Exodus 28-29 | “God’s Servants”

Preston Highlands Baptist Church

Alone Together

Last week I talked about how we all have a longing to live with God in paradise, that we were made to live with God on the earth.

We were also made to live with other people. God created us to live in community with him and with others. We were made for deep connection and growing and authentic friendships with other people. This is why the loneliness epidemic is so pronounced in our culture right now.

There are lots of reasons for this, from the breakdown of the traditional family to expressive individualism to the ubiquity of screens. Sherry Turkle, a sociologist at MIT, wrote a book several years ago called Alone Together where she argues that our technologies give us the false impression that we’re together when we’re not.

She talks about showing up to teach at MIT in the 1980’s when all the engineers were raving about computers and artificial intelligence. She says, “While my computer science colleagues were immersed in getting computers to do ingenious things, I had other concerns. How were computers changing us as people? My colleagues often objected, insisting that computers were ‘just tools.’ But I was certain that the ‘just’ in that sentence was deceiving. We are shaped by our tools. And now, the computer, a machine on the border of becoming a mind, was changing and shaping us.”[1]

She talks about how our overworked and overscheduled lives make connecting through technology preferable. We prefer to text instead of calling or calling instead of having coffee. She says, “Now we look to the network to defend us against loneliness even as we use it to control the intensity of our connections. Technology makes it easy to communicate when we wish and to disengage at will.”[2]

Of course, technology isn’t bad in itself. But the way we’re using it shows us that we’re made to connect with people. We long to have someone sit across from us and take an interest in our lives, to be curious about us, to delight in us, not for what we do, but for who we are.

A Priesthood that Needed Priests

We need people to help us be who God wants us to be. We need a priesthood, or a people who’ll help us follow God. But we also need a priest, someone to bring us into God’s presence.

In Exodus 28-29, the Lord provides his people with a priesthood and a priest. In these chapters, we’ll consider these questions: Who are the priests? What do they do? And where are they now? The main point of this message is that we need a priesthood and are a priesthood, and that we need a priest and have a priest.

Who are the Priests?

First, who are the priests? The priests were Aaron and his sons (28:1), who were properly clothed (v. 2), and prepared to serve (29:1). Chapter 28 are the Lord’s instructions to Moses about what Aaron as High Priest must wear. Chapter 29 are the Lord’s instructions to Moses about how to set Aaron and his sons apart for service.

The Ephod

Chapter 28 says that the priests must be properly clothed. Verse 4 mentions six things that Aaron should wear, then in verses 6-43 the Lord elaborates on what each item should look like.

The ephod is discussed in verses 6-14. The ephod was an ornate apron-like garment that went over the “coat of checker work” and under the breastpiece. It was held together by two shoulder pieces and a waistband (vv. 7-8). Each shoulder piece had an onyx stone with six of Israel’s tribes inscribed on it. They were for the Lord’s remembrance (v. 12), not because he easily forgets names, but to illustrate that he hasn’t forgotten his covenant with them.

The language of verse 12 suggests that Aaron “bearing the names before the Lord” means that he’s praying for them. This is priestly intercession, “Lord, remember Reuben, remember Levi, remember Judah. They are your covenant people.” Do you remember the Lord’s people in your prayers? Use the church directory to help you pray regularly for the church. Husbands, are you consistently praying for and with your wife and children? The priests are pray-ers.

The Breastpiece

The next item is the breastpiece (vv. 15-30). This is probably the most important item because of how much space is given to it (twice as many words as the ephod). It was a folded piece of fabric about nine inches square with four rows of three stones, each with a tribe of Israel engraved on it (vv. 16-20).

It was worn over the chest or heart and was a pouch (verse 16, “doubled”) that held the Urim and Thummin (v. 30). This is the first of only seven references to them in the Bible. It’s not clear exactly what they were, but later we learn that Joshua was to “stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgement of the Urim before the Lord” (Num. 27:21). It appears that they were used to discern the will of God in specific situations. This is why the breastpiece is called “the breastpiece of judgment,” or “breastpiece for making decisions” (NIV).

The Robe

The next item is the robe (vv. 31-35). It was blue and worn under the ephod. It had pomegranates and bells on the bottom (v. 33), something you could see and something you could hear. But who would hear the bells? It says in verse 35 that they would be heard when he enters and exist the Holy Place “so that he does not die.”

The bells weren’t to alert the Lord that someone was coming in, but rather emphasize the danger of approaching the Lord in an unauthorized way. Doing so results in death. It’s like hikers who use bear bells when hiking in bear country. Surprising a Grizzly Bear, especially a mother with her cubs, would be deadly. The priests must not enter the Lord’s presence haphazardly.

Turban, Tunic, and Sash

The next three items are in verses 36-39. There’s a turban made out of linen with a golden plate that says “Holy to the Lord” on it (v. 36). Verse 38 says that it signifies that Aaron will bear the guilt for anyone who offered something to the Lord in an unworthy manner. He can bear their guilt because he’s “Holy to the Lord.” Only someone holy can bear the guilt of others.

There was a long linen tunic worn underneath the robe and ephod and an embroidered sash holding everything together (v. 39).

Aaron’s sons, the other priests, would only have tunics, sashes, and caps (v. 40). Their uniforms were less ornate but had the same purpose, “for glory and for beauty” (v. 40).

Then in verses 42-43, Moses is told to make them undergarments. This reduced their risk of exposure as they ministered in God’s presence and reminds us of Adam and Eve being clothed after the Fall.

It seems that everything on the priest’s body was covered except his feet, suggesting that the priests ministered in the tabernacle barefoot. Moses, and later Joshua, were told to remove their shoes when they were in the Lord’s presence. Nothing unclean can come into God’s presence.

Prepared to Serve

The Lord wanted a priesthood who was properly clothed (ch. 28). But he also wanted them to be prepared to serve (ch. 29). The priests must be “consecrated” so that “they may serve the Lord as priests” (v. 1). “Consecrate” means to set apart or dedicate something or someone for a specific purpose. The priests were set apart to serve.

Washing with Water

There are a few things worth noting in this chapter. First, washing them with water wasn’t because they were dirty, but is rather an image of moral cleansing (v. 4). This is what David means in Psalm 51 when he says, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!…Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (vv. 2, 7).

The New Testament picks up on this imagery, saying that believers have been “washed…in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11), are saved “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5), and have “hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).

In Jesus, our dirty souls have been cleaned by the water of his Spirit. Just like the priests, we can’t wash ourselves. We have to be washed by someone else. Friend, if you’re trying to get back to God by cleaning your life up, you’ll never get all the dirt off. Jesus’ Spirit is the only water that can clean your soul.

Pattern of Offerings

Second, there is a pattern to notice in the offerings. The first offering is the bull in verses 10-14. It’s a “sin offering” (v. 14). Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the head of the bull before they kill it (v. 10), symbolizing the transferring of their guilt to the bull. He’ll later do the same thing for the whole nation on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). The one who the Lord will use to purify his people must himself be purified.

The bull’s flesh was to be burnt outside the camp (v. 14), as it was associated with sin and impurity. This is why Jesus was crucified outside of Jerusalem (Heb. 13:11-12).

Then the first ram is sacrificed as a burnt offering (vv. 15-18). The entire ram was to be burned on the altar (v. 18), a total consumption signifying total dedication.

Then the second ram is sacrificed as a fellowship offering (vv. 19-34). This ram was for the priest’s ordination (v. 22) and was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons (vv. 31-33).

This pattern of forgiveness of sins (sin offering), dedication to the Lord (burnt offering), and fellowship with the Lord (fellowship offering) is found in other sacrifice sequences (eg. Lev. 16), and it forms the pattern for the Christian life (Heb. 10:19-25).

I love how one commentator summarizes this section: “The bottom line in all of this lengthy ordination ritual, much of which will seem strange to us, is this: before the priest can minister to the people, the Lord must first minister to the priest.”[3] You can’t give people what you don’t have.

Daily Ministry

And third, the ministry of the priests is mostly mundane. The first thirty-seven verses of this chapter focus on the special days of the priest’s ordination. But what about all the other days, the ordinary days with no celebrations?

The last several verses say that there’s a daily offering of a lamb in the morning and lamb in the evening (vv. 38-39). These two offerings parallel the two times that the lampstand is tended (27:20-21) and the two times that incense is burned (30:7-8). Every morning and every evening, the priests had to tend the lamps, burn the incense, and offer the lambs.

Most of their ministry is daily and routine, not special and spectacular. It’s easy to get excited about the big, special days or events on the Christian calendar. But it’s in the ordinary and daily ministry that the Lord promises to meet his people (vv. 42-43). This is where God makes us holy and shows us his glory. This is when we remember who God is and what he’s done (vv. 45-46).

Do you only offer yourself to the Lord on special occasions? Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23). The Christian life is mostly mundane days following Jesus in ordinary ways.

Who are the priests? They were Aaron and his sons who were properly clothed and prepared to serve.

What Do the Priests Do?

Second, what do the priests do? There are two ways to answer this. One is to say that Israel needed the priests to go into the Lord’s presence for them. Another way to answer this is to say that the priests advance the story of God’s work on the earth.

On the micro level, God gave Israel priests so that they could go into his presence on their behalf and make atonement for their sins. The Israelites were sinners and the Lord is holy. The priests represented the people, taking their names on their hearts into the presence of God. The priests brought the people to God.

On the macro level, through the priesthood, God is advancing his plan to redeem the world. God created the cosmos as the house where he’d live with humanity. His plan was and is that humans would live with him and serve him on the earth. This plan starts in the Garden of Eden, moves through Israel, then to Jesus, then the church, then the New Heavens and New Earth.

The priesthood points back to the Garden of Eden and forward to the New Jerusalem. The first priest was Adam. The Garden of Eden was the first “tabernacle,” or place where God met with man, and Adam was the first priest who served in God’s presence.

When God brought Israel out of Egypt to Mount Sinai, he calls them a “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6). The whole nation would be God’s representatives on the earth.

But because they were sinners, they needed a priest to go into God’s presence for them, so God gives them Aaron and his sons, and later the Levites (Num. 1:50, 3:5ff), to serve as priests on behalf of Israel.

The problem was that Israel’s priests were sinners just like Israel. It was Aaron who allowed the golden calf incident to happen (Ex. 32)! The priests were holy rebels. God’s people needed better priests. They needed a pure priest, an obedient priest.

Jesus the Better Priest

And so God provided one in Jesus. The writer of Hebrews makes this clear:

“We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God” (4:14).

“The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but (Jesus) holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever” (7:23-24)

“It is indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once and for all when he offered up himself” (7:26-27).

“We have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man” (8:1-2).

“When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (9:11-12).

“Since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (10:21-22).

The beauty and glory of Aaron’s priesthood points to an even better beauty and glory in Jesus. Jesus’ perfect life is more beautiful than the ephod and breastpiece and robe. And his work is better than theirs, since it’s built on “better promises” (Heb. 8:6).

Where Are the Priests Now?

Third, where are the priests now? They’re not in the Catholic Church and they’re not the pastors and elders in churches. The New Testament says that everyone who trusts in Jesus is a priest! But in what sense? In a least two ways.

First, the church is a priesthood for the world. This is what Peter means when he says to Christians, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). Our priesthood is for proclamation. We’re set apart so that we can tell others how to be set apart. The church is God’s priesthood for the salvation and blessing of the nations.

And second, God’s people will be priests “to God” in heaven. John says, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (Rev. 1:5b-6). And the elders before the throne cry out, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (5:9-10).

John is saying that our priesthood is before God on the new earth forever. In heaven, we’ll serve him and minister in his presence as a priesthood.

So which is it: are we priests for this world or priests for the next world? The answer is both. Followers of Jesus are brought into the presence of God and then sent out into the world to mediate his presence to the nations and we’ll forever represent God and be in his presence in heaven.

As followers of Jesus, we currently have access into the Holy of Holies, so we go in and enjoy God’s presence, we delight in the Lord daily, we love the law of the Lord and pray for the people of God.

But then we go out to serve the Lord in our families, schools, jobs, neighborhoods, and to the nations. We bring the Lord out of the tabernacle to people who need him. We go out with courage because we’re clothed with Jesus’ righteousness and filled with his Spirit. We’re God’s priesthood, properly clothed and prepared to serve.

And we persevere, or “hold fast our confession,” because we don’t “have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:14-15). We can keep going for Jesus because he kept going for us.

The Priest Became the Sacrifice

Jesus is different than all other priests. He’s not morally compromised. He doesn’t have to keep offering sacrifices. Aaron was clothed for his people. Jesus was unclothed for his people. Aaron had to make sacrifices to be a priest. Jesus is the priest who became the sacrifice.

We need a priesthood because God made us for community, and we are a priesthood because God wants to bless the world through us. But we need a priest because we’re sinners, and we have a priest who never sinned.

We need a priesthood and are a priesthood; we need a priest and have a priest. Do you have him? Are you connecting to other believers? Are you living out his calling on your life?

[1]Sherry Turkle, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, rev. ed. (New York: Basic Books: 2017), x.

[2]Ibid., 13.

[3]Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011), 502-3.