Skip to content Exodus 28 & 29: Symbolism of the Priesthood Feb 18 · 17 min ...more
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Embracing God's Word and Our Divine Vocation 0:10 Good morning, and welcome to Stand on the Word. I am, so grateful you've joined me on this journey through the word of God. And I want I wanna commend you for your faithfulness in0:22 being in the word of God. I trust that you're being blessed by his word. I I do wanna encourage you that, look, if you miss a day or 2, don't worry about it. Just jump right back in and,0:34 you know, just let the word of God minister to you. It kinda reminds me of what Jesus, said when he was criticized for, healing on the Sabbath. He said that the0:46 Sabbath was made for man. Man was not made for the Sabbath. In other words, the the Sabbath was made as a blessing to to to man, not an0:58 obligation to man. The word of God is not to be seen as a a burden or an obligation, but rather it is the bread of life. It's our daily nourishment. It1:09 is, it is designed by God. It is given by God to refresh us, renew us, give direction, and guide to us. Don't so don't ever look at this journey as, you know,1:21 something you've got to do. It's not something you've got to do. It's something god has given you the ability to do. So I I'm I'm just grateful for those of you who are on this journey, and I would encourage you to share1:33 it with others, because I think I trust that you're being blessed by it. Let others be blessed by the word of God. Alright. Today, I'm gonna do something I I don't often do, and1:45 that is we're gonna combine our passages for 2 days. We're going to look at both Exodus chapters 28 and 29, in this 1 video, and I'm1:57 entitling it holiness to God. Look at Exodus chapter 28 verse 36. You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it like the engraving of a signet,2:09 holiness to the Lord. Now there are some passages in, the Bible that we're gonna cover over this, 2 year period. Like these 22:21 chapters, chapters 28 and 29, that honestly are a little laborious, for most of us to read. Now some of you may like it, but sometimes we gotta be a little we gotta have some2:33 discipline to read through these. We're kinda wondering, you know, at first glance, you know, what bearing does this have upon us? I mean, why is this even here? I don't see any connection or application, to2:45 our lives. And this is it it's places like this in the scripture that we get to that we need to remember Paul's final letter to Timothy, second Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. All2:56 scripture. Alright. So what scripture? All scripture. And he was referring to the Old Testament primarily. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for3:08 reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. In other reason in other words, it's all there for a reason, for our spiritual edification. That means we need to ask3:20 the holy spirit to show us. What do we need to see? What does the lord want to show us in this passage? And how do these principles apply to us, to our relationship3:32 with the lord, to our lives today? That said, Exodus 28 is the crafting of the the garments for the priest, Aaron and his sons. And then in chapter 29, we have the3:44 consecration of them for the priesthood. These 2 chapters are very symbolic, giving us vivid pictures or illustrations of the new covenant.3:56 Verse 2, chapter 28, and you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother for glory and for beauty. Now part of the symbolism, Aaron, the high priest, the mediator for the people, the 14:08 who goes into the holy of holies in the tabernacle, he is symbolic or a type of Christ, our high priest, as Hebrews describes. Alright. Verse 3, so4:20 you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him and that he may minister to me as priest. Now4:32 before we get into the symbolism, I I wanna look at something very practical, frankly, but very insightful, I I I think, when we understand what is being communicated4:43 here. Look at the description of the craftsman or the artisans here in verse 3, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Now, we often think that it's just the pastors or the teachers or the leaders that4:55 God's anointing is upon. I believe, and this passage supports the understanding that God calls us into our vocation. Now, unfortunately, many settle for5:07 an occupation. Alright? Just making a living when god wants to use wants us to use our giftings and our talents to glorify him. I probably need to unpack that a little bit5:19 more. There there's a a story that's been used to illustrate this point. You you may have heard it before. It's about these 3 men, and a traveler comes upon these bricklayers who are working, and he asked the first man,5:30 what are you doing? And, the guy replies, I'm I'm laying bricks. He then asked the second man the same question, what are you doing? And the man responds, I'm earning a living for my family.5:43 And then he asked the third man, and the third man looks up and he says, I'm building a great cathedral. You see, all 3 were they were doing the same occupation. They were doing the same work.5:55 Alright? 1 sees his work as a part of a larger purpose, only 1 of them. The first 1 sees it simply as a job. The second, as an occupation, providing a living. The third, though, sees a6:06 calling, a vocation. We are to do all things for the glory of God. He has called us. We're all members of the body, the same body, different members, but we're bringing glory to the6:18 head. And so we I believe God regardless of where you may be in terms of your the the the the the occupation that you may have, it's a vocation.6:30 Maybe you're a teacher. Maybe, you know, maybe you work in a factory. You know, if God has called you and gifted you for a certain thing, we're to do all things6:42 to the glory of God. If eating and drinking, as Paul writes in first Corinthians, is important to god and we're to do those things to god, our work is to be unto him. In fact, the the6:54 the the pilgrims, those who came to this country, there's called the Puritan work ethic. You have to kinda go back in history to see this. This this notion is kind of lost. But this was a part of religious freedom.7:06 This is what this country was founded about. As we celebrate the 200 and fiftieth anniversary, there's there's a lot of talk, you know, about the pilgrims coming here for religious freedom, the freedom to7:18 worship. It was much more than the freedom to worship. It was the ability to do just this. It was the ability to do our work as unto the lord, to build community in a way that7:30 glorified god. And so when when we read this, just know that god has gifted each of us and he's called us to serve him and bring glory to7:42 him. Alright. Let's move on. Alright. As with the tabernacle, God lays out every detail of the the garments and what they should look like and and what they should be made of. I mean, specificHoliness to the Lord: Garments, Priesthood, and Sanctification 7:54 detail. And then in in in chapter 29 here in Exodus, there is the consecration or the sanctification of the priest as the garments are put on them, but notice that the garment, the covering comes8:06 first, then the sanctification. Okay? Now we're not gonna look at each article of the the priest and, their attire. So I would encourage you, you know, this is a great place to have 1 of those commentaries8:18 where you feel, you know, led to to go a little bit deeper in this because each 1 of these things has meaning, and I'm not gonna take the time to unpack them because I'm kinda giving an overview. Remember, I'm just the8:30 I'm the the the guide on the journey pointing out specific things. The holy spirit will point out other things to you, but take time to read this. Great place to have a commentary to go a little bit deeper if something8:40 kinda grabs you. Alright. Verse 9, chapter 28. And you shall, take 2 onyx stones and grave on them the names of the children of Israel, 6 of their names on 1 stone and on the8:52 other, 6 names of the rest on the other stone according to their birth. That's the 12 tribes. With the with the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shall thou engrave the 29:03 stones with the names of the children of Israel that shall make them in, to be set in ouches of gold. I happen to be reading here from the King James. And9:15 thou shalt put the 2 stones upon the shoulder of the ephod for the stones of memorial unto the children of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his 2 shoulders for a memorial.9:27 Now does that bring anything to mind? Well, Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government9:39 will be upon his shoulder. So here we see again this symbolism of Aaron being a type of, being a picture of an illustration of9:51 the Messiah who would carry the government upon his shoulder. Alright. Look at verse 36. You shall also make a plate of pure gold, engrave on it like the engraving of a signet, holiness to the lord.10:03 And you shall put it on a blue cord that it may be on the turban. It shall be on the front of the turban. This was to be on the front of Aaron's head, when he went in before the Lord. It was to be visible,10:15 holiness to the lord. Now drop down to to verse 40. And Aaron's sons, thou shall and for Aaron's sons, thou shall make coats, and thou shall make them girdles and bonnets shall be shall10:27 thou make for them for glory and for beauty, and this shall and and you shall put on Aaron's on upon Aaron's the the thy brother and his sons10:39 with him, and shall anoint them and consecrate them and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest office. So what does all this mean? Well, let me again quote from10:51 the New Testament. Let me quote from Peter, first Peter 2 9, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of11:03 him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Under the new covenant, Jesus is the high priest, and those who are clothed within the right with the righteousness of11:15 Jesus are a royal priesthood. We are holiness. We are holy to the lord, and therefore, we can boldly approach God's throne of grace. Now as we've11:26 discussed before, the elaborate design in detail that God provides for a temporary garment under the old covenant should inform us11:38 how we look upon his instructions under the new covenant. You know, I I know we live in in in what is described as if you believe in the11:50 your theological holdings or the dispensations that we are in the dispensation of the church or of of grace. But that does not mean that, it's a freestyle religion12:02 where we can define what following god looks like. There is only 1 way to God, and that is through the righteousness of the holiness of Jesus Christ. We must we12:14 must be clothed in his righteousness as he defines it. And then, to enjoy the fellowship with God, we must be spiritually sanctified or12:26 consecrated, meaning set apart for him. Now look at the last part of chapter 29 verse 43. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle12:38 shall be sanctified by my glory. Now the sanctification was not the product of their efforts, but of the presence of God's12:50 glory, and it is the same for us. We cannot sanctify ourselves. We cannot set ourselves apart. We cannot be good enough. We cannot reform ourselves. We cannot turn over a new leaf.13:03 We, as Jesus said in John 17, are sanctified by the truth. Who is the truth? Jesus. Verse 44. So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar.13:14 I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to me as priest. And here's what happens when we are set apart as unto the Lord, verse 45.13:26 I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God, and they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and who brought them up out of the land of Egypt that I may dwell among13:38 them. I am the Lord their God. Don't miss this. Right? Many many believers, those who13:50 have have trusted Jesus Christ as their savior, they wrestle with their identity in Christ because they're not dwelling with the Lord. And why14:02 not? Because they're not being sanctified. Sanctification is a process. We're we're we're justified when we confess Jesus Christ as our lord and savior, as14:14 we accept the gift. We are then sanctified as we go sanctification is a process. It's a lifelong process, but we have to be intentional about it. How are we sanctified? We're sanctified14:26 through the word and through the holy spirit. If we're never in the word and we're never praying and dwelling in the presence of God, guess what? That sanctification is not gonna be moving along. And what14:38 happens when we're not sanctified? When we're not in that sanctification process, we're not in the presence of the Lord. And we lack our identity, and we begin to question whether or14:49 not we we question the validity of our salvation, our justification, because we're not in that sanctification process and we're not experiencing the presence of the Lord, which prepares us for15:01 glorification, which is what happens when we go to be with the Lord. So some great stuff. I know it looks it looks like it has no application to us at first reading. This is where15:13 we need to press in. So I encourage you to spend time reading these 2 chapters and allowing the Holy Spirit to show you the the depth of God's word in the and it's such it's15:25 fascinating to look at how this sets the stage for the New Testament. And for those you know, there are many who say we don't need the Old Testament. We just need the New Testament. The Old Testament makes the15:37 New Testament so rich and vivid, and it increases our understanding as we understand the Old Testament. Father, thank you for your word. And, Lord,15:48 we thank you for, we just thank you, Father, for revealing your truth to us and how from start to finish, the word of God, your word is16:00 telling a story, pointing to pointing to your son, Jesus Christ, our Messiah, the high priest. Thank you that through him, through his work of righteousness, through his16:12 justification through our justification by faith in, Lord, in the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross, dying on the cross, being buried, being raised again, overcoming death and the16:24 grave. Lord, we can be justified, and I thank you for your word and through the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent that we're being sanctified as we dwell in your word and as we abide16:36 in your word and as the holy spirit works in us, preparing us for that great day of glorification. So continue to lead us on this journey, and, I just pray, Lord, you would each and every16:48 day show us how to apply, rightly apply your word to our lives in this world in which we live. For I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for being with me today, and until next16:59 time, Keep standing on the word.17:03 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you17:15 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot o r g slash bible.In this video 0:00 Embracing God's Word and Our Divine Vocation7:43 Holiness to the Lord: Garments, Priesthood, and Sanctification
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