The Breast Plate

God takes up all the precious stones here as types of His saints. Suppose you take precious stones into a dark room, do you see any beauty there? No; but take them into a light room and you will see their beauty. So the saint is taken into God's presence and He there displays what he is in Christ. " Ever one with his name." I am thankful that my name it borne up on the shoulders of Christ as much as an apostle who ever lived. Not one name is forgotten Then there were rings of gold in each corner of the breast plate, and chains of gold chaining it to the shoulder, and the lower rings were fastened to the robe of the ephod by a lace of blue. It was impossible, without tearing, to loose the breast plate from the ephod. Thus we are inseparable from Christ's priest hood. As long as He is High Priest before God, so long will He have our names on His shoulder and upon His heart. These chains were linked into golden rings. Chains are an emblem of slavery; they are so in God's word. When a king took captives, he led them in chains through the gates of the city. These were golden chains, and gold being a type of the divine, it is a picture, a type, of being made by divine power and workmanship God's property. I like the word slaves, because it implies possession-we are not hired servants. Then they were inserted in golden rings. The ring is an emblem of affection and love. So, in Luke 15, after the father welcomed the prodigal home, He put a ring on his hand; it was a token that the father still loved him. Now it is a very nice token of love because it is also an emblem of eternity, for being round it has neither beginning nor end. It is a golden ring here, and therefore a type of God's eternal love. By God's power we are chained, you see; His affection and His strength bind us there. A lace of blue bound the breast plate to the ephod; believers are inseparably connected with the heavenly priesthood of Christ. " And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in his breast plate of judgment upon his heart when he goeth into the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.' We are borne upon Christ's heart, and as long as He has strength to bear us up and a heart to love us, we shall be forever kept. If that arm that brought salvation with it can ever grow weak, and that heart that bore our judgment can ever cease to love, then can one of God's sons perish, and not before. This, by God's grace, is His work, " He is able to save to the uttermost, all them that come to God by Him." First putting away our sins on the cross, He sits now at God's right hand, ever to make intercession for us, to bear our names on His heart before God continually. In the breast plate of judgment was placed the urim and thummim, Urim and thummim means Light and Perfection. It is the Light and Perfection of God in which believers are displayed and presented in Christ. Now mark another thing. When the high priest went into the holy place, it was the light of the candlestick that shone upon these stones, but when he went into the most holy place, the Light of God's own presence made them brilliant. Thus by the light of the Holy Spirit we understand our perfection in Christ; but up there we are displayed in the very light of God's presence. The hem of the robe was adorned with pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet, and golden bells. The pomegranate signifies fruit, and the golden bell a divine sound. With all those bells around the robe, Aaron could not take a step in the holy place without making music. Thus also with Christ. It is all Christ for us here. His sound up there is always sweet to God's ear; divine music, and fruit also. However weak we may be, and however feeble our worship, yet Christ up there is the One who presents the incense, and He is clothed in garments for glory and beauty, and His ministry for us is as the sound of music, sweet to the ears of God.
THE Miter, ver. 36-38.-In all our worship there is a measure of weakness comes in, but Christ bears up all our prayers and praises. Now mark four words here, "It shall be always upon his forehead." Every day when he trimmed the lamps and burned the incense it was there. It was always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted. Christ's presence up there ensures our acceptance. If we are accepted it is in Christ, and it shall be always upon His forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord.
Aaron's sons were also clothed in garments for glory and beauty (ver. 40). God having washed the sins of the believer away, He clothes him with glory and beauty in Christ.
" Till we behold Him on His throne,
In Him we boast, in Him alone—
Our beauty this, our glorious dress,
Jesus, the Lord, our righteousness."

Notes of Lectures on the Tabernacle: by C. H. B.
MANY of us here are interested in the subject of sanctification and consecration. Do you and I want to know how to be consecrated and sanctified? Let us pay attention to this chapter and we will see, for the way the priests were sanctified is a type of our sanctification, (ver. 3). These loaves were put into on basket: we all share in one Christ; in Him we have all the same blessing. Aaron was anointed with the oil before the blood was shed (ver. 7). Thus also Christ was anointed without blood, but we must have the blood first. The first offering was the sin offering (ver. 14). Sin must first be put away. In Lev. 1, God puts the burnt offering first and the sin offering last. We need to see the sin offering first, and thus we have it here. Notice the three offerings in the order in which they were. The sin offering outside of the gate, " He suffered without the gate." Then the burnt offering, and then the consecration offering. The blood of this, third offering, the "ram of consecration," was taken and put upon the extremity of the priest's ear, hand and foot; teaching us thus that we are consecrated to God by virtue of, and to the extent of the blood both as regards the mind, the acts and the walk. The blood of Jesus has set apart the believer thus to God, and the blood of Jesus is the measure of that consecration. In the sin offering it is the cross applied to our sin-it is borne away by it: in the burnt offering it is the cross as regards our acceptance-we are perfected forever by it. In the consecration offering it is the cross as regards our relationship to the world-we are crucified by it, separated forever from the world, and consecrated to God. Then Moses sprinkled with the blood and oil them and their garments, " and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him."
Bathed first (and only once) in water (verse 4); second, ' the blood applied; and thirdly, the oil. In the same way there is a three-fold sanctification. The water is here placed first-conversion; next the blood-my sins put away; and then the oil (the Holy Spirit), bringing the sweet intelligence of Christ to my soul.
Now we come to that which is most especially consecration. It is not our giving to God, but God giving to us, The Hebrew word for consecrate means to "fill the hands of." The blood shed and the oil sprinkled, the hands of Aaron and his sons were filled. Thus he was installed a priest. Then, afterward, "Thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor before the Lord." Now that is consecration. People talk about giving to God. What have I to give to God as a poor sinner? God gave me Christ, and the more my soul is tilled with Christ the more I am consecrated to God and separated from the things of the world. Worship is not singing and playing an organ; worship itself is the heart's pouring itself out to God and thanking Him for what Christ is. Christ must be the theme of worship. I can only draw near to God through Christ. I stand before God in Christ, and Christ Himself is my offering.
Finally, Aaron and his sons fed on the things offered to God. That is priesthood and worship. Brought into God's presence by the blood, Christ is the theme of our praise, and Christ is the food of our souls.
CHAP. 30.-THE GOLDEN ALTAR.-It was placed before the veil; incense was to be burned on this. If we come to God as sinners, asking God to have mercy upon us, it is all very well, but it is not worship. On the golden altar incense only was offered. This altar is a type of Jesus Christ in glory. He is the altar upon which our worship is offered. The incense was to be kindled with fire from the altar of burnt offering. When Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire they fell dead. If anything kindles the flame of our worship to God but the sacrifice of Christ, it is offering strange fire. The knowledge of what Christ has done must be that which enkindles worship, or it will be but a fleshly form. It was put just here before the veil, on observe. Now we thank God that the veil is rent, and our incense now is offered in God's immediate presence. Having boldness now to enter into the holiest, let us draw near and offer the sacrifice of praise continually, even the fruit of our lips, giving praise to His name.
" The veil is rent, our souls draw near
Unto a throne of grace;
The merits of the Lord appear,
They fill the holy place.'
Ver. 7. The Holy Ghost for some reason connects the burning of the incense with the lighting of the lamps? Every fresh light the Holy Ghost gives us of Christ will create a fresh burst of incense to God. That is the difference between man's teaching and Divine teaching. If I am taught of God, and learn the precious things of Christ, every fresh thing I learn of Christ will make me more of a worshipper, whereas carnal teaching will but puff me up.