The Priests and Their Garments

1. The Priests and Their Garments Exodus 28:2 “And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.”

2. References • The Bible • The Law of Moses (Chapter 17), bro Roberts • Patterns of things in the Heavens (p 7-40) • sis E. Lasius (daughter of bro Thomas) • Eureka, bro Thomas • Ministry of the Prophets - Isaiah, bro Roberts • Christadelphian magazine • The Temple Institute in Jerusalem (http://www.templeinstitute.org)

6. It is not possible, within the limits of these pages, to enter into an examination of the exterior parts of the Tabernacle. Our work is specially directed to the symbols of the interior. For expositions of these we are indebted to a work entitled "Eureka," an exposition of the Apocalypse, by Dr. John Thomas. To the teachings and expositions of this writer we owe our understanding of the word of the Deity. To present these expositions in the light of the oracles of God is our endeavor in these pages. To the " Great High-Priest of Israel“ this little offering is dedicated. May He soon appear, in all the splendor of His robes of glory, E. J. L.

8. Christ, Our High Priest • Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; • Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

9. Let’s Begin

11. Garments on Day of Atonement Lev 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.

12. The Need for Priests (Law of Moses) The appointment of a Tabernacle and its various appurtenances as a meeting place between God and Israel necessitated the appointment also of an order of men to act as intermediaries(declared in Exod. 29:43) How otherwise could Israel who was unfit acceptably draw near?

13. The Need for Priests (Law of Moses) • The erection of the Tabernacle was an intimation (an indirect suggestion) of His willingness to be approached by man for mercy, but not at the sacrifice of His holiness, or His authority, or His majesty. • Familiar and indiscriminate approach was not invited: “I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me”, He would be approached in a consecrated and concealed recess (the Most Holy Place), and that only once a year, and that only by blood shed (Leviticus 16), and that only presented by a man of His own choice, assisted by men of His own appointment, and attired in a way prescribed by Himself.

14. Moses and Aaron (Law of Moses) Moses was directed to… “take 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”, The priesthood was to be Aaron’s and his successors by a perpetual ordinance: any stranger obtruding (thrust oneself in as if by force ) himself upon the sacred office was to be put to death (Num. 18:7).

15. About the Priests (Law of Moses) • The father only was to be high priest (Aaron) • The sons were to be assistants • All were to be physically without blemish • Any disfigurement was to be a disqualification • They were to live by the offerings made to God by the people • They were not to have any land inheritance - God was their inheritance (Num 18:12-20) • They were to stand between God and the people

16. God’s Own Way (Law of Moses) ...man cannot approach God except in God’s own way. That we can only learn this by the revelation of His mind, and that all other so-called religion -- is the mere device of human ignorance and presumption.

17. Christ (Law of Moses) • Christ is the substance of all these preliminary shadowings (Col. 2:17) • In him we see a chosen mediator (1 Tim. 2:5)—not self-appointed: “No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron” (Heb. 5:4). • It was God who said, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psa. 110:4)

18. Christ (Law of Moses) • We see him offer blood—not the blood of bulls and goats, but his own blood • He alone entering the holiest, “heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb. 9:24). • We see him the perfect one, without spot, without sin, without superfluity (extreme excess), or incongruity (the quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate)

19. Christ (Law of Moses) • Aaron was assisted by his sons… • Christ will be assisted by his originally blemished sons in the ultimate development of his priesthood; —the forgiven saints, are to reign with him as priests as well as kings (Heb. 2:13–14; Isa. 53:10; Rev. 5:10)

20. Christ is the Way • Jesus said: “No man cometh unto the Father but by me” • Peter preached: “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) • Paul preached “Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38)

21. For Glory and For Beauty (Law of Moses) • The men chosen as priests were not only to be of a certain family, but they were to be dressed in a particular way, which is minutely described • Their outfit, when complete, was to be “for glory and for beauty” (Exod. 28:2, 40)

22. For Glory and For Beauty (Law of Moses) • The attire of the high priest would be highly picturesque • It would be pleasing to the eye as regards symmetry of form and combination of colour • Indeed, with the addition of the frontal-plate of pure gold, the shoulder-buckle of gold-setonyx stone, and the glitter of the twelve rich-set precious stones in the breast-plate, it would be nothing less than splendid • “Glory and beauty” describes it all

23. For Glory and For Beauty (Law of Moses) • What do we see in this description but the fact that glory and beauty are the attributes of Divine wisdom • In contrast to… • Baseness and hideousness which are the reverse of “glory and beauty” • All we have to do is to look at the ways of men apart from God to see how inglorious and ugly they are—in all ways and senses

24. The Spirit-Mind (Law of Moses) The anti-typical "glory and beauty" of the priestly garments is more about the intellectual glory of the spirit-mind than with the physical glory portrayed with the Levitical priesthood.

25. Significance of the Materials (Law of Moses) • The preponderant (having superior power and influence) materials were “gold, blue, purple, scarlet, fine-twined linen” (Exod. 28:6–8) which are the materials of the veil and the gate hangings of the tabernacle • The significance of these materials are:—tried faith, healing by chastisement, royal destiny, sin-nature, and spotless righteousness

26. Consider the Significance… • What is faith but trust in His word? • What is tried faith but faith put to the test by Him? • What is healing but His act who says, “I wound and I heal”? • And whose are the stripes but His, Whom it pleased to bruise the saving Son, with whose stripes we might be healed?

27. Consider the Significance • Who so royal as the King of glory, whether in Father or Son, to whom every knee shall bow? • What is sin-nature but nature cursed by God because of disobedience? • What is righteousness but the doing of His perfect will?

28. Glory and Beauty (Law of Moses) • So… What is there of “glory and of beauty” in these significances? • The appropriate answer would be, what is there not of glory and beauty in them? They all involve one transcendent truth—the hallowed supremacy of God as the rule of all being

29. God in the Garments (Law of Moses) • God is in every aspect of the garments • There could be no greater “glory and beauty” than this proclaimed fact that He will and must be worshipped and obeyed as “Head over all” • None so beautiful and glorious as He • Merciful and gracious, slow to anger • Abundant in goodness and truth

30. Conditions of Fellowship with Him (Law of Moses) • The man chosen as priest had to be covered with garments having all these meanings • God not only plainly declared, “I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me”, but He required such to be arrayed in vestments which were not only glorious and beautiful in an artistic sense, but which typically proclaimed the supremacy of God and the complete subordination of man as the conjoint and indispensable conditions of acceptable fellowship.

31. What kind of man? (Law of Moses) • Not man unclothed: not man naked: not man as he is in himself, but man invested or “clothed upon” with superadded attributes or conditions, is acceptable. • And these superadded conditions must be of divine pattern and prescription: “See thou make all things according to the pattern shown to thee in the mount” --- “Ye shall not add thereto or diminish aught therefrom.”

32. A Look at the Garments • Exo 28:4 And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

33. The High Priest’s Garments These seven holy garments are a type of the NATURE and CHARACTER of Christ, reflecting his GLORY and BEAUTY. • The Coat of Fine Linen • The Girdle of the Coat • The Robe of Blue • The Ephod and its Girdle • The Shoulder Pieces of the Ephod • The Breastplate of Judgment • The LinenMitre and Golden Crown

35. Strong’s Definitions Coat (H3801) - to cover; a shirt, garment, robe Girdle (H73) - a belt Robe (H4598) - cloke, coat, mantle, robe (covering) Ephod (H646) - a shoulder piece Curious girdle (H2805) - a belt or strap Breastplate (H2833) - meaning to contain or sparkle Mitre (H4701) - a tiara, turban, diadem Crown (H5145) - consecration, crown, hair Broidered (H8665) - checkered stuff Ouche (H4865) - the setting of a gem Habergeon (H8473) - a linen corslet which is… A piece of body armor for the trunk; usually consists of a breastplate and back piece; a light sleeveless coat of chain mail)

36. Order of Putting On 1. Coat 2. Girdle of the coat 3. Robe, or skirt, with pendant bells and pomegranates on the lower edge 4. Ephod 5. Curious girdle (or sash) of the ephod, with which it was secured 6. Breast-plate 7. Urim and Thummim, or framed collection of twelve precious stones 8. Mitre 9. Golden plate (or holy crown) in front, inscribed with the words, Holiness to the Lord, to be worn always upon Aaron’s forehead, “they that might be accepted before Yahweh” (Exo 28:38)

37. THE COAT OF FINE LINEN (Law of Moses) • This was a tunic, or long inner garment, of fine linen, of woven work, and embroidered (Exod. 28:39; 35:27). • The fine linen is the symbol of righteousness, the weaving and embroidery would stand for the particular works or actions in which righteousness is expressed: as it is said by John, “He that doethrighteousness is righteous” (1 John 3:7), and as it is figuratively said of the King’s bride in the day of glory “she shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework”.

38. THE COAT OF FINE LINEN (Law of Moses) • This, then, is the groundwork of the mental attire which renders the clothed man acceptable: white, pure, beautiful, righteousness, or the disposition to do what God commands, expressed in the actual rendering to Him what He delights in, which we can only know by His requirements.

39. THE COAT OF FINE LINEN (Patterns) • The signification of fine linen, we learn from the testimony of John in Rev. 19:8, where it reads thus: • “And to her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.“ • The sons of the high-priests also, were clothed with linenrobes. When thus arrayed in fine linen robes, Aaron and his sons were representative of a priestly family, all clothed with righteousness.

40. THE COAT OF FINE LINEN (Patterns) • "Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness." “I put on righteousness, "says Job,” and it clothed me. • "When David, the king, and the elders of Israel, went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, out of the house of Obed-edom;—" David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the Ark, and the singers," etc—1 Chron. 15

41. THE COAT OF FINE LINEN (Patterns) Eureka vol 1 p 170 "In this mortal state, they put on Christ as a robe, when having believed the things of the kingdom of the Deity, and the Name of Jesus Anointed, they were immersed for that name and into it. They fall asleep in Him, and arise to partake of the nature of His individual body, of His flesh and of His bones, that they may be like Him."—1 Jno.3:2. When clothed with this Spirit-nature, they are clothed upon with their habitation which is from heaven,—mortality being swallowed up under the life or spirit that is poured upon them.“ --2 Cor 5:2,4 

42. THE COAT OF FINE LINEN (Patterns) Eureka vol 1 p 170 "This is the consummation of their investiture, which begins with their immersion into Christ, and is perfected in their post-resurrectional immortalization by the spirit through Christ. They are then the Body Corporate of God's kings and priests—the inhabitation of Eternal wisdom and power, clothed in the linen garment of righteousness, honor, majesty and salvation.”

43. THE GIRDLE OF NEEDLEWORK (Law of Moses) • The Girdle of the Coat.—This was a sash of the same material (Exod. 28:39), used as a sort of easy belt to draw the coat together at the loins, giving fit and comfort in the wearing of the garment. • Its literal use is seen in the statement that Jesus “took a towel and girded himself” (John 13:4)—tucking up his loose robe for convenience of action.

44. THE GIRDLE OF NEEDLEWORK (Law of Moses) • Its figurative use is frequently illustrated: e.g., “Shegirdeth her loins with strength” (Prov. 31:17); • “I girded thee about with fine linen” (Ezek. 16:10); • “Gird up the loins of your mind” (1 Pet. 1:13).

45. THE GIRDLE OF NEEDLEWORK (Law of Moses) • The typical significance of the girdle of the priestly linen coat, as distinguished from the coat itself, would therefore be intelligent and executive righteousness, in addition to the sentiment and habit of righteousness: a resolute binding together and strengthening of the principles of righteousness for action.

46. THE GIRDLE OF NEEDLEWORK (Patterns) • The Girdle in Scripture, is often used as an emblem of those moral and spiritual qualities, which strengthen and establish the mind. • Paul, addressing the Ephesians, says: " Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth."

47. THE GIRDLE OF NEEDLEWORK (Patterns) • Isaiah, describing Him who is called "the Branch," says: "Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins." • The Saviour said:" Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.“ – Luke 12:35

49. The Robe

50. Robe (Law of Moses) • This was a skirt of blue woven work—answerable almost to the modern petticoat of female attire, only that it was an outer garment, and did not reach to the ground, but fell some eight or ten inches short of the lower end of the inner coat or linen tunic. • It was fastened over the tunic at the waist, exactly like a petticoat, except that the fastening was not with strings, but by the grip of the garment at the bound border of the upper opening. It would be put on by being slipped over the head.