Key Verses: Exodus 39:3, 39:30, 39:43
The craftsmen make the priestly garments from the blue, purple, and scarlet yarns and fine linen, beginning with the ephod, into which they hammer gold into thin plates and cut it into threads to work into the fabric. They set the breastpiece with four rows of precious stones, each engraved like a signet with the names of the sons of Israel, so that Aaron would bear their names before the LORD, and they attach it to the ephod with chains and rings of gold. They weave the robe of the ephod all of blue, with pomegranates and golden bells around its hem, and they make the coats, the turban, the caps, and the linen undergarments. Finally they fashion the plate of the holy crown of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the LORD,” fastening it to the turban with a blue cord. So all the work of the tabernacle is finished, and the people do according to all that the LORD commanded Moses. They bring everything to Moses-the tent and all its furnishings and garments-and Moses inspects all the work, and behold, they have done it just as the LORD had commanded; and Moses blesses them.
The priestly garments, made for glory and for beauty, reveal that Israel could approach God only through a mediator who bore the people upon his shoulders and over his heart before the LORD, prefiguring Christ our great High Priest who carries His people into the very presence of God (Hebrews 4:14-16). The golden plate inscribed “Holy to the LORD” upon the priest’s forehead declares that holiness is required to stand before God, a holiness Christ perfectly possesses and imputes to those who are His. Moses’ inspection, finding everything done exactly as commanded, echoes the creation account where God saw all He had made and it was very good, and his blessing recalls God’s blessing upon the finished creation (Genesis 1:31, 2:1-3). This completed obedience stands as the redemptive counterpart to the disobedience of the golden calf, showing a people restored to glad conformity to God’s word. The finished work anticipates the greater finished work of Christ, who accomplished all the Father gave Him to do. In these garments we glimpse the beauty of holiness that clothes those united to their High Priest.
Key Terms & Words:
- אֵפוֹד (ephod) - Exodus 39:2 - “Ephod”; the high priest’s ornate vestment bearing Israel’s names before the LORD
- קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה (qodesh laYHWH) - Exodus 39:30 - “Holy to the LORD”; the inscription on the golden plate declaring the holiness required to approach God
- בָּרַךְ (barak) - Exodus 39:43 - “Bless”; Moses’ blessing on the finished work, echoing God’s blessing over creation
Cross-References:
- Hebrews 4:14-16 - Christ our great High Priest who carries us before God
- Zechariah 3:1-5 - Filthy garments exchanged for priestly holiness, a picture of imputed righteousness
- Genesis 1:31 - God saw all He had made and it was very good, paralleling Moses’ inspection
- Genesis 2:1-3 - The finished and blessed work of creation echoed in the tabernacle
- Revelation 19:8 - The bride clothed in fine linen, the righteous deeds of the saints
Discussion Questions:
- What do the priestly garments teach about the necessity of a mediator to approach God?
- What does it mean for you that Christ your High Priest carries your name before the Father?
- How does the plate “Holy to the LORD” point to the holiness Christ provides for His people?