Exodus 28
Garment instructions for Aaron and his sonverses 1-5
And take you to you Aaron your brother – and his sons with him
from among the children of Israel – that he may MINISTER
to ME in the priest’s office – even Aaron – Nadab
Abihu – Eleazar – Ithamar – Aaron’s sons
And you shall make HOLY GARMENTS for Aaron your brother
for glory and for beauty
And you shall speak to 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 to ME in the priest’s office
And these are the garments which they shall make
a breastplate – an ephod – a robe – a embroidered coat
a miter – a girdle
and they shall make HOLY GARMENTS for Aaron your brother
and his sons – that he may MINISTER to ME in the
priest’s office
And they shall take gold and blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen
Craftsmen to make ephod for Aaronverses 6-14
And they shall make the EPHOD of gold – blue – scarlet – fine twined linen
with cunning work
It shall have 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 – blue – purple – scarlet – fine twined linen
And you shall take two onyn 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
shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the
children of Israel
you shall make them to be set in ouches of gold
And you shall put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for
stones of MEMORIAL to the children of Israel
and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD
on his two shoulders for a MEMORIAL
And you shall make ouches of gold
and two chains of pure gold at the ends
of wreathen work shall you make them
and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches
Craftsmen to make a breastplate of judgmentverses 15-21
And you shall make the BREASTPLATE of JUDGMENT
with cunning work after the work of the EPHOD
you shall make it of gold – blue – purple
scarlet – fine twined linen
shall you make it
Foursquare it shall be being doubled
a span shall be the length thereof
and a span shall be the breadth thereof
And you shall set in it settings of stones – even four rows of stones
the first shall be a sardius – topaz – carbuncle
this shall be the first row
the second row shall be an emerald – sapphire – diamond
the third row a ligure – agate – amethyst
the fourth row a beryl – onyx – jasper
they shall be set in gold in their enclosing
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
Breastplate of judgment to be attached to ephodverses 22-28
And you shall make on the BREASTPLATE chains at the
ends of wreathen work of pure gold
And you shall make on the breastplate two rings of gold
and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate
And you shall put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings
which are on the ends of the BREASTPLATE
And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains you shall fasten
in the two ouches – and put them on the shoulder pieces
of the EPHOD before it
And you shall make two rings of gold
and you shall put them on the two ends of the
BREASTPLATE in the border thereof
which is in the side of the
EPHOD inward
And two other rings of gold you shall make
and shall put them on the two sides of the EPHOD underneath
toward the forepart thereof
over against the other coupling thereof
above the curious girdle of the EPHOD
And they shall bind the BREASTPLATE by the rings thereof to the
rings of the EPHOD with a lace of blue
that it may be above the curious girdle of the EPHOD
that the BREASTPLATE be not loosed
from the EPHOD
Names of children of Israel over heart of Aaronverse 29
And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the
BREASTPLATE of JUDGMENT on his heart
when he goes in to the HOLY place
for a MEMORIAL
before the LORD continually
Urim and Thummim over Aaron’s heartverse 30
And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the
Urim and the Thummim
and they shall be on Aaron’s heart
when he goes in before the LORD
and Aaron shall bear the judgment
of the children of Israel upon
his heart before the
LORD continually
Robe with bells to be made for Aaronverses 31-35
And you shall make the robe of the EPHOD all of blue
and there shall be a hole in the top of it
in the midst thereof
it shall have a binding of woven work round about
the hole of it – as it were the hole of an habergeon
that it be not rent
And beneath on the HEM of it you shall 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 pomegranates
on the hem of the robe round about
And it shall be upon Aaron to MINISTER
and his sound shall be heard when he goes in
to the HOLY place before the LORD
and when he comes out – that he DIE not
Gold plate for Aaron’s foreheadverses 36-38
And you shall make a PLATE of pure gold – and grave on it
like the engraving of a signet
HOLINESS TO THE LORD
And you shall put it on the blue lace – that it may be on the miter
on the forefront of the miter it shall be
And it shall be on 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 on his forehead
that they may be accepted before the LORD
Coat, miter and girdle to be made for Aaronverse 39
And you shall embroider the COAT of fine linen
and you shall make the MITER of fine linen
and you shall make the GIRDLE of needlework
Garments to be made for Aaron’s sonsverse 40
And for Aaron’s sons you shall make coats
and you shall make for them girdles
and bonnets shall you make for them
for glory and for beauty
Aaron and sons to be anointedverse 41
And you shall put them on Aaron your brother
and his sons with him – and shall ANOINT them
and CONSECRATE them – and SANCTIFY them
that they may MINISTER to ME in the
priest’s office
Linen breeches for Aaron and his sonsverses 42-43
And you shall make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness
from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach
And they shall be on Aaron – and on his sons
when they come in to the tabernacle of
the congregation – or when they
come near unto the altar to
MINISTER in the HOLY place
That they bear not iniquity – and die
it shall be a statute for ever to him and his seed after him
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 And you shall speak to all that are wise hearted whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to ME in the priest’s office. (6942 “consecrate” [qadash] means to be holy, removed from common use, subject to special use, sacred, or dedicate)
DEVOTION: The priests needed special clothing to minister to the LORD in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The High Priest needed special garments to minister to the people, the times of sacrifice and on the Day of Atonement.
These garments were called HOLY garments. They were only to be worn during the time of service in the Tabernacle. They were to be taken off as soon as their time of service was done. They were to change into regular clothes when they are not serving the LORD.
Now we know that these special garments required special people to make them for the priests. God wanted Moses to instruct skilled craftsmen who were FILLED with the Spirit of wisdom.
Each person is important to God. HE gives special gifts to every believer. Here we have some people who were skilled in making the clothing that were to be worn by the priests and the High Priest.
Sometimes we might think that making clothes is a menial task and there is no special talent needed to make the clothes of the priests but God didn’t think so. So there are no menial tasks if God wanted those who made these garments to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
All believers are indwelt and filled with the Holy Spirit. The indwelling never leaves once someone is part of the family of God. The filling does leave if there is sin in the life of the believer that needs confessing and restoration of fellowship. Many times believers are not filled by the Holy Spirit because the need to repent. God judges with weakness, sickness and premature death those believers who are not willing to repent. Those that do are refilled with the Holy Spirit for service to the LORD.
The people working on the priest’s garment had to be filled with the Holy Spirit according to the LORD. Are you trying to use a spiritual gift while out of fellowship with the LORD?
CHALLENGE: Confess your sin and be restored to the filling of the Spirit so that you can serve the LORD with power.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 30 And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before the LORD continually. (4941 “judgment” [mishpat] means decision, dispute, case, claim, the act of judging or assessing a person, situation or event, a forensic cause, or legal decision)
DEVOTION: Aaron as the High Priest was the representative before the LORD for the people of Israel. He was the one who would bring the offering into the Holy of Holies for the people once a year. He was the one who would seek direction from the LORD on a regular basis. He was the religious leader of the children of Israel right behind Moses.
There is an article regarding the Urim and Thummim at the bottom of the devotional. It seems to a way for the LORD to give direction to the children of Israel without speaking to them directly.
When the children of Israel wanted to know what they were to do the High Priest at the time would be wearing the breastplate of judgment and would somehow use the Urim and Thummim to receive guidance from the LORD.
God would speak through the High Priest to the people to help them understand if they were living properly before the LORD. The leading of the LORD should have been important to the children of Israel on a regular basis.
The leading of the LORD today should be important to each of us that are trying to follow the LORD. HE speaks to us through HIS Word and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and sometimes through fellow believers. We should always be seeking the will of the LORD in our life.
There are some occasions that we will struggle to understand what the LORD is doing with us and we need to take those times to get alone with HIM and ask HIM for special guidance.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much according to the Bible. Do we believe it? Guidance is very important. Trust the LORD to show you the open doors and the closed doors.
CHALLENGE: Only go through the open doors the LORD places before you.
: 35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minster: and his sound shall be heard when he goes in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, that he die not. (6963 “sound” [qowl] means voice, noise, the auditory effect produced by a given cause, or din.)
DEVOTION: We have a description of the dress code of the High Priest. Each part of his clothing had a purpose. God wanted them made just right. Each part had a function in the offering of the sacrifices to the LORD.
Once a year the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to offer a sacrifice for himself and for the nation. If either sacrifice was not done properly the High Priest could die in the Holy of Holies.
He had a special robe that he wore as part of his priestly dress. On the bottom of the robe were bells attached for the one and only purpose for the other priests to know if the High Priest was alive in the Holy of Holies. If the bells stopped ringing he was die and they had to pull him out of the Holy of Holies by a robe that was tied around one leg.
The other priests were not allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. So the bells were very important on that day. As long as the bells were ringing or making as noise the other priests were there to just enjoy the Day of Atonement.
We are not told if there was ever an occasion when the High Priest died on the Day of Atonement.
We enter the presence of the LORD each day or we should. We should have our devotional time with the LORD. This should include a time of prayer, meditating on the Word of God and even singing.
What would happen if the LORD decided to hold us accountable for our time with HIM? If we didn’t come into HIS presence each day HE would one day stop the bells from ringing? The way to the Holy of Holies was exposed when HE died on the cross for our sins and we now have full excess to the presence of the LORD better than the High Priest did in the Old Testament.
CHALLENGE: Avail yourself to the presence of the LORD. We don’t have any bells on our clothes but sometimes it would be good to thank the LORD for the lack of bells.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that thy may minister unto me in the priest’s office. (8334 “minister” [sharath] means become priests, perform duties of priest, function as priests, to attend, to contribute, to do service, or wait on)
DEVOTION: Details, details, details!!! God is a God of details. HE wants everything perfect for the children of Israel in their worship of HIM. In this chapter we have the office of priest identified.
God tells Moses who is going to act as HIS priests. It is going to be Aaron and his sons. They are going to have special clothing for their office. Each item is described in detail. Each part of the priest’s outfit has a special function to the office.
Now the LORD tells Moses to find men who are wisehearted and filled with the spirit of wisdom. This description of men is given to inform us that there are men that are wisehearted. There are also men that are filled with the spirit of wisdom. The spirit of wisdom is used of the Holy Spirit in other places. It is used to describe the filling of the Messiah when HE comes.
We find that Aaron and his sons were to wait on the LORD. They were to do the priestly function on a daily basis. They were to wear the right clothes. They were the only ones chosen to be priests. The other members of their tribe were to serve them. The Levites were a special people to the LORD. The priests all came from the family of Aaron. There were a limited number of them.
They were not to come before the LORD with sin on their hearts. That meant that they needed to regularly confess their sins. They had to do it before they put on the priest’s clothing. If they entered the holy of holies with sin in their heart their bells would stop ringing. When the bells stopped ringing that meant that they were dead.
What would happen today if those who entered the pulpit with sin in their hearts were struck dead? What would happen if those who attended a worship service were not willing to confess their sins? Should we confess our sins on a regular basis as we are HIS ministers today? Every Christian is has the ministry of reconciliation.
Does that mean that all Christians are pastors? NO!! Those who are in the pulpits of our churches should have the gift of pastor/teacher. Many people want to be pastors but don’t have the gift.
Here we find that a family is picked by the LORD to serve HIM in the Tabernacle. This one family had a awesome responsibility. They were going to have to face the fact that if they didn’t come into the LORD’S presence with their hearts right – they would die. They were anointed, consecrated, and sanctified to serve the LORD.
Each day we do service to our LORD. We are all called ministers. We all have a gift given to us by the Holy Spirit for service in the local church. Are we using our gifts for the LORD?
When we serve the LORD it is to HIM only. We are not to worry about what people think but about what the LORD thinks regarding our use of our gift or gifts that HE has given us.
CHALLENGE: We are not to fake a gift that the LORD has not given us. We are to be content with the gift/gifts HE has given us.
:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach.(4370 “breeches” [miknas] means 1 underwear, drawers, trousers. 1a a priestly undergarment of linen. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)
DEVOTION: Here we have one of the few mentions in the Bible regarding underwear. God was concerned enough about the holiness of the priests that when they were offering up sacrifices to Him, He wanted them to make sure that they were wearing underwear! That was not because God did not know or see male anatomy (He created it), but because He was aware that we would be influenced by it, and should show a proper amount of respect for our own bodies.
On the other hand, we live in a time and culture where there is too much emphasis placed on sexual anatomy. We teach people the names of parts of their bodies without giving them the moral instruction on how to use (and not use) them. Our culture glorifies sex to the point that it excuses (and permits) sex between any two individuals any time and any place, regardless of marriage. The move toward homosexuality and homosexual marriage is just another manifestation of this.
Thus, God’s protection for the priests was that they were to wear special underwear when they were going before the altar to offer sacrifices for the people. His desire was for them to be holy and kept from sin. Our goal should be to live life in the most holy manner possible, and that includes treating our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). As believers in Jesus Christ, we are to only use our bodies in a righteous way that He determines.
CHALLENGE: God takes nakedness seriously, and so should we!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Holy garments for glory and beautyverses 2, 4
Breastplate (of judgment)verses 4, 15-30
Urim and the Thummim
Ephod with curious girdleverses 4, 6, 8-29
Two onyx stones
Names of children of Israel on shoulders
Robeverses 4, 31-35
Hem has bells of gold
Broidered coatverses 4, 39
Mitreverses 4, 37-39
Girdleverse 4
Priest’s officeverse 4
Two shoulderpiecesverse 7
Two onyx stonesverses 9-12
Plate of pure goldverse 36
HOLINESS TO THE LORD
Holy Placeverse 29
Holy giftsverse 38
Tabernacle of the congregationverse 43
Altarverse 43
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Statuteverse 43
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 12, 29, 30, 35, 36, 38
HOLINESS TO THE LORDverse 36
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Filled with the Spirit of wisdomverse 3
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Iniquityverses 38, 43
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Ministerverses 1, 3, 4, 35, 41, 43
Wiseheartedverse 3
Filled with the spirit of wisdom
Consecrate verse 3
Priest’s officeverses 3, 4, 41
Acceptedverse 38
Anoint verse 41
Consecrateverse 41
Sanctifyverse 41
Linen breechesverse 42
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Aaronverses 1-43
Aaron’s heart
Aaron shall be heard: bells
Sons of Aaronverses 1-43
Nadab
Abihu
Eleazar
Ithamat
Coats of fine linen
Girdles
Bonnets
for glory and beauty
Anointed
Consecrate
Sanctify
Minister in the priest’s office
Linen breeches
Children of Israelverses 1, 9, 11, 12, 21, 29, 30, 38
Holy gifts
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Dieverses 35, 43
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QUOTES regarding passage
6–14 The ephod probably was a high priestly waistcoat woven of blue, purple, scarlet, and white linen thread—all entwined with gold thread. Instead of having sleeves or being joined at the sides, it was hung from the shoulders by straps on which one onyx stone was mounted on each strap on top of a golden clasp with the names of the six younger sons of Israel engraved on one stone and the six elder sons engraved on the other stone (vv.9–10). The LXX makes the onyx “emeralds,” while Josephus (Antiq. III, 165 [vii.5]) makes them “sardonyx,” the best variety of onyx. The purpose of the names is to symbolize the fact that the high priest represented all Israel when he ministered in the tabernacle (v.12). A “waistband” (v.8) made of the same material and style as the ephod held the front and back of the ephod to the priest’s body. It had no significance of its own. (Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (1990). Exodus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, pp. 466–467). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
The ephod and girdle (28:6–14; 39:2–7). “Ephod” is the transliteration of a Hebrew word for a simple sleeveless linen garment that reached to the ankles, usually associated with religious service (1 Sam. 2:18; 2 Sam. 6:14). The high priest’s ephod and girdle were made of white linen beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet threads. The ephod was of two pieces, front and back, held together on each shoulder by a jeweled golden clasp and at the waist by the beautiful girdle.
The significant thing about this ephod was not the fabric or the colors. It was that the names of six tribes of Israel were engraved on each onyx stone on the shoulder clasps, according to their birth order. Whenever the high priest wore his special robes, he carried the people on his shoulders before the Lord. Furthermore, these two onyx stones reminded him of two important facts: (1) the tribes of Israel were precious in the sight of God; (2) he wasn’t in the tabernacle to display his beautiful robes or to exalt his special position, but to represent the people before the Lord and carry them on his shoulders. He had been called, not to serve himself but to serve his people.
If the church is to be faithful as a holy priesthood, believers must serve Christ by serving one another and serving a lost world. Jesus said, “I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27), and it’s His example that we should follow (John 13:12–17). In the high-powered spiritual atmosphere of the tabernacle, it would be easy for the priest to ignore the common people outside, many of whom had burdens and problems and needed God’s help. “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4, nkjv). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1998). Be delivered (pp. 153–154). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
Ver. 12. And thou shalt put the stones upon the shoulders of the ephod, &c.] That is, the shoulder-pieces of it; these stones were put there, the names of the 12 sons of Israel being engraven on them, and they set in rims or sockets of gold, and serving for buttons to the shoulder-pieces: but chiefly the design of them was for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel; not to put the Israelites in mind of the merits of their ancestors, as the Targum of Jonathan; for none of their works were meritorious, and some were not good, and not worthy of remembrance; but rather to put Aaron or the high-priest in mind to pray and make intercession for the 12 tribes, whose names were on the stones; or rather to put God himself in remembrance of his promises made unto them, and that they were his dear, special, and peculiar people; just as the rainbow was to be a memorial to the Lord of the covenant he made with all flesh, and which is to be understood after the manner of men: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial; signifying his presentation of them to the Lord when he appeared before him on the mercy-seat; his intercession for them, and his patient bearing all their infirmities and weaknesses; in which he was a type of Christ, who presents all his people to his divine Father, makes intercession for them, and bears all their burdens, the care and government of them being upon his shoulders, Isa. 9:6; Luke 15:4. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 482). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
Truth for today.—The bells would serve the useful function of letting the people outside know of the priestly movements of intercession in the unseen holy places. And if in the awesome and solemn duties therein the bells ceased to ring the people would have the telegraphed message their priest was stricken. What an eloquent silence—should those bells cease to ring! What else could the Scripture here mean in saying so solemnly “lest he die”? (Langley, R. (1972). Exodus. In F. H. Paschall & H. H. Hobbs (Eds.), The teacher’s Bible commentary (pp. 74–75). Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Excursus: The Urim and Thummim
As regards divination (seeking the will of God by some sort of physical action), the breastpiece’s pocket was the holding place for the divination stones, the Urim and Thummim (“lights” and “darks”). How were these used? There are three strong possibilities: (1) A number of light and dark stones were contained in the pouch. When, in faith and with prayer, the high priest asked God questions, he would then pull out stones one by one to give answers, a light stone perhaps indicating yes and a dark one indicating no (or vice versa). (2) Only two large stones were in the pouch. Each time the high priest had a question for God on behalf of the people, he reached in and found one. Its color told him, as above, the answer. Then he replaced the stone and reached again for a new answer. This seems unlikely since it would have been all too easy for the priest to have a fairly good sense of which of the two stones was where in the pouch. (3) Two or more stones were in the pouch, shaped something like dice, with alternating sides or faces colored light and dark. These were pulled from the pouch, “thrown” as dice are thrown, and examined to see which colors came “up.”
We have no indication from biblical material that allows us to sort among these options and understand what the Urim and Thummim looked like and how they actually were employed physically. What we do know is that God sometimes chose to reveal his will in this manner rather than by speaking directly to the people. No less an important decision than the choosing of a replacement for Judas for the inner core of the church’s apostolic witness was reached in a similar manner in the New Covenant (Acts 1:26), suggesting that God may honor a nonverbal means of choice or discernment of his will from among options or in response to questions posed. It should be obvious to the reader of the Pentateuch and the Bible in general, however, that God did not and does not normally use “divination” methods as his primary mode of revelation.
The term “over his heart” is used twice in these verses (once in the form “over Aaron’s heart”)—referring in turn to the position of the names of the Israelite tribes as well as to the Urim and Thummim stones used to discern the will of God. The Bible does not teach that the heart was the center of the emotions or of the spirit or of the mind, but all these concepts were alive and well in the culture in which the Bible was revealed and were part of the idiomatic language and conceptual framework reflected in the Bible’s language (much like the expressions “learn it by heart” or “I haven’t the heart for …” in today’s English). Accordingly, having the breastpiece and its contents “over Aaron’s heart” helped Israelites understand the value of these objects and the corresponding value to God of his covenant people and of his desire to reveal himself to them.
Theologically, the Urim and Thummim represented something on the order of last resort appeals to God for guidance—not individual guidance but national guidance on matters that would require the agreement and concerted effort of the whole people. The people’s first resort was supposed to be obedience to the written covenant since the written covenant constituted the most basic or foundational guidance, generally and perpetually applicable, that they possessed. The second resort would be to listen for direct divine guidance through the word of God from a prophet, something that God occasionally, but not necessarily regularly, gave them. The third resort would be prayer, and Urim and Thummim use fall under this category. With prayer, seeking to understand how best to take a national direction of some sort, the Urim and Thummim would be drawn from the breastpiece pouch and examined for God’s answer to the people’s prayer. It may be assumed that they understood or should have understood that if they had faithfully tried the first two resorts and received no word from the Lord, they might in faith try the third resort, not as a matter of right but as allowed by and guided by an orthodox high priest ministering properly “before the Lord.” It may also be assumed that since the Israelites were drawn more often to heterodoxy than orthodoxy and usually preferred idol worship to keeping Yahweh’s covenant, their use of the Urim and Thummim would most often have failed—and that they and/or the high priest at any given time may not have known the difference, blinded as they were by their disobedience. The Urim and Thummim were mechanical devices of divination that had validity in certain limited contexts and only as God chose to guide the hand of the high priest in response to faithful prayer from an obedient people. In themselves they were simply colored stones that possessed no intrinsic powers. (Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, pp. 612–613). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
THE COVENANT OF GRACE
I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God.
Exodus 6:7
God has made certain promises. So what is the great central promise that He has made in the covenant of grace? He has promised to be a God unto man. That is the great promise: “I will be to you a God.” Do you see the importance and significance of this? God had been the God of Adam, but Adam sinned against Him and fell; he became the slave of Satan and broke the connection with God. And the remarkable and astounding thing is that God turned to man and assured him in the covenant of grace that He had a way whereby He could still be a God to man. “I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God” (Exodus 6:7).
Make a note of that because as you go through the Scriptures you will find that this great promise is repeated time and time again. You will find it in Jeremiah 31:33; 32:38-40. You will find it in Ezekiel 34:23-25; 36:25-28; 37:26-27. You will find it in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 and in Hebrews 8:10 and, in a marvelous way, in Revelation 21:3 where we read: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them.” That is the final state. So you see that is the very essence of God’s promise in the covenant of grace–that what had been broken by sin and the Fall was going to be restored. And the supreme blessing therefore, the ultimate blessing, the blessing of blessings, is that God is my God, and that I have a right to say, “my God.” And the whole of salvation is included in that.
How often do we tend to define salvation in terms other than that? Yet the greatest thing a human being can ever say since the Fall is this: “God is my God.”
A Thought to Ponder
The greatest thing a human being can ever say since the Fall is this: “God is my God.”
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 226-227, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Nahum 1
Nahum warns Nineveh to turn from idolatry and to be true to her vows.
INSIGHT
Nahum is sent from God to urge repentance again. This message must seem absurd. In the ensuing years, Nineveh has grown into the most powerful city in the known world. Her walls seem impregnable. Water totally surrounds the city, and inside there is a self-sufficient agricultural system. Feeling independent, she does not repent. The Babylonian army marches through the breach in the wall–and Nineveh falls. The Word of God is sure! (Quiet Walk)
King at the Flood
“The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever. The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” (Psalm 29:10-11)
There are quite a few different Hebrew words that are translated “flood” in the Old Testament. The word in this passage (Hebrew mabbul), however, is unique in that it is only used elsewhere in the account of the Noahic Flood, thus indicating conclusively that the dramatic scenes described in this psalm occurred at the time of the great Flood.
There was never in all history such a time as that, when “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). God therefore brought about “the end of all flesh” (v. 13)—no doubt millions, perhaps billions, of ungodly men and women—by the great mabbul.
In spite of the fact that nearly every culture around the globe (made up of descendants of the eight survivors of the Flood) remembers this terrible event in the form of “flood legends,” the very concept of God’s judgment on sin is so offensive to the natural mind that modern scholarship now even denies it as a fact of history.
Nevertheless, the epitaph of the antediluvian world is written in stone in the sedimentary rocks and fossil beds everywhere one looks all over the world. The greatest rebellion ever mounted against the world’s Creator by His creatures (both humans and fallen angels) was put down by God simply by His voice! “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters” (Psalm 29:3).
In all the great turmoil of the Flood, Noah and the righteous remnant in the Ark were safe through it all. In every age, even in times of stress and danger, “the LORD will bless his people with peace.” (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
The Wolf and the Lamb Together
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
This scene seems impossible. Could it be merely an allegory? But that isn’t all. “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 65:25).
Whether this will all come to pass literally (and there is nothing in the context to cause us to question it), it definitely describes what God considers the ideal state of nature. In fact, in the original creation, all animals were herbivorous. “And God said, Behold,…to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so” (Genesis 1:29-30).
With humanity’s fall into sin and God’s resulting curse on the earth, this ideal state deteriorated. Teeth and claws, originally designed for digging roots and branches, began to be used for tearing and eating flesh. Even people were authorized by God to eat meat after the Flood (Genesis 9:3). It’s still true, however, that both people and animals can survive on a non-carnivorous diet when necessary, for this was designed initially as the best way. All of this leads to the certain conclusion that God did not allow any such reign of tooth and claw on the earth before humans sinned. Those who promote the idea of long geological ages, with billions of animals suffering and dying during those ages, charge our God of wisdom and mercy with gratuitous cruelty. In a world made by a loving God, there could have been no death in the world until humans brought sin into the world (Romans 5:12). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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