Exo 28:1-21 Instructions About Priests’ Garments

[Study Aired November 14, 2022]

Exo 28:1  And take thou unto thee 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, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
Exo 28:2  And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 
Exo 28:3  And thou shalt speak unto 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 unto me in the priest’s office. 
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. 
Exo 28:5  And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 
Exo 28:6  And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. 
Exo 28:7  It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 
Exo 28:8  And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 
Exo 28:9  And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 
Exo 28:10  Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. 
Exo 28:11  With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. 
Exo 28:12  And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial. 
Exo 28:13  And thou shalt make ouches of gold; 
Exo 28:14  And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. 
Exo 28:15  And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. 
Exo 28:16  Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. 
Exo 28:17  And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. 
Exo 28:18  And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 
Exo 28:19  And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 
Exo 28:20  And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. 
Exo 28:21  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.

This chapter deals with instructions about the making of priestly garments. In the Bible, garments have both positive and negative connotations. On a positive note, priestly garments represent the righteousness of Christ.

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 

Rev 3:4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 
Rev 3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 

The negative aspect of garments reflects the sinful deeds of the flesh during our walk in Babylon and the world.  That is why in the scriptures, we are admonished to change our garments when we come to Christ as shown in the following:

Mar 10:50  And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 
Zec 3:5  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

Gen 35:2  Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 

What we need to know is that without these priestly garments which reflect our righteousness in Christ, we cannot enter into the presence of the Lord. In the parable of the prodigal son, when he came to himself and asked for forgiveness from his father, he received a new garment or robe.

Luk 15:22  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 

In today’s study, we will learn the spiritual truth applicable to our walk with Christ regarding the making of these priestly garments that only the elect are required to wear.

Exo 28:1  And take thou unto thee 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, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

Aaron and his sons represent the elect of every generation. All the Lord’s elect are priests before the Lord and are therefore required to serve or minister in the presence of the Lord.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

A key requirement for us to minister or serve before the presence of the Lord is obedience. Just as our Lord learnt obedience by the things He suffered, we are also to learn obedience by our fiery trials or judgement in order to minister before the Lord.

1Sa 12:14  If you will fear the LORD and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it will be well.

Psa 101:6  I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Exo 28:2  And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 

Though many priests served in the Tabernacle, there was only one acting High Priest at any given time. The first High Priest was Aaron, the brother of Moses. At his death, the office of High Priest was then transferred to the oldest son, down through the generations. As we are aware, we are the firstborn sons and therefore are entitled to wear these priestly garments as transferred to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Here in verse 2, we are given two reasons why the elect must be clothed with the holy garments. It is for glory and for beauty that we are required to put on the holy garments. As explained earlier, the holy garments refer to the righteousness of Christ. The glory here refers to the glory of the Lord which represents the Lord Jesus Christ. What this means is that when we walk in righteousness (Put on the holy garments) then we can know Christ (see His glory). The other reason for putting on the holy garments is for beauty. This beauty spiritually means to worship the Lord in holiness.

1Ch 16:29  Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Psa 96:9  O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Verse 2 therefore suggests that it is when we walk in righteousness that we can worship the Lord in holiness.

Exo 28:3  And thou shalt speak unto 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 unto me in the priest’s office. 

The wise hearted refers to the elect. The making of the priestly garments that we, His elect, are to put on, is possible only when we are granted to be filled with the spirit of wisdom by the Lord. In the Bible, the spirit of wisdom is identical to understanding of the word of the Lord.

Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

Dan 5:14  I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

This understanding relates to being given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God through the Lord’s words. What this implies is that as we are being given to know Christ through His words, we are automatically putting on the priestly garments which qualifies us to consecrated to minister before the Lord as priests.

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 

Our consecration (being sanctified or being made holy) is through the fiery trials or judgment we go through because of the word we have received.

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

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. 

The priestly garments consist of the breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a broidered coat, a mitre (turban) and a girdle (belt). The ephod was a garment of great importance and was a type of apron. It was an object to be revered in ancient Israelite culture. The ephod of the high priest was very special because it had a chest of 12 jewels on its front which represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The ephod is worn as a ceremonial dress by the high Priest. We know that the High priest is our Lord Jesus Christ. From the scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ’s garment that He wore represents Him. That is why when the woman with the flow of blood touched Jesus’ garment, Jesus said that someone has touched Him.

Luk 8:43  And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 
Luk 8:44  Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 
Luk 8:45  And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 

What this means is that the spiritual significance of putting on the ephod garment is to put on Christ.

Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The question is, “What does it mean to put on Christ?” The verse above shows us that to put on Christ means not to focus on gratifying the desires of the sinful nature. In the preceding verse of Romans 13:14, we are told that we have to wake up from our sleep by casting off the works of darkness and putting on the armour of light, which is the same as putting on Christ. These verses suggest that the works of darkness are the same as gratifying the desires of the flesh which bring us to spiritual sleep.

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 
Rom 13:13  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 

Since Christ’s garment represents Him, the dividing of His garment into four parts by the Roman soldiers after Jesus’ death on the cross is the divisions we see among the whole of the physical churches of this world. The coat of Christ which was not divided represents the elect who are not divided and are called and chosen by the casting of Lots. We must remember that the casting of lots which was common in the Old Testament was a way to know the Lord’s will. This means that we, His elect were called and chosen by God’s will and not by our own selves.

Jon 1:7  And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Joh 19:23  Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 
Joh 19:24  They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

The broidered coat is simply a tunic which is worn by the priest first after having washed in the laver at the outer court.

Lev 8:6  And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. 
Lev 8:7  And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith. 

The broidered coat was the innermost garment worn by the high priest, and the word seems to be derived from a verb meaning “to cover or hide.” The putting on of the broidered coat therefore signifies the birth of the hidden man in us who is Christ after we have left Babylon (outer court) to enter into the presence of the Lord (holy place). The coat, therefore, signifies our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 3:3  Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 
1Pe 3:4  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

The robe is one of the sacred articles of clothing for the High Priest. It was worn under the ephod. The significance of the robe was the bells attached to it. Their sounding as a result of Aaron’s movement, is to alert those outside the Holy place that Aaron is alive and well. This robe is therefore a symbol of Christ. It is when we are in Him that we are spiritually alive. As we have indicated, this coat is the same as Jesus’ coat for which the Romans cast lots.

Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

Putting on these priestly garments is no different from putting on the whole armor of God which is to help us stand against the wiles of the devil. The spiritual significance of the breastplate part of the priestly garment is not any different from the breastplate of the armor of God. The breastplate therefore signifies our righteousness or the righteousness of Christ. The girdle represents the truth of the word of the Lord, and the mitre or the turban is the helmet of salvation.

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Exo 28:5  And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 
Exo 28:6  And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. 
Exo 28:7  It shall have the two shoulder pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 

The ephod must be of fine linen and colored gold, blue, purple and scarlet. The color gold signifies the need to be refined just like gold refined in the fire. This is the judgement of our old man which brings us to learn righteousness. That is what will qualify us to put on Christ, the ephod.

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

The color red or scarlet, symbolizes the first Adam being of the earth, while the color blue symbolizes the last Adam – Jesus Christ coming to be in our heavens. The colors purple and scarlet remind us of our sojourn in Babylon where our adamic nature became obvious while living under the law as shown in the following verses:

Rev 18:15  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 

What this means is that to change our old garments of flesh to put on Christ our righteousness, we must first recognize our spiritual poverty (purple and scarlet linen) while in Babylon before we are turned into blue linen, that is, Christ coming to us. All humanity must pass through the same process to put on the righteousness of Christ.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

In order for the ephod to become complete, two shoulder pieces must be joined to its two edges.  As indicated earlier, the ephod represents Christ our Lord. The two shoulder pieces are the elect and the rest of humanity who are to be joined to Christ at different times to complete the work of Christ.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 
1Co 15:24  Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

Exo 28:8  And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

The girdle of the ephod must also be gold, blue, purple and scarlet. As indicated, the girdle represents the truth of the word of the Lord. What this means is that to be given to know the mysteries of Christ, we must come to understand our spiritual poverty in Babylon (signified by the colors scarlet and purple) before Christ comes to us (represented by blue) to refine us (symbolized by the color gold) to learn righteousness.

Mal 3:1  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 
Mal 3:2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 
Mal 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.

Exo 28:9  And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 
Exo 28:10  Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. 
Exo 28:11  With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. 
Exo 28:12  And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial. 

Two onyx stones are to be mounted in gold and fastened on the ephod’s shoulder pieces. These stones are to be engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel with six names on one shoulder piece and six on the other. These stones represent the elect as we are fastened to the Lord’s shoulders. This means that when He comes to us, He carries us on His shoulders. Being carried on the shoulder means that it is the Lord who does the work – we are only resting on His shoulders as He does the walking (leads us).

Luk 15:4  What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 
Luk 15:5  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 

Exo 28:13  And thou shalt make ouches of gold;
Exo 28:14  And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. 

Moses was instructed to make two gold settings. In addition to this, two chains of pure gold twisted like cords must be made and attached to the settings. The gold chains are to be used to fasten the two upper corners of the breastplate to the upper corners of the ephod. The significance of this chain, which was made of gold, is to let us know that as we are refined through our fiery trials, we learn righteousness to become the breastplate of righteousness, and it is through this righteousness that we remain secured or fastened to Christ who is the ephod.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

Exo 28:15  And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. 
Exo 28:16  Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

The breastplate was one of the sacred priestly garments to be worn by the High Priest. As a breastplate, its primary spiritual significance is that it stands for the righteousness of Christ.

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

In verse 15, however, it is called the breastplate of judgment in connection with the attachment of the Urim and Thummim. The judgment here relates to knowing the mind of Christ concerning issues brought before the Lord. We can therefore see that it is only when we put on the righteousness of Christ that we can know the mind of Christ. That is to say that it is when we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord that we are able to know the will of God in our lives.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The breastplate was to be made of fine twined linen of gold, blue, purple and scarlet. As indicated earlier, this refers to the process we must go through to put on the righteousness of Christ. What this means is that we must come to understand our spiritual poverty in Babylon (signified by the colors scarlet and purple) before Christ comes to us (represented by blue) to refine us (symbolized by the color gold) to learn righteousness.

The fact that the breastplate must be four squared in shape is to let us know that all humanity must obtain the standard of the righteousness of Christ, but each in his own order. This is also another way of saying that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No man can come to God without Christ.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Exo 28:17  And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. 
Exo 28:18  And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 
Exo 28:19  And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 
Exo 28:20  And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. 
Exo 28:21  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. 

These precious stones represent the elect. They were arranged in four rows and three columns on the breastplate of judgement. The fact that the precious stones were arranged in four rows and three columns is to let us know that the whole of the Lord’s elect of every generation (Significance of the number four) must suffer or be judged as part of the process of becoming spiritually mature (significance of the number three).

The most significant aspect of the breastplate is its use in connection with the Urim and Thummim which help the High Priest to know the mind of God. To have the mind of Christ is a sign of spiritual maturity. What this means is that every elect must have the mind of Christ or becoming spiritually mature through the judgement of our old man.

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

May the Lord continue to be merciful to us to have the mind of Christ as we become spiritually mature through our fiery trials. Amen!!