The Garments of the high priest - The Character of Christ - Part 1

Our Father, we thank Thee for the opportunity we have of coming together this morning with the Word of God in hand to read in it truth concerning the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has been the theme of our song already, and He will be our eternal occupation. It is our privilege to be taken up with Him now in these moments that are before us.

We look to Thee for the needed help for our brother, not only to read but to give a little opening, and then for the discussion to follow that there might be the unfolding of divine truth that will thrill our very hearts and encourage us in the pathway heavenward and homeward. We think of those not with us today. We think of our brother Rich and our sister Carol in a marked way and pray that Thou will draw graciously near to them today and minister to them.

There are others, too, that have not been able to come because of the weather, and so we pray that they would be blessed by Thyself. Remember any that are yet travelling or will come later in the day, we pray for journeying mercies. Now, Father, take up our thanks for our time together.

We just commit the meeting now to Thee and look for the needed help as we give thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Now, I should say that we count it a great privilege to be here and to share the responsibility with my brethren.

We look forward to their help in understanding the passage, but most especially, of course, we look to the Lord for His help, not just in this Bible reading but over this weekend. We'll read the passage then, turning to the book of Exodus and chapter 28. Exodus chapter 28, and we're reading from verse number 1. And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eliezer and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron my brother, for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wisehearted, whom I have filled 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. And these are the garments which they shall make, a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a miter, and a girdle.

And they shall make holy garments for Aaron my brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twine linen with cunning work.

It shall have the two shoulder pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof, and so it shall be joined together. And the curious girdle of the ephod which is upon it shall be of the same, according to the work thereof, even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twine linen. And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel, six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel. They shall make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod, for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel.

And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. And thou shalt make ouches of gold, and two chains of pure gold at the ends of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work, after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it, of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twine linen shalt thou make it.

Four square it shall be, being doubled. A span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones.

The first row shall be a sardius, a tupas, and a carbuncle. This shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper. These shall be set in gold in their enclosings.

And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet. Every one with his name shall they be, according to the twelve tribes. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.

And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. And thou shalt put two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. And the other two ends of two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ethod before it.

And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ethod inward. And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ethod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ethod. And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof, unto the rings of the ethod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ethod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ethod.

And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord. And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.

And thou shalt make the robe of the ethod all of blue, and there shall be a hole and hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof, it shall have a binding of woven work round about the whole of it, as it were the whole of a harbour yon, that it be not round. And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof, and bells of gold between them round about, a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister, and his sound shall be heard when he goeth into the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, holiness to the Lord. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the miter, upon the forefront of the miter it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts.

And it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord. And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the miter of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework. And we know that God will bless to us the reading of his precious word.

Now the brethren, I think in some ways have been rather kind to me, because first of all they've given me two hours, which is only reasonable I think given the number of verses that we've read, but they've also given me just the one passage. And so while some of my brethren have had to invest great effort and display great ingenuity in getting an outline that brings a whole range of passages together, I really have had a very easy time, because I've only had one passage, and it's a passage that pretty much divides itself. And as you'll see on the outline, we just haven't tried to improve on the structure that's there in the passage.

There's an introduction, and then we have a number of sections dealing with the various garments that are associated with the high priest. And we want to follow that structure as much as possible in the Bible reading. I'll just make one or two very brief introductory remarks, then say a little bit about that introduction section, and then we'll just, in the discussion, just work our way down through the sections that follow.

Just so that the brethren know what I'm aiming for and can help me in that direction, I should perhaps say that I think it will be useful when we come to thinking of the materials, of the colours of those materials that are outlined in the introduction, that we take them as we find them in the introduction and think about the significance of them, so that then when we get down to the garments, we don't need to explain once again what the gold means and once again what the blue means, but that we might understand why that particular colour or those particular colours are found in the particular garments. So we'll just follow the logic and structure of the passage as best we can. Just really two things to say by way of setting the passage in its context.

We know that the words that we have read are the words of the Lord spoken to Moses, and they come in a section where we have been hearing, first of all, about the sanctuary, and something of the nature of the sanctuary and the nature of the tabernacle has been outlined in the preceding chapters. When we go into the following chapter, we have something of the service that's associated with that sanctuary, and in between those two sections we have the chapter that we've read which really tells us something about the man who will minister, who will be in that sanctuary and who will be performing that service. There are three occasions in our Bible where we encounter the garments of the high priest.

We have them here, and I suppose we could call this, having had an outline handed to me by the passage, I'll just have to do a little bit of alliteration just to prove that I'm capable of it, to get a passing grade as it were. So we have the mandate in this passage for the garments and the requirements for them outlined, and we come over to chapter 39 and we have the making, we have the manufacture of the garments, and then where we'll be a little later on in Leviticus chapter 8, we have the ministry of the garments. Mind you, I think there's just a practical note to be sounded by way of application at the beginning of the Bible reading.

You know, it's our prayer that in these readings we'll hear the voice of God, and I know that's really what has us here. You haven't come so much to hear what I or the other brethren have to say, and if you only hear our voices, the conference perhaps won't have been really worthwhile, and our prayer is that we'll hear the voice of God. But you know, it's easy to come to a conference and to hear the voice of God and then to go away and not to do anything about it.

And so the mandate was given, but there was obedience to that mandate over in chapter 39 where the garments were actually made. But then again, you see, I suppose we've all had the experience where we've come to a conference and God has spoken to us, and our hearts have been touched and we've gone away and we've been determined to respond to the word of God and to make the alterations that are necessary in our life, and maybe it lasts a week, and maybe it only lasts a couple of days, and soon we're back to where we were. But when we think of the ongoing, you know, these garments would be used and used again and again, and it would be good if there were permanent and lasting and even eternal consequences from our consideration of the word of God in these Bible readings.

So with those by the way of very general contextual remarks, let's come then to the introductory section verses 1 to 5 of this chapter. It is interesting, and I suppose it's worth taking a moment or two just to think about this, that we have the repetition in these verses of in the priest's office. And it seems to me as I'm thinking about these Bible readings that given that the Bible readings are about priesthood, it would be perhaps useful just to say a very little about the definition of priesthood before we begin.

And our brother David really has made that task very simple, because in his handout for the fourth Bible reading, we really have a very detailed overview of what was involved, what priesthood entailed. But very simply, I think it is useful to remind us that priesthood was a meditatorial office, and it involved, as we've often heard, it involved going in, and it involved going out. And the priest, as he went into the presence of God, he went into the presence of God as a representative for the people.

And of course when we think of that going in, we are thinking of sacrifice. And there was that sacrificial order that would allow the priest to approach into the presence of God. But then there was a coming out as well.

And the priest would come out, and in the coming out it's not so much sacrifice that was involved, but it was speaking. And we'll be thinking about that in the context of this passage when we think about the breastplate of judgment, and when we think about the Urim and the Thummim, and I know that you're all just itching to get down to that section of the chapter. So there was a coming in, and there was a going out.

There was a sacrificing, and there was a speaking. But over all that as well, there was a sympathizing, and there was a succory. And we'll be learning something more about this when we move into our brother William's Bible reading, and I promised him that we'll keep out as far as we possibly can, but we will discover what might not have been so clear to us from the Old Testament passages.

We will discover that part of the function of the priest was to succor, was to bring help, and was to sympathize with those for whom he ministered. And we'll no doubt expand on that, and the brother may have further thought on that, but just in a very simple and a very sketchy way, those are some of the things that are involved when we think about priesthood. And we think about them seen typically in the Aaronic priesthood, and we think about them of course in a very beautiful way when we come to think about the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I've given you on the handout just again, as I say, demonstrating my proficiency with finding words that begin with the same letter. I've given you just a few things that I think are worth thinking about in this introduction. First of all, the competence that is required for these garments.

It's a very interesting thing to me whenever we read through the instructions that were given in relation to the tabernacle, or the instructions here that are given in relation to the garments, that there's such an emphasis on the power of the Holy Spirit. You see, it wasn't the case that Moses was to go out and to search for the gifted seamstresses. It wasn't that he was to look amongst the tents of the camp to find the men or the women who were naturally best equipped to take a needle and thread and to work these garments.

I don't think, by the way, that there would have been anybody with the natural talent to produce garments as remarkable and resplendent as those that we're thinking about this morning. But what was needed was divine help. What was needed was divine enablement, and what was needed was the power of the Holy Spirit.

And of course, it shouldn't surprise us really that that's the case when we're thinking about the house of God. And it is still the case today that while God can use our personalities and he can use our talents and our abilities and our education, and he does have a claim on all those things that we are by nature and by personality and by upbringing, but when it comes to the house of God, what matters is not natural ability. And what matters is not natural endowment.

What matters is spiritual enablement. And I think we can see that very clearly. And of course, there's a corollary.

There's a consequence of that for us today. Because as we come to these... I was telling one of my colleagues that I was coming over here, and they're used to me doing strange things, but I think they thought I had really sort of topped it by flying all the way to the United States to talk about passages from the Old Testament that detail the garments of the high priests. And you could see them thinking, why? What? Is he for real? I don't know whether that's an expression you use here.

Best to avoid the idiomatic. And you know, it's a legitimate question. And you know, we read through and there's ouches and there's wreath and chains and you wonder, you know, what's this all about? And of course, we're here not just to read it with the historian's eye, not just to think about what it was like and how it was put together.

The remarkable thing is this, that with the help of the Holy Spirit and in the light of New Testament revelation, we come to a passage of scripture like this. And we find it not just a matter of historical curiosity, not just a kind of an interesting insight onto an ancient culture, but though it was written so long ago, and though it was written for people who are so very different to what we are, it is full of truth that speaks to our hearts, and that speaks to our souls, and that tells us more about the great person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I trust we'll grasp that today.

I trust we'll have the competence that is required, the wisdom that we would need even to understand the tremendous truth that is brought before us here. There's the consecration that they represent. And it's very much, the emphasis is very much in the passage that the putting on of these garments would be what would consecrate Aaron.

It would set him apart and it would equip him for the service that God had in mind for him. It was necessary that these garments would be upon him in order that he might minister in the priest's office. And of course, and we'll maybe want to think about that, there was those external trappings.

And as far as Aaron was concerned, they would have reminded him for the need for what was inward to match what was outward. But of course, when we take these things and we apply them to the Lord Jesus Christ, as we will delight to do, with him it wasn't outward. And it wasn't these qualities, these attributes, these features were not something that he put on externally, but they were what he was like through and through.

And so it's important, I think, that we grasp that distinction. I do just want to say a very brief word, and the clock is doing its usual thing of moving too quickly, but a very brief word on the completeness that they represent. I think it's a lovely thing.

You read through the books of the law and you think of the sacrifices, for example. And you know, you all know well, that there's not just one type of sacrifice. And we ask the question, well, why are there, you know, there's five different big categories, and then within those big categories there's all sorts of different variations of the sacrifice that could be offered.

And of course, the reason for it is this, that what they speak of, the work of Christ is so great and so grand and so comprehensive that it needs to be explained in all these different aspects and in all these different areas that we might be able to understand just something of the great significance of his work at Calgary. And it's like that with these garments. Not just one garment that was given, but we'll be making our way through the regalia of the high priest and we'll be thinking about those individual garments.

And you know, they're all needed to bring before us the manifold, the variegated aspects of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as our great high priest. And I hope we'll, again, I hope we'll grasp something of that as we make our way through. And then there's the colours that they radiate.

And there's a few things that need to be said here. First of all, we live in a very colourful world. And we can have, in the era of chemical dye, we can have garments in whatever colour we want.

But of course, it isn't always to be like that. And if you had visited the camp of the children of Israel, likely it would have been a very drab sort of place. Maybe the tents would have been black or dark brown.

And what the people that wore would have been, again, just sort of shades of brown and beige and dull. It would have been a very dreary sort of place to our eye. And now there's a man and he comes, of course, in the middle of it there's a building that's very different.

And out of that building there comes a man. And he is resplendent in gleaming white. And as the light of the sun shines upon him, there are flashes of the gold wires that were woven in the garments that he wore.

And the brilliance of the blue and the red and the purple. And it must have been a remarkable thing. And he must really have stood out.

And of course, the application isn't far to seek because there is one, brethren and sisters. And he's altogether lovely. And he's the conspicuous one.

He is the one that stands out among the ten peasants. And just as Aaron moved, you would have looked at him, he would have drawn the eye. And again, as we think of the Lord Jesus Christ, we're thinking of one.

And he radiates a beauty that is so far beyond that which is round about and beyond that which is seen elsewhere. Of course, there's a significance to these colours. I have made a note on the handout.

And we have been asked to reflect in this Bible reading on the question, the very important question, am I reflecting his character? Am I reflecting Christ's character? And I think it is important to notice in relation to that, that the garments of the high priest are divided into three categories. There are the multicoloured garments that we'll be wanting to think about. And those multicoloured garments are associated with his priestly activity.

They are the garments of the helpful man. And then there's that robe, and we'll need to think about this robe, and it's all of blue, and a remarkable garment it must have been. And that's the garment of the heavenly man.

And then there are those white garments that are worn by the holy man. Now, we cannot really... You see, the other priests, the non-high priests, if I can call them that. It wouldn't be right to call them the low priests, probably.

But the ordinary priests, they didn't wear the multicoloured garments. And they didn't wear the blue coat, but they wore the white garments. Now, we can't wear the multicoloured garments in the way that Christ can wear.

And we can't wear the garment of blue that speaks of his heavenly origin and his heavenly character. But it is incumbent upon us, brethren and sisters, to seek to replicate in our lives those moral perfections, to wear the white garments that he wore too, and to manifest the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, we'll want to think about the meaning of those colours, but we'll perhaps leave that for discussion.

And in fact, I think that is, as I say, that has inevitably taken a little longer than I would have hoped. So we'll begin with this first section. We'll certainly want to hear the brethren giving us help on these different materials that are involved.

And we'll look, first of all, at these five verses before we move on down through the remainder of the passage. So we look to the brethren for their help. And it's good to see younger brethren here as well.

And I have gained great benefit in my own experience from asking questions at Bible readings. And it would be good if there was not just comments, but questions from younger brethren as we seek to engage with this very beautiful and very precious passage of the Word of God. Well, brother, you do get a pass grade on your alliteration.

Very good. But in Wisconsin, we like pea shooters. So in chapter 28, we have the prescription for the garments.

Then in chapter 39, we have the production. And in Leviticus 8, we have the placement upon Aaron. Well, I always feel, brother William, that pea alliteration is the easiest sort.

So I thought I'd aim higher. Raise the bar. So we see, I think one of the things that we'll see very clearly in these opening verses is the separation, the consecration, the setting apart of Aaron and of his sons.

And it begins really right at the beginning of the chapter with the instruction to Moses that he's to take them, that he is to bring them near unto him. So that really the nature of that meditorial work would require them to be connected with their brethren. But it would also require a separation from their brethren.

And that's perhaps an idea that we'll be thinking about in later Bible readings. Yeah, that'll be developed in Hebrews. But taken from among men, we notice here, take Aaron, my brother, and his sons with him.

And then it says from among the sons of Israel, like it seems to be, that should have been, we would think, just assumed. But it's specifying the fact that this man is going to be identified with the people. So there's that necessary emphasis.

Is there any significance to the fact that the garments are described here before the inauguration in the next chapter, where the consecration ceremony is seen? Well, I think you have the idea of the fitness being required. And the garments, as far as Aaron was concerned, really provided him. There's a very clear sense, as I tried to suggest in these verses, of these garments imparting something or expressing something.

I don't know if you had another thought on that. No, the garments would express not what he was in himself, but what he represented. So where did they get the material mark to produce these garments? Well, I don't know if you have something specific in mind, but I have thought that this was part of the spoiling of the Egyptians when they came out from Egypt.

That's exactly what I had in mind. So the Lord gave them something in Egypt, and he provided them with something as they were leaving Egypt as a redeemed people, which he is now expecting them to give back to him. And so we've got a principle here that the Lord has given things to us, and the Lord has given those to us so that we, in turn, can give that back to him when it comes to the person of the Lord Jesus.

Thank you. And that gives a nice balance to what I was emphasising about the spiritual wisdom that was required, because there was certainly, as you say, something that they had that they freely gave, and then God added the skill that was needed. So with the spiritual wisdom, that's mentioned a few times right through these passages, isn't that correct? So we've got Bezalel, full of the spirit of wisdom.

You go to when Moses is moving off the scene, Joshua comes on the scene, full of the spirit of wisdom. You move over to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 1, that God made those saints will be full of the spirit of wisdom. But the wonderful thing is, these are not leaders here.

So when you're with Bezalel, this is a man that God has raised up as a servant. And when you're with Joshua, again, it's a servant moving onto the scene. We could almost get discouraged and think, well, it's good enough for servants.

But the Lord says, no, this is for all the people, and they're filled with the spirit of wisdom. Just for everyone here, this spirit of wisdom is available for each and all of us. And I think to bring the idea of service through, one of the things that is repeated in these verses is minister unto me in the priest's office, minister unto me in the priest's office.

So that very clearly brought before us here is the idea that priesthood is an office, yes, but it's also a work. The priest would have been a busy man. There was a continual daily round of sacrifices to be performed, and there were the annual responsibilities and exceptional responsibilities that might arise.

And again, it's good for us to be reminded that there is one who is busy and occupied on our behalf. He is serving, and he is ministering. Can I ask you one thing on verse number one there? Take Aaron thy brother and his sons from among the children of Israel, and then it says that he, why is it that the singular is brought out there in verse number one? Well, I think right the way through this passage, the emphasis is on Aaron and the unique position that he had.

But of course, it was necessary, and again, straying dangerously close to Hebrew territory, it was necessary that the sons be there because the moment would come when these garments would be taken off Aaron, and when they would be put on someone. So I think even at the inauguration of this, there's a visual reminder that Aaron is not always going to be the man. The garments will carry on, but Aaron will not always be the man in the garments.

So is there also, we've often been taught, and I'm sure you've heard it and used it, that there's the three sections to the tabernacle. So there's the court, and then the holy place, and then the holiest of all. And the Levites were in the first section.

The priest, plural, could function in the second section. It was only the high priest who could move himself into the third section. The only thing is, in the book of Exodus and Leviticus, when it comes to the tabernacle, it's really Aaron that's brought to the fore.

When it's the trimming of the lamps, Exodus, sorry, Leviticus 24, it's Aaron. And when it's the bread put upon the table, it's Aaron that puts that bread upon the table. The previous chapter, the pure olive oil, it's really coming down for Aaron.

And so it's really bringing out to us that this is the man that's in focus, and this is the preeminent one. And we need to keep moving down through the section, so let me just take opportunity from what you've said there, and the point about, of course, that this was a priest that served in the tabernacle. And when we come to these colours, one of the very obvious points to be made is that these are colours that were seen right throughout the tabernacle.

So we have a sanctuary, and we have a man who is attired in a way that makes him suitable to serve in that sanctuary, that matches the sanctuary. And just as in Hebrews, we have a heavenly sanctuary, and there is a heavenly priest who is fitted to serve there. I hadn't really thought of that, brother.

I mean, certainly what you say is correct. And I suppose as Aaron, the one who was moving out, and in moving out he was really manifesting the character of God to the people, it was necessary that that could be seen in the garments that he was wearing. So what about that expression, for glory and for beauty? Was that for glory and for beauty in Aaron? Can you help us just, what does exactly entail for glory and for beauty? Thank you.

I should have mentioned that in my opening. Yes, it's an interesting expression. It has been suggested that we have the God word and the man word, that there was glory as far as God was concerned, and there was beauty that could be seen by man.

And I think there may be something in that. And of course, the order there is important because this was something primarily, or at least first of all, for the eye of God. And then it was something that would be seen, as I've been suggesting, by those who are in the camp.

So certainly there were garments that were remarkable. If Aaron was in the room, nobody would have been looking anywhere else because these were garments that in their colours and in their construction just would have drawn the eye and captured the eye. So if we used honour for the second word, this is giving Aaron honour that he never had before.

There's something being conferred upon him. Yeah. Is that what you meant by, or what is meant by thou shalt make holy garments? What makes them holy? I think simply because they are special and set apart.

I mean, again, these are not, there would be no other. And in fact, there couldn't have been. And one of the interesting things when you go to places like the Temple Institute, where they're awfully keen to figure out how to recreate these garments is that they've no idea how to recreate them because as we'll see as we go through, there's detail that's not given.

So there would be no other garments like this and they were garments that were separate and distinct in that regard. But I do think we need to get to the colours and the materials rather. We have the list of the garments in verse 4 and we'll see those as we move down through.

So perhaps we'll, unless anyone has strong feelings otherwise, we will not perhaps need to say more about that just at this point. But we'll come to verse 5 and we have this list of materials and it's a list that always appears in the same order of the colours, the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet and the fine linen. I'll tell you what I think and then you can feel free to disagree with me.

I have sort of given this on my hand at any rate. Gold, of course, we know is the material that speaks of deity. It speaks of the glory of God.

And I think it also speaks of divine righteousness. And it's a very comforting thing. It's something that gives great assurance I think when you look through the garments of a high priest just to see where the gold is and what the gold is holding on to.

And brethren and sisters, divine righteousness is something that underpins so much of the confidence that we can have as believers in the security of our salvation. And we'll see that as we go through. There's the blue and then there's a little bit of discussion just about exactly the shade of blue.

I tend not to get more accurate than sort of just blue. And I'll be suggesting that this is the heavenly colour, I hope uncontroversially. The purple, of course, when we're thinking of the purple we're thinking of the kingly colour and there's a significance in that.

And then the scarlet. I suggested that this is the colour of devotion. We may be more often thinking of it as the colour of sacrifice but we'll all be familiar, I'm sure, with the fact that this is the worm scarlet.

And this is the colour that was made, the word that the Lord uses prophetically in Psalm 22, I'm a worm and no man. And this was the colour that was produced from a little worm that would lay its eggs on the tree and then would glue itself to the tree to protect those eggs. And when those eggs hatched they would feed on the flesh of their mother.

And so there was a life that was given, a devotion that was expressed right to the point of death. And they took the casts of these worms and they crushed them and they made this red colour from them. And I think it speaks so beautifully, not just of the sacrifice of the saviour but of the devotion of the saviour.

That on the part of others, a devotion that went to death because of the benefit that could be brought to others. And then we have the fine linen. And it's lovely, brethren and sisters, to think of the fine linen.

A fabric that was linked with earth. And of course it's brought before us in the book of Ezekiel as a fabric that will not, in Ezekiel there's that prohibition that the priest would wear anything that would cause a sweat. And so there would be nothing that would activate the effects of the curse.

Sweating was of course linked with the curse there in Eden. And there would be nothing that would advertise the effects of the curse. And when we think of this fine linen, this fine twine linen, lovely to think of the fine things associated with Christ.

We have the perfect humanity I think of our Lord Jesus Christ that is seen here. But go ahead brethren, set me right if I have gone wrong and give us some extra help on these colours. Any thoughts as to why the gold is first here? I suppose because it's important.

I don't know if I can be sort of more insightful than that brother. But clearly it is essential that the deity and the righteousness of God are seen in this man. So when it's the tabernacle, the curtains, the fine linen is first.

And when in chapter 27, the veil, it's the blue which is mentioned first, the heavenly man. Here, whenever it's the garments, as you say, it supports what you've been teaching us. This is the essential deity of the Lord Jesus which is brought to our forefront.

It's the gold that is mentioned first. But in the overall, in the tabernacle, in the sanctuary, or in the holiest of all, you have a predominance of gold. And then the blue and the purple and the scarlet and the fine twine linen.

So Aaron is reflecting the character of that sanctuary. And it's found in his person to be suitable for the sanctuary by these garments. Can I ask you, Mark, and I realise, what about the three terms that are used? Linen, fine linen, and fine twine linen.

Would you like to develop that in relation to the Lord Jesus? If you and the Holt brother go ahead. Actually, it's a thought I stole, so I don't know. Does that count? I think so, yeah.

Linen seems to come, it was Mr Gilliland who gave it. He said that linen seems to come from the separation of fabrics. And so it speaks of the separateness of Christ.

The fine linen is not the quality of the material, it's the colour of the material. It's white. It speaks of the spotlessness of Christ.

And of course the fine twine linen are the fabrics being intertwined. And that speaks of the strength of Christ. So there's a beautiful portrayal of the Lord Jesus even in the linen garments.

I had stolen that, but I'd stolen it from somewhere else. Maybe he did. Very good.

So have we any further help on the materials or are we ready to move to verse number six on the ephod? Now for the assistance of those who, like myself, do not have a visual imagination, I find the easiest way to think of the ephod as being a little bit like an apron, except with a front and a back to it. It's interesting when you look at the various illustrations, there seems to be a great variety of opinions. Some ephods come down to about here and some ephods come down to about here.

Clearly it was long enough to require to be girded, so it must have come down, I judge, a little below the waist. And so it really hangs from the shoulder and we have the fabric joined together at the shoulder. And the ephod really became synonymous with the priesthood.

Man standing up with an ephod really is just another way of saying a priest. And so we're thinking, when we think of the ephod of the priestly man, it's lovely in that connection to think of the... I think with all these garments we'll want to think of their composition and we'll want to think of their construction. We thought really about the composition and we thought about the fact that here is a priest who's fitted to the sanctuary in which he serves.

But it is lovely that it hangs from the shoulders and we'll be thinking about those shoulders in relation to the stones, the place of strength. But not only does it hang from the shoulders, it embraces the torso, it embraces the heart. And so I think in this ephod we're being reminded that there are two great requirements for the priest.

One is that he has the ability, that he has the strength to bear the burden that is placed upon him. But he's not to bear that burden in a dry, in a mechanical, in an unsympathetic way. And the emotions and the affections of the priest will also be involved.

We'll think about that a little later in relation to the breastplate. But I think it's here even as we think of the construction of the ephod. The garments themselves, it seems that there's an order that he's taking them up in, right? Is it from the exterior to the interior? I think so.

Although if anyone has any help as to why it's a different order in verse 4, I would be delighted to have it because I don't really know why. But certainly when we move into this, as you say, we're moving downwards. And I think it is important to see that at the bottom of all this was the perfect, holy humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That really underpinned all that he was, all that he is as a great high priest, relies upon the fact that he is a perfect man. And we'll be seeing that again when we come to Hebrews later on. So do you count six garments or seven? I had the thought that we could, but really it depends.

I think there's six. I mean, I know it would be nice if there was seven, but I think there's six. Why would it be nice if there's seven? Perfect number.

At verse 42, you have another garment, the linen breeches. That's true. That's true.

That would get us there. So the ephod was girded. And it's a lovely expression, lovely King James expression, isn't it? The curious girdle of the ephod.

I'm not sure how many brethren would be pleased if I said that's a curious tie you're wearing. I was thinking that. It is quite curious, isn't it? And certainly sisters, if you said that, that's a very curious, or to use the similar word that comes a little later on, a very cunning garment that you're wearing.

And the modern translations will give us the idea, perhaps, of skillful or skillfully made. But really, I think that's only half the story. The idea here is not just skill in execution.

The idea here is skill in design and execution. And this comes back to what we were saying early on about the uniqueness of these garments. There was a pattern.

There was a design. It wasn't in any sense a random hodgepodge of these different materials or different threads. There was a design that, and the word really has the idea of ingenuity.

There was a design that had been constructed with ingenuity. And then, yes, it was executed with skill. But we're thinking, I think, more of the origins of it.

And I think that, brethren and sisters, is a most precious thought. To think about all the truth that we're going to be considering over this weekend, about Christ, about the person of Christ, about the work of Christ, about the blessings that come to us through Christ, and to realise this, that that all had its origins in the heart of God. Could we say, in the ingenuity of God, in eternity, is a most precious and a most humbling truth.

And I think it's lovely, therefore, to think of this curious girdle and to think of the coming work. It couldn't be replicated. There was no human pattern for this.

This was divine ingenuity seen in the beauty of the garments. So when it comes to verse 8, can I take you there? Absolutely, yeah. You put on your outline that it's not so much the priestly man as the ephod, but it's the serving man, this girdle.

So am I right to consider that the girdle was almost like a sash or like a belt which was tied around the waist? Yes. Is that correct? Yes, I think so. Now, there's two girdles, of course, as you well know.

There's the girdle that goes with the white coat on it, and it is a different word that's used. And this is perhaps more the idea of a sash, but associated with, in the days of long flowing garments, you were all familiar with the term girding up your loins, and the girdle was something that you had for when work was to be done and you wanted to gather up those garments that would otherwise impede you or get in your way, and you would gird them with the girdle. And I think it is the idea of service that has been brought before us.

And of course, we do remember that there was an occasion when our Lord was girded, and he wasn't girded with a girdle like this, with a curious girdle of the ephod, but he girthed himself with a towel so that he might serve his own and that he might wash their feet. It's very precious to think of that. So to support the idea of service, Mark, remember the girdle that Ezekiel was told to take.

Is it Ezekiel 13 or 14? And he was told to take it to the river and bury it. And it's showing that the work of the nation, God is seeing it as defiled. Then, of course, you've got Acts 21.

You recall that Paul was bound with the girdle. The man that goes to Jerusalem, he's bound with the girdle, and he's being told, now your service is going to be curtailed. So as our brother has said, and rightly so in his outline, it is clearly a symbol of service.

Are there any activities that Aaron would perform where this would be particularly helpful to have this? Well, I would have thought there were quite a few. His work involved walking around near altars with fire on them and dealing with sacrifice. And from a health and safety point of view, if nothing else, it would have been, I think, a useful thing.

I mean, whether this girdle would have been used in that way, this is maybe more ornamental. But I think the significance of it certainly is to remind us, again, it's the idea of one who is ministering, who is serving in the priest's office. Did you have something particular? No, those are good examples.

It is attached to the breastplate with these laces of blue. So clearly it had a function of securing the breastplate to his person, keeping that breastplate close to his heart, and we'll be learning what all that means later. I hope so.

So we have then a couple of verses that deal with something that is not really a garment, but I think would be properly understood as being part of the fittings of the ethod. And that's these, again, lovely King James, these ouches of gold and these stones that were mounted in them. And we know, of course, and we'll see this, that there are the two different stones.

There are the two onyx stones on the shoulders, and we'll be thinking about the significance of the 12 stones that are on the breastplate. It's interesting that there are three things in relation to the garments of a high priest that are engraved with the gravings of a cygnet. And it's the shoulder stones, it's the breast stones, and it's the plate on the forehead engraved, Holiness to the Lord.

And it is, I think, a most precious thing to appreciate that the Lord's commitment to his own is matched only by his commitment to God. And there's a similarity there. There's an equation there.

And we were thinking last night of one who's a merciful and a faithful high priest. And he's faithful to his own, but he's also faithful to the one that called him. And it's very precious to think about that.

It's something that I've really been enjoying just in preparing for these Bible readings. It's been some years since I looked at the garments of the high priest. And just the way that they bring before us that the security of the believer, I think, is most precious.

I don't know if there's someone here today who is troubled with concerns about the security of their salvation. Just think a little of these stones and of the variety of ways that their security is brought before us. First of all, the names are, or maybe not first of all, but in no particular order, shall we say, they're on his shoulders.

And we've thought of that already as the position of power. You remember that when the shepherd sought the sheep and when he found the sheep that was lost, he put it on his shoulders and he came home rejoicing. And there would be no more secure way.

If you put a sheep under your arm, it might wriggle back. It might wriggle front. If you're trying to carry it in any other way, it might get away.

When it was on the shoulders of the shepherd, there was no escape. We've often been reminded, I'll not be telling you anything that you haven't heard before, that in a coming day, as far as millennial administration is concerned, the government will be upon his shoulders singular, but it's shoulders here that are brought before us. So, brothers and sisters, isn't it good to know that we're on his shoulders? Why were they on his shoulders? Well, the order of the names on the stones was the order of their birth.

And so they were on the shoulders. It wasn't that they had to earn the status, or it wasn't that they might have misbehaved and been scratched out, but no, they were on the shoulders because of their birth and they were there in order of birth. We thought about the engravings of the signet.

And then they're set in these ouches of gold. And what exactly these ouches were, the word has the idea of an interweaving. And whether it's the idea of clasps, they clearly were a clasp of some sort, but whether that interweaving is to do with the clasping or whether it is to do with the setting that grasped them.

Nonetheless, it's clear, however we take it, that these were stones that were firmly affixed. And, brothers and sisters, they were fixed in the gold. You see, our security, the security of our salvation, it's not guaranteed by our righteousness.

That would be a sad and a sorry state of affairs, but it's guaranteed by divine righteousness. And if God is righteous and we're saved, then we cannot be lost. And so I think there's tremendous comfort for us in these onyx stones on the shoulders.

But I've said far too much on the brethren. I like the idea of like an engagement ring and the gold they choose to hold the stone. It seems to be the basic idea.

Yes, I think that's maybe. So these names were engraved in the onyx stones, end of verse 10, according to their birth. So applying that to us, then, according to the new birth, what does this teach us in relation to our place before God? Well, I have thought that the emphasis was, as I've tried to suggest, that we are resting on the security of his shoulders.

We are secure in his power, not on the basis of merit or deserts, but because we have been born again. Right. So there's an equality here.

Yes, I think there is. Just according to birth. And every true believer is born again.

They belong to Christ. They're indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And on that ground, we are equal and equally secure, held up by the very strength of Christ, divine righteousness and divine power.

So as well as that, Mark, it shows us the omniscience of God, because there's two tribes here that are not on the breastplate. Isn't that correct? And so what I mean by that, according to their birth, Levi would be here and Joseph would be here. And so the Lord knows them that are his, and he's able to uphold.

So we contrast at this point, the stones and the breastplate. Can we leave it just for a moment? I think it's sort of going back and forth on where we should bring them in, but let's leave it till we get there. It's a lovely expression that we have at the end of verse 12.

They're stones of memorial, and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. I wonder if any of the brethren have some help for us in relation to that. You have the memorial further down also, don't you? Verse 29, is it? The names on the breastplate.

So help us a memorial of what? Of the people, evidently. Sure. And they're being represented in these stones.

And by his person as he goes in before the Lord. So our Lord Jesus now at the right hand of the majesty on high, he's representing us. It would certainly be a remembrance for Aaron himself personally to think of the work that he's doing in representing the people and thinking of what they have done and what they need as he goes in.

I mean, it is interesting that this to be born, bearing their names before the Lord is an expression that might make us think of what is verbal. But Aaron, just by being there with these stones upon him, he was doing that. We have one who appears in the presence of God for us.

And the emphasis there is that what is really important is that he is there. You know, even without any intercession or verbal intercession, there's that memorial in the presence of God. So the imagery seems to be that all that is represented in these names that are being carried in.

And as he represents the people going in, he finds a fitness in the presence of God by these garments that he's wearing. Those were necessary to give him a fitness before God. Our Lord Jesus Christ does that intrinsically.

And yet he represents us all. And he is, for us, all that we stand and need of before God. I think that's a precious truth to grasp, particularly for younger believers, that our acceptance before God is not based upon the degree of our performance or how successful we are as Christians, but it is entirely what Christ is in the presence of God.

And that never changes. I think that's absolutely essential for us to grasp. And of course, that explains why it is that we're secure.

So we have verse 13. We have these various ouches on the chains. And really, what goes where is perhaps explained a little bit better as we move into verse 15 and forward.

When we come to this particular garment, the breastplate of judgment. And again, we have the cunning work here after the work of the ethod, thou shalt make it. And so in terms of its composition, we're thinking again of this beautifully, divinely designed pattern, this skillful mingling together of the various colors and all that they would teach us of.

So that's as far as its composition is concerned. But then as far as its construction is concerned, it's to be made. It's a pouch, really.

So it's to end up square, I take it. But it is folded in half and we have something about the contents of the breastplate. So perhaps we'll just think about the breastplate and the details that we have down to verse 16 first, and then we'll heed our brother William's plea and think about these other stones.

I was going to ask you about the breastplate of judgment, but maybe you want to leave that until you get to verse 30. Would you prefer that? Well, I think it's worth saying at this stage that we will explain that when we get down there and we get to understand what's just what's meant by that. It's evident right away, isn't it, that the amount of detail and the number of verses devoted to this piece is saying something about this central significance of this garment, right? Thank you very much.

That's very helpful. And a large reason for that is because there's the detail given about the various stones. And I was mentioning last night the lovely expression we have through the epistle of the Hebrews, for us, for us.

And when you read through this passage, you think you're just surely on the number of verses. You think that these stones must be important and this breastplate must be important. And I think it is a tremendous thing to think that Christ's work and his ministry as the great high priest is for us.

It's on our behalf and it's in our account. And again, that's something that we'll be seeing emphasized as we move into Hebrews. What about the four square aspect? I'm sure you want to develop the things that are four square for us.

I have thought I had enough to do keeping within this passage, John, but you feel free to go ahead. You know the old sermon they used to preach to us, the brazen altar four square, the incense altar four square. So you've got hope for all.

You've got help for all. Here we have a heart for all. And they used to tell us if you go to Revelation 21, it might be application, but there's a home for all.

And that's illiterate, so it must be true. And it's not peas either. I'm below peas, that's my fault.

I think it is interesting that it's a three-dimensional garment. And I suppose we've been implicitly saying this, but the breastplate, it would have covered really, the span is that size, so it would have covered pretty much the whole breast of the priest. It's clearly linked with the heart and with the affections.

And that's very precious to think about. It is lovely that it's a span. We'll be thinking about these stones and they all lay within the hand span.

There was no distance. It was all within the span of the hand, priest's hand or the one who was constructing. But it's interesting as well that it's a three-dimensional sort of object.

And my brother will tell me if I'm being too fanciful in thinking about Paul's prayer, that they might know the length and the breadth and the depth and the height. And there is a three-dimensionality about the love of God. That, as I say, perhaps a little fancifully one might see in the three-dimensionality of this garment.

The full scope of the purpose of God for his people. I thought that was four dimensions, but we won't go there. Yes, whether in fact it is the love that's being referred to, I realize we've got enough trouble here.

But I enjoyed it. So I thought I'd share it in case somebody else did. For those of simple mind like myself.

So can I ask you, Mark, when it comes to these stones, do you see them in order of rows on the breastplate? Or some have suggested they're around the circumference of the breastplate. Have you any thought to help us on that? I mean, we cannot say with any certainty. I like the idea of them being in a square.

And arranged perhaps as they were around the tabernacle. Because this is really, this is the order of testimony that we see here. Now, the brethren will feel free to tell us what all these stones mean.

If they're either more intelligent or more imaginative than I am. The difficulty, of course, is that we just aren't really too confident about identifying many of what these stones are. I don't think necessarily we're expected to do that.

But I do think there are a number of truths that are being brought before us here. First of all, and this is most precious to me, there's the variety of the stones. You know, it is true, isn't it, that we're all different.

Some of us more different than others. And we have different needs. We have different circumstances.

We have different personalities. There are so many ways in which we are different. And here's a high priest.

And it's not a one-size-fits-all ministry. It's a ministry that takes account of the distinctive needs, the distinctive natures, the distinctive character of each of the tribes. And as somebody who might well class themselves in the more different category, I find that very reassuring.

There was a beauty associated with these stones. And again, that's very precious. And we'll maybe come back to that in a moment.

And there was a value associated with these stones. So that there was worth that was seen here. And I think if we could grasp those three things, that it wouldn't really matter so much about figuring out what is about the amethyst.

But as I say, if there's a brother who can help us with that, beyond my limitations, I'd be very glad to hear. Yeah, I think it's emphasizing the difference. Each one was different.

There's a different name, at least, on each of the stones. And as you've indicated, we're each individuals with different abilities are placed in the assembly. There's brothers.

There's sisters. There's different roles that we have. We're different.

And that's of God. And yet we all have one desire, and that is to reflect something of the beauty of Christ. And these gemstones, no doubt, reflected beauty.

It was a beautiful thing to look at. And so it should be in the assembly, as the people of God are reflecting his character. It will be a thing of beauty.

And it's nice to think that idea of beauty, because when you sit down to try and figure out what these stones were, and you do your word search, you discover that for quite a number of them, you'll find them in the two passages relating to the breastplate. The only other place you'll find them is in Ezekiel 28, in relation to Lucifer, the covering cherub in Eden, and the stones that were associated with him. That tells me, or at least it suggests to me, might be a better way of putting it, that there was a beauty that was lost because of sin.

And it is regained for the enjoyment of God in his people who are redeemed by blood. We're precious to him, brothers and sisters. Amen.

And he knows us, and he appreciates us, and there's a value that he places upon us. And again, it's so good to see that, again, we have the settings of gold, and again, we have the grieving of a signet. And just as there's nothing that can dislodge us from his shoulders, so there's nothing that can dislodge us from his heart, from his affections.

And maybe sometimes we forget that. And we know that we do things, and we feel conscious that we've grieved the Lord, but isn't it good to know that that in no way lessens or diminishes his love for us? And he still values us, and he still sees us as precious and beautiful, and he gets from us something that he doesn't get from a fallen creation. And we're securely fixed on the breastplate of our great high priest.

Yeah, and each had their distinctive place, and it was all equal. It was on the plain, I take it, right? And equally close to his heart. So the diamond couldn't boast of its beauty above the carbuncle.

For example, there's no rivalry here. But even though there might have been a variation in beauty, or in reflected color, or whatever, yet all were equally close to his heart. And that's lovely to think of, that we're all precious to him, in spite of our differences.

We all have our place in God's testimony. Most of these songs reappear in small combinations of the New City's musicals. Yeah, it'd be another link with the foursquare idea.

He brought us eventually to the heavenly city, and there is lovely parallels that run through those thoughts. It's difficult comparing the Hebrew and the Greek words. Depends on how much you love the Septuagint.

Yeah, I do hesitate there a little bit. And of course, so there's the breastplate, which is this pouch. And we think about the contents of the pouch.

I have C's here too. We're currently thinking of the, this one is a little bit of a stretch, of the cargo of the breastplate, the stones that are carried on. So we'll be thinking about the contents of the breastplate in just a minute.

I really did do my homework. But again, thinking about the security. So this breastplate is affixed, as Brother William was reminding us earlier on, it's affixed by gold chains, and it's affixed by the blue laces.

We thought already of the gold, and we thought of divine righteousness, and we thought of, you know, it is a remarkable thing that there was a time when the truth of divine righteousness, it struck terror to our hearts. Mind you, if there's anyone in our Bible reading this morning who's not saved, it's a sobering thing to think that there's a God that you must meet, and he's righteous. And he's not going to lower his standards, and he's not going to bend the rules, and you'll have to answer for your sin.

And the truth of divine righteousness, it struck terror to our hearts. But now that we're saved, there's hardly a truth that is more comforting and more reassuring than to think of the righteousness of our God. So they're secured by divine righteousness.

But what about the blue laces? What can we learn from that? Well, Blue, you've linked with the heavenly man. So are we in Hebrews chapter 6? No, you can't go there. I thought you weren't dealing with that chapter.

Hebrews chapter 6, whither the forerunner is for us entered. And we are assured of arriving there because the forerunner has crossed the line, and he's got into the inside of the veil. And so the link with the heavenly is something that, again, guarantees the security of the believer.

That's a nice link too, because the lace of blue is above the curious girl. So that links us to the one that has gone above. Thank you.