Come To The Lord
Chapters 28 and 29 of Exodus, the garments and duties of the high priests were recorded for God’s people.
The High Priest was consecrated, holy and set apart for service.
Our peace is in a person.
In chapters 28 and 29 of Exodus, we find Moses is still in the mountain, receiving instructions directly from God. God has transitioned from giving instructions for the sanctuary and temple, to laying out the instructions for the servants that will be serving within it.
This conversation set a precedent for the Israelite people, letting them know that the priesthood belonged to God. It wasn’t Moses’ or Aaron’s idea, and because God established the role, he was the one who got to define the responsibilities, and requirements for the one who will serve in that role.
Along with the roles and responsibilities of the priest, God also details to Moses the garments that are to be made for the priest. These garments were to serve as a symbol of the weight and responsibility that the priest would carry before God for the people.
Not everyone and anyone was allowed into the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. Only Aaron and his sons could go into the holy place, and only Aaron could go into the most holy place.
The priest would wear an ephod, a sleeveless garment that went over their robes, and on the shoulders there would rest two stones. The stones were stones of remembrance, representing the names of the sons of Israel that Aaron would carry with him into the presence of God bearing their names on his shoulders.
The breast piece that would be positioned across the chest of the priest, close to his heart, representing the judgment of the people as he goes before the Lord.
The turban, holding a gold plate resting on the forehead of the priest, would represent the guilt of the people, that they may be accepted before the Lord.
Before Aaron and his sons could dress themselves in these garments, they had to go through a consecration ceremony, symbolically cleansing him before he was able to serve the people in this way.
One challenge with Aaron serving as high priest, he could not continually serve in this way. Aaron as a human was an “imperfect priest,” due to the fact that his service would inevitably come to an end at the end of his life on earth. The Israelite people would continuously have to appoint, and consecrate new priests to continue making atonement for their sins before the Lord.
Our heavenly father knew that this method of atonement would need a replacement, long before that conversation with Moses on the mountain, and in his grace and mercy he had already set into motion his plan for a permanent priesthood in his son Jesus.
Jesus was appointed by God alone to save his people to the “uttermost,” (Hebrews 7:25) and lives to represent all those who come to him before his father, forever.
Jesus has the same roles as an earthly priest, but in complete perfection. He bears the name, and the guilt of the people, and is always making intercession before God for us. Because of this truth, we are now cleansed from our sins. This gift is a game changer for our lives.
We were brought near to the Father, and are no longer strangers, but children and co-heirs with Christ. This acceptance is a solid foundation to live from in a world that is constantly pulling for us to strive to be acceptable or successful in the world’s eyes.
When we lock in to this truth of God’s word, our definition of success changes. When our minds are focused on our guaranteed seat in glory, the worries of the world are put in their rightful perspective. Because our adoption is eternal, everything else is temporary.