellow believers. You don't just serve the fellow believers.

We represent God to the world. Matthew 5 verses 14 through 16,

Christ says to us, we are the light of the world.

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand and it gives light to all.

It gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven.

As we close this morning, I would call us to reflect on the divine design given to us of the ephod, the sash, the onyx stones, and the eternal truths that each of these reveal.

This is every thread, every stone, every golden detail in this garment speaks of a sacred order and a holiness beyond human measure.

We are reminded that our lives are called to mirror this divine intentionality.

You see, it's not just enough that we see the symbols, that we recognize that they are not symbols of human vanity, but that we understand that they are powerful, visible reminders of God's perfect design, a design that points forward to Christ, reminding us of our great high priest, reminding us that his work on Calvary's cross provided a new way, the only way to enter into the presence, to stand before God.

Each meticulous instruction reminds us that God's call is one of precision and purity.

Each element, the ephod, the sash, the stones, they were there to signify not only a functional role in the ancient worship, but also to prefigure the eternal order and redemption found in Christ alone.

In him, in Christ, we find our identity as a royal priesthood. Apart from him as our great high priest, we have no identity.

In him is our identity. We are called to live lives that honor the unchanging glory of our creator.

Our daily walk is to be an outworking of that order, a living testimony that the beauty of God's redemptive plan is present in every act of obedience, every moment of sincere worship and every gesture of service.

To which I leave you this question. In a world that often celebrates chaos and fleeting trends, how will you allow the sacred order of God's design to transform your everyday choices, relationships, and acts of worship?

Will you rise to the call of living a life marked by holiness and intentional purpose?

I would invite you this morning, if you are a believer here, to renew your commitment to embodying divine order in every aspect of your life.

Embrace the discipline of prayer. Embrace the integrity of worship.

Embrace the humility of service. Let your life be a living tapestry of testimony.

Just as Aaron bore the names of Israel upon his shoulders, you too are entrusted with representing the redeemed in a world longing for God's touch.

Go forth from this place empowered by the Holy Spirit, determined to reflect the beauty, the order, and the eternal truth of our

Savior, Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father, may every action, every word, and every decision that we make proclaim the excellence of him who has called us out of darkness and into marvelous light.

Father, may our understanding of the truth be rooted and grounded in your word, the only real truth.

Father, that the effects of this world would not tarnish us, would not hinder us, that we would stand firm, let the trials come, let the persecutions enter.

Father, we stand firm on your truth, on your word, living a life that is according to your plan, your direction, and your order.

Father, we love you. We thank you. We praise you. Lord, we give you the honor.

We give you all of the glory. We ask all of this in your most holy and heavenly name.