A Friend in High Places

Please turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 28.

Exodus 28 · chapter mention

I'm preaching from Exodus 28 and Exodus 39,

but because 39 is almost a word-for-word fulfillment

and repetition of Exodus 28,

I'm not going to read it at the beginning of the sermon.

I'll just read chapter 28, verses 1 to 43.

If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand.

We can bring one over to you that you can use while you're here.

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Amen.

Heavenly Father, we don't want to lose sight of what a privilege it is

that we get to approach your throne of grace,

that we are in your presence now,

that we will have eternal fellowship with you

in the new heavens and the new earth,

and that that is all because of your Son, Jesus Christ,

our great high priest.

So exalt his name this morning.

remind us powerfully of how he serves us,

how he saves us.

Convey to your precious saints

how precious they are to you this morning.

Please, in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you would please stand, if you are able.

And I'm going to read Exodus chapter 28.

Exodus 28 · chapter mention

Then bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him

from among the people of Israel

to serve me as priests,

Aaron and Aaron's sons,

Nadab and Abihu, Eliezer and Ethamar.

And you shall make holy garments for Aaron, your brother,

for glory and for beauty.

You shall speak to all the skillful

whom I have filled with the spirit of skill

that they make Aaron's garments

to consecrate him for my priesthood.

These are the garments that they shall make,

a breastpiece, an ephod,

a robe, a coat of checkerwork,

a turban, and a sash.

They shall make holy garments for Aaron, your brother,

and his sons to serve me as priests.

They shall receive gold, blue and purple,

and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

And they shall make the ephod of gold,

of blue and purple and scarlet yarns,

and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked.

You shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges

so that it may be joined together.

And the skillfully woven band on it

shall be made like it and be of one piece with it,

of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns,

and fine twined linen.

You shall take two onyx stones

and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,

six of their names on the one stone

and the names of the remaining six on the other stone

in the order of their birth.

As a jeweler engraves signet,

so shall you engrave the two stones

with the names of the sons of Israel.

You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree,

and you shall set the two stones

on the shoulder pieces of the ephod

as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel.

And Aaron shall bear their names

before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance.

You shall make settings of gold filigree

and two chains of pure gold twisted like cords,

and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

You shall make a breast piece of judgment in skilled work.

In the style of the ephod you shall make it,

of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns,

and fine twined linen shall you make it.

It shall be square and doubled,

a span its length and a span its breadth.

You shall set in it four rows of stones,

a row of sardius, topaz and carbuncle

shall be the first row,

and the second row an emerald,

a sapphire and a diamond,

and the third row a jacent,

an agate and an amethyst,

and the fourth row a beryl,

an onyx and a jasper.

They shall be set in gold filigree.

There shall be twelve stones with their names

according to the names of the sons of Israel.

They shall be like cygnets,

each engraved with its name for the twelve tribes.

You shall make for the breast piece

twisted chains like cords of pure gold,

and you shall make for the breast piece

two rings of gold,

and put the two rings on the two edges

of the breast piece.

And you shall put the two cords of gold

in the two rings at the edges of the breast piece.

The two ends of the two cords

you shall attach to the two settings of filigree,

and so attach it in front

to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.

You shall make two rings of gold

and put them at the two ends of the breast piece

on its inside edge next to the ephod.

And you shall make two rings of gold

and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod at its seam

above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. And they shall bind the breast piece by its rings

to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of

the ephod so that the breast piece shall not come loose from the ephod. So Aaron shall bear the names

of the sons of Israel in the breast piece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy

place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. And in the breast piece of judgment you

shall put the urim and the thumim and they shall be on Aaron's heart when he goes in before the Lord.

Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.

You shall make the robe of the ephod all a blue. You shall have an opening for the head in the middle

of it with a woven binding around the opening like the opening in a garment so that it may not tear.

On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns around its hem with bells

of gold between them. A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the

robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the

holy place before the Lord and when he comes out so that he does not die. You shall make a plate of

pure gold and engrave on it like the engraving of a signet holy to the Lord. And you shall fasten it

on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron's forehead

and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy

gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord.

You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen and you shall make a turban of fine linen and

you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework. For Aaron's sons you shall make coats and sashes

and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty. And you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on

his sons with him and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them that they may serve me as

priests. You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from

the hips to the thighs and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting

or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place lest they bear guilt and die.

This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him. This is God's holy and

authoritative word. You may be seated this time. Two years ago on December 23rd, 2020,

when then President Donald Trump used his executive powers to pardon Charles Kushner,

the father of his son-in-law, Roger, and as well as Roger Stone Jr., his longtime advisor and friend

who was doing jail time for lying to Congress and tampering with witnesses, as well as Paul

Manafort, the chairman of his 2016 presidential campaign, who was doing jail time for text fraud,

bank fraud, and conspiracy all on the same day, I remember thinking to myself,

it must be nice to have a friend in high places.

We were all once sinners under condemnation and we too needed a friend in high places.

We talked last week about the inaccessibility and the unapproachability of the tabernacle,

how no man can draw near safely without first offering atoning sacrifice.

But the Israelites could not even offer an acceptable sacrifice to God on their own.

They could not even enter into the holy place. They needed someone who had access to God in the

holy place and the most holy place where they themselves did not have access. They needed a

mediator who would represent them and make the sacrifices they need for their sins. They needed a

friend in high places. And this is precisely why God appoints Aaron and his sons as priests in this

passage. Aaron would be a high priest, his sons, regular priests, to represent the Israelites to God.

God says in chapter 28, verse 1, bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him from among

the people of Israel to serve me as priests. This is the first explicit statement in the Bible when

God appoints Aaron and his sons to be priests. In order to serve as priests within the tabernacle,

they need to be holy, consecrated, which means to be set apart for a special purpose, just like the

tabernacle is salt, which is described as holy. So that's why in verses 2 to 5, God commands

Israelites to make holy garments for Aaron and his sons. The garments are repeatedly called holy

because they're supposed to wear it when they go into the holy place before the Lord.

In scripture, the word holy is the opposite of what is common. It refers to something that is

uncommon, something that is special. So you can't go to, for example, a special party like a wedding

with common clothes like t-shirts and blue jeans. You need special clothes that set that occasion apart.

Likewise, to minister in God's special place, the holy place, his sanctuary, the priests need holy

garments. And special garments cannot be made by anyone of ordinary skill. It has to be made by

skillful people. So God specifically commissions, quote, all the skillful whom God has filled with the

spirit of skill to make the priestly garments. So these garments are not going to be made by clumsy hands

in a janky way. You know, these are not going to have loose seams and uneven proportions. They are

going to be made with skillful hands for glory and for beauty. That phrase occurs twice in this passage

here in verse 2 and again in verse 40 to emphasize that the priest's garments are to be glorious

and beautiful. But what does glory and beauty mean? Glory refers to all of, it's really a summary of all of

God's divine virtues and attributes. Some people say that it's deity on display, glory. When God's deity,

his divine power, his attributes are displayed for people to see, we call that glory. So glory really

is unique to God. Nothing and no one in this world has any glory in and of themselves. They possess glory

only in so far as they display and point to who God is and what he is like. So when we say that the vast

ocean and its crashing waves are glorious, we're saying that the ocean displays God's eternal vastness

and his power. When we say that a mountain range is glorious, we're saying that it reflects God's

immovable strength and constancy, that it is unchanging. When we say that a king in his splendor,

his royal garb is glorious, we're saying that he in some way resembles God's royalty and his rule and

authority. So to glorify God then is not to give him something that he doesn't already have. It's simply

to acknowledge who he already is. God is not glorious because we glorify him. We glorify him

because he is glorious. And throughout Exodus, we have repeatedly seen this phrase, glory of the Lord.

The Israelites witnessed the glory of the Lord in the wilderness in Exodus 16. And later when the

tabernacle is completed in Exodus 40, it says that the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory

of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the

cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. You may have heard the phrase

Shekinah glory before. You guys heard that phrase before? So that's Shekinah comes from the Hebrew word

shakhan, which means to dwell. That's the word from which we get the word tabernacle, which literally

means the dwelling place. So God's glory, the glory of the Lord is what you see. It's the visible

manifestation of God in the place where God dwells. It's the glory that's connected to God's dwelling

place. So then the fact that the priest's garment is specifically crafted for glory shows that they are

to be associated with Yahweh's glory to minister in his dwelling place. The priest's garment is also designed

for beauty. The Hebrew word translated beauty in this verse is also almost synonymous with the word glory,

which sometimes is translated glory or honor. But more specifically, it's a word that is used to describe

beautiful ornaments in Isaiah 3.18. And it's used to refer to beautiful jewels in Ezekiel 16 and Ezekiel 23 as well.

Beauty is an attribute of something that is splendid and radiant and dazzling and glorious. Beauty awes people.

It turns onlookers into admirers, maybe even worshipers. So it is fitting that this is linked to glory,

that these holy garments are made for glory and beauty. Do you think of God as beautiful?

I think we more often think of him as glorious, but maybe we don't often think of him as beautiful.

But scripture teaches us that God is beautiful. Psalm 96.46 uses the exact same Hebrew word to

describe God in his dwelling place. His four great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. Splendor and

majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Psalm 27 uses the

slightly different word, slightly different word, but gets the same idea. One thing have I asked of the

Lord that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life

to do what? To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. The Lord our God is the

beautiful one. Whenever you see something beautiful in nature, whenever you draw or create or build something

that is beautiful, you are in a way pointing to our God who is beautiful,

who is lovely, radiant, splendid. And this is why the holy garments of the priests who represent

the people to God must be made for glory and beauty because they're associated with God himself.

The connection between the priests and the Lord is further reinforced by the material that the skilled

craftsmen use to make the holy garments. Verse five says that they are to be made of gold,

blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. Does that sound familiar to you? Right? You

guys have seen these materials before. It's the exact same materials that are used to make the

tabernacle, God's dwelling place. So they're kind of a set, the high priest and the tabernacle, right?

When you see, people wouldn't have normally seen the high priest walking around in his priestly

garment because they only put it on when they go into the holy place to minister. But imagine you saw

him walking around. Nobody's going to look at the priest and think, oh, I wonder what he does for work.

It's very obvious. You take one look at him and one look at the tabernacle, like, oh, I know exactly

what he does for work. That's, they're a set, they're associated with the dwelling place of God.

God, we wouldn't have been able to go into the most holy place. Only the high priest could. We

wouldn't have been able to go in even to the holy place. Only the priests could. So they had to go.

They were the friends of the Israelites in high places, the high priest who would go where they

cannot go to represent them before God. They can offer the sacrifices. They can mediate. They can

represent us. And we're going to learn today about how that entire office of the priesthood

ultimately points to Jesus as our great high priest and that God set apart Jesus as our great high

priest so that he might serve as the mediator of his precious people, bearing our name, bearing our

judgment, and bearing our guilt. Those are going to be my three points as we go through this. Let's first

talk about how the high priest bears the names of God's people. We find the instructions for the

ephod, first in chapter 20, verse 6. Ephod is just a Hebrew loan word. It's just a, and it's like an,

it's an apron, apron-like garment you'd wear on the front and the back and over the linen undergarments

that he mentions later. It covered the front and back and were joined together by the shoulder straps

and the shoulder pieces, as it's called in verse 12. And it was made of gold and of blue and purple

scarlet yarns and fine twine linen. And the most significant detail for the ephod is found in verses 9 to 12.

The two shoulder pieces of the ephod are decorated with these gold laces, gold settings. And then in that

gold setting, you, they were to place two onyx stones, one on each shoulder piece. And this onyx stone,

it's not exactly, we're not exactly sure what kind of stone it was, but if it's really an onyx, it would be this

precious crystal of jet black color with these milky white bands surrounding, kind of alternating

around. It's a beautiful stone. And you put those stones on the shoulder pieces. And on those stones,

they are to engrave the names of the 12 sons of Jacob, representing the 12 tribes of Israel,

meaning the entire people of God, six on each stone. So quite literally, the high priest is bearing

their names when he goes into the presence of God. He's bearing their names as his burden on his

shoulders as he goes into the presence of God. That's his function. And from the ephod hangs the

breast piece connected by two chains of pure gold. And the breast piece, which sits on top, I think I have

pictures, a picture to show you guys. So there's a turban on the top and then the golden medallion

attached to it. And then you see the blue robe. And on top of that, the ephod. And on top of that,

the breast piece with the precious jewels, the 12 jewels on it. It says there's three rows of jewels

on each, verse 17 to 19. It gives the list of jewels that I read earlier. And just as the two onyx

stones on the shoulder had six names of the tribes of Israel on each, each of those precious stones on

the breast piece has the name of the tribe of Israel, of a son of Jacob. Before we talk about

why the names are engraved on these stones, let's first talk about what the precious stones reveal

about how God sees his people. God does not command the Israelites, Moses, to engrave the names of the

tribes of Israel on ordinary rocks that they picked up off the street.

He commands them to engrave the names on precious stones, rare, costly jewels. The Israelites, of course,

we see throughout the Old Testament were not perfect. Each tribe had its failings throughout their history.

And yet, as the redeemed people of God, as God's chosen, special, set-apart people, they were precious to him.

The precious stones are, therefore, a visible representation of what God said to the Israelites

earlier in Exodus 19, verse 5. He said,

Exodus 19:5

You shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, among all the nations, among all the peoples

in the world. I chose you as my special, my treasured possession. That's what these jewels represent.

And that's the case not only for the Old Testament saints, but also for us, the New Testament church.

Revelation 21, 9 to 21,

there John describes a vision,

a prophetic vision that an angel shows him.

And he says this, that he saw the holy city,

New Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

So this is referring to the church,

which is the bride of Christ,

that's described as the bride of Christ in many places.

Jesus describes the Lamb of God and the bride,

the bridegroom in many places.

And then he continues, he says,

He showed me the holy city,

Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from God,

having the glory of God,

its radiance like a most rare jewel,

like a jasper,

clear as crystal.

It had a great high wall with 12 gates,

and at the gates, 12 angels.

And on the gates,

the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.

And the wall of the city had 12 foundations,

and on them were the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.

So not only the names of the 12 tribes of Israel,

but also names of the 12 apostles,

meaning representing the New Testament church,

the people of God.

So John continues,

The wall was built of jasper,

while the city was pure gold,

like clear glass.

The foundations of the wall of the city

were adorned with every kind of jewel.

The first was jasper,

the second, sapphire,

the third, agate,

the fourth, emerald,

the fifth, onyx,

the sixth, carnelian,

the seventh, crystallite,

the eighth, beryl,

the ninth, topaz,

the tenth, chrysoprase,

the eleventh, jacent,

the twelfth, amethyst.

Do you see the parallels?

The list of jewels is almost identical

to the list of jewels

on the breastpiece of judgment.

If you account for translation issues,

the Old Testament was written in Hebrew,

the New Testament was written in Greek,

it may actually be the exact same list.

He may even be referring back

to the breastpiece of judgment

and the 12 jewels that are there.

So like the breastpiece,

the heavenly city of Jerusalem,

upon which the 12 names

of the apostles representing us,

the people of God,

are written,

they're engraved

on their bedecked

with jewels.

Dear saints,

God's people,

do you know that you are precious to God?

You're not a common possession,

neglected,

forgotten.

You are His treasured possession.

Do you know that in Ephesians 1.18,

God describes us,

His people,

as the riches of His glorious inheritance.

We are God's inheritance,

His riches.

When you tour the Tower of London,

which is a historic castle

and palace of the British monarch

in central London,

they'll show you many things

that are, you know,

dazzling and splendid,

connected to the British royalty,

but they save the very best for last.

They take you into this room

and at the end of the tour,

they take you to see

the crown jewels

of the United Kingdom,

which is a collection

of royal ceremonial objects

kept in the Tower of London,

including the coronation regalia,

the most impressive of which

is Saint Edward's crown,

made of gold

and bedecked with numerous

precious stones.

Dear brothers and sisters,

that's what you are to God.

The church of Christ

might not look very impressive

today.

Mocking the church

and denigrating it

seems to be fashionable nowadays

in our society and culture,

but whatever men might say about it,

God sees the church of Christ

as the crown jewel

of all his possessions.

the Lord says to you,

the redeemed people of God

in Isaiah 43,

fear not,

for I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name.

You are mine

because you are precious

in my eyes

and honored

and I love you.

I give men in return for you,

peoples in exchange

for your life.

Whatever your life situations

might be

that might lead you

to question

how God sees you,

learn from his word,

listen to what he says

to you here in this passage

that you are precious to him,

that you're his treasured possession.

So the precious stones

on the high priest's garment

is associated

with the people of God,

but what is the purpose

of engraving the names

of the sons of Israel

on the breastpiece?

He says in verse 29,

So Aaron shall bear the names

of the sons of Israel

in the breastpiece of judgment

on his heart

when he goes into the holy place

to bring them to regular remembrance

before the Lord.

So the ephod and the breastpiece

share a same purpose.

They both enable the high priest

to bear the names

of the sons of Israel.

With the shoulder pieces,

the priest is quite literally

bearing their names

on his shoulders

and with the breastpiece

of judgment,

the high priest bears

their names on his heart.

The goal of both

is to bring the people of God

to remembrance

before the Lord.

Now that's not saying

that God is forgetful

and needs reminders

to remind,

hey, these are your people,

remember?

No, it's saying that

one of the high priest's

main function

is to represent

the people of God

before the Lord.

Like a lobbyist

who constantly comes

before the congressman

and is in their ears

all the time

about the interests

of the groups

that they represent,

the high priest represents

the interests

of the people of God

and intercedes

on their behalf.

He is their advocate,

their mediator,

and he quite literally

bears their names

on his shoulders

and on his heart

because the Israelites

themselves could not

enter the tent of meeting,

but the high priest,

he was their friend

in high place

and he would go meet

with God,

talk to God,

represent them

before God.

And this role

is ultimately

fulfilled by Jesus.

It's pointing to Jesus.

It's telling us

about Jesus.

As we read in our call

to worship this morning

from Hebrews 4,

Jesus is our great

high priest

who has passed

through the heavens

and he is not unable

to sympathize

with our weaknesses

so that we can approach

the throne of grace

with confidence

because we have Jesus

as our great high priest.

Jesus knows our infirmities

and weaknesses.

He knows every single one

of your failings

and weaknesses.

He knows intimately

all our thoughts,

all of our hearts

are laid bare before him.

He's seen all

that we have done.

Jesus empathizes

with us,

sympathizes with us

and Jesus went

where we could not

ourselves go.

Jesus passed

through the heavens

to the right hand of God

and he is right now

making intercession

for us.

We speak often

of Jesus' death

and resurrection

but maybe not as often

of Jesus' ascension

and session

which is referring

to how Jesus

is now seated

at the right hand

of the Father.

It is there

right now

that Jesus

is presently

interceding for us.

It says in Romans 8,

33 to 34,

who shall bring

any charge

against God's elect?

It is God

who justifies

who is to condemn.

Christ Jesus

is the one

who died.

more than that

who was raised,

who is at the right

hand of God,

who indeed

is interceding

for us.

Jesus

accomplished

our atonement

by his death

and resurrection

and he applies

that finished

atoning work

to us

presently,

constantly,

daily

through his

intercession.

he is bringing

right now,

bringing our names,

your name

to remembrance

before God,

advocating for us,

reminding God

that we belong

to him.

I paid

for his sin.

She belongs

to me,

purchased

by my blood,

forgiven

of their sins.

that's why

we are heirs

of every

spiritual blessing

in the heavenly

place.

Just as the

high priest

bore the names

of Israelites

on his shoulders

and on his heart,

Jesus,

our great

high priest,

always is

bearing our names

on his shoulders

and on his heart.

That means

you can be assured

that you

will always

be known,

you will always

be remembered.

there's some,

sometimes,

right,

I mean,

we have to admit,

you know,

people share

a need

that's in their life

and you say,

I'll pray for you.

Sometimes you write it down

and you go home

and pray.

Sometimes you forget.

Jesus never

forgets.

Your name

is on his heart

and he's at the

right hand of the

Father interceding

for you.

This is way

better than having

your name

engraved on the,

on a star

on the Hollywood

Walk of Fame.

Who will remember

those people?

Jesus remembers you

in the heavenly court.

As we were singing earlier,

before the throne

of God above,

I have

a strong

and perfect

plea.

A great

high priest

whose name

is love.

Whoever

lives

and pleads

for me

my name

is graven

on his hands.

My name

is written

on his heart.

I know

that while

in heaven

he stands,

no tongue

can bid me

thence

depart.

No tongue

can bid me

thence

depart.

Depart.

the breast

piece

still

serves

another

purpose.

You may

have noticed

that this

passage

repeatedly

refers to

the breast

piece

as the

breast

piece

of

judgment.

But what

does that

mean?

Verse 30

tells us,

it says,

And in

the breast

piece

of judgment

you shall

put the

Urim

and the

Thummim

and they

shall be

on Aaron's

heart

when he

goes in

before the

Lord.

Thus Aaron

shall bear

the judgment

of the

people of

Israel

on his

heart

before the

Lord

regularly.

This

doesn't

mean that

Aaron is

constantly

bringing

down God's

judgment

upon the

Israelites.

We can

understand

these verses

better by

looking at

what the

function of

the Urim

and the

Thummim

are.

God never

commands

Moses to

make the

Urim

and the

Thummim

and he

simply assumes

their existence

and tells

Moses to

put it in

the breast

piece of

the high

priest.

So that

suggests that

Urim and

Thummim

likely already

existed

and were

in use.

So that's

why we're

never given

in any

place in

the Bible

sufficient

information

to know

exactly what

they looked

like or

what they

were or

how they

were used.

But we

aren't

completely

clueless.

So in

1 Samuel

14,

King Saul

and the

Israelites

consult the

Lord to

see if they

should attack

the Philistines.

However,

the Lord

doesn't answer

them.

And so

disturbed by

the silence

of the

Lord,

Saul consults

the Urim

and Thummim

in verses

41 to 42.

It says

this,

Therefore Saul

said,

O Lord God

of Israel,

why have you

not answered

your servant

this day?

If this

guilt is in

me or in

Jonathan my son,

O Lord God

of Israel,

give Urim.

But if this

guilt is in

your people Israel,

give Thummim.

And Jonathan

and Saul

were taken.

But the

people escaped.

Then Paul

said,

Cast the

lot between

me and

my son

Jonathan.

And Jonathan

was taken.

So this

was because

Jonathan had

violated the

oath that

Saul had

placed all

of the

Israelites

under.

So we

can see

from this

passage that

Urim and

Thummim

can function

kind of like

casting of

lot to

decide a

doubtful case.

However,

we also

know that

Urim and

Thummim were

not simply

a lot,

like sticks

of different

sizes or

stones.

The longer

one means

yes,

the shorter

one means

no,

or two

stones of

different

colors,

the black

one means

yes,

the white

one means

no,

or good

or bad

or chosen

or rejected.

It was not

something that

just gave a

simple binary

answer like

a lot.

The reason

why we know

that is because

it says in

1 Samuel 28

5,

that when

Saul inquired

of the

Lord,

the Lord

did not

answer him

either by

dreams or

by Urim

or by

prophets.

Because God

had rejected

Saul as king

because of

his sins,

because of

his unfaithfulness,

God's not

answering him

and he

doesn't answer

him even

by the

Urim.

If it's

just a lot,

there would

always be

an answer.

So clearly

it's something

that God

uses.

It's not

something that

always gives

an answer.

This is why

Saul is so

frustrated

he's not

hearing anything

from God

goes to

the medium

at Endor

to seek

a cultic

medium

out of

his

desperation.

I spent

probably too

many hours

trying to

think and

figure out

what the

Urim and

Thummim

are.

I couldn't

come to

a decision.

I was

wishing that

I had

the Urim

and Thummim

to consult.

But that

brought me

to the

realization

that I'm

actually quite

glad

that nobody

knows,

has a

clue

about

what the

Urim

and Thummim

actually

looked like.

Can you

imagine

how obsessed

people would

be if they

could reproduce

the Urim

and the

Thummim?

I don't

even want to

think about it.

How much

access there

would be?

How dependent

people would be

on them?

People would

abuse them

like a crystal

ball.

Saul.

In the

same way

that Saul

who had

turned away

from God

turned to

the medium

at Endor.

In this

new covenant

age,

God has

given us

his word

and he

has indwelled

his church

with his

spirit

to guide

us.

And seeking

the will

of God

through means

other than

that which

God himself

has appointed

is an act

of rebellion.

It's no

different from

what Saul

did by going

to that medium.

It's like

saying,

I want

to know

what I

should do

without

hearing

from your

word,

without

talking

to you

in prayer,

without

having a

relationship

with you,

without

keeping in

step with

your spirit.

I don't

have the

time to

bother

with that

stuff.

Just

give me

the

Urim

and the

Thummim

so I

can know

what to

do.

So I'm

glad that

no one

actually has

any idea

what the

Urim

and Thummim

look like.

So the

Urim

and Thummim

were used

in the

Old

Testament

times

to render

God's

judgment

and this

helps us

with making

sense of

verse 30.

The breast

piece contains

the means

of rendering

God's

judgment.

That's why

it's called

the breast

piece of

judgment.

And the

high priest

bore the

means of

God's

judgment

of the

people of

Israel

on his

heart,

representing

God's

rule over

them,

his authority

over them.

So in

this way,

the breast

piece of

judgment

also points

to Jesus.

John 5,

22,

24,

says that

God the

Father

has given

all judgment

to the

Son,

that all

may honor

the Son

just as

they honor

the Father.

whoever hears

my word

and believes

in him

who sent

me has

eternal

life,

Jesus says.

He does

not come

into judgment

but has

passed from

death to

life.

Jesus

now is

the one

by whom

the Father

judges the

world.

Jesus

is the

one who

divides

humanity

with God

or without

him.

He is

the fulfillment

of the

Urim and

Nethumim.

John 3,

18-19

says,

whoever believes

in Jesus

is not

condemned,

but whoever

does not

believe is

condemned

already because

he has not

believed the

name of the

only Son

of God.

And this

is the

judgment.

The light

has come

into the

world and

people love

the darkness

rather than

the light

because their

works were

evil.

will face

many judgments

in this

life.

You could

face the

judgment of

the courts.

You could

face judgment

at your

school.

But the

most important,

most pressing

judgment that

you face is

the judgment

before God

and God

appointed Jesus

to be that

judgment.

Jesus is the

line that

divides the

light from

the darkness.

So what do

you say about

Jesus?

that has

every implication.

That has

eternal

consequences.

How you

answer that

question.

Who do you

say that

Jesus is?

So the

high priest

bears our

names and

he bears our

judgment.

And there's a

third thing

that this

passage tells

us that he

does and

that's to

bear our

guilt.

Throughout

verses 31

to 43 we

see this

there's a

mortal threat

that is in

the backdrop

of many of

these instructions

regarding the

priestly garments.

For example

in the

instructions for

the blue

robe which

accompanied the

ephod and

was worn

underneath it

he says in

verses 33

35 on

its hem you

shall make

pomegranates of

blue and purple

and scarlet

yarns and

around its

hem with

bells of

gold between

them a

golden bell

and a

pomegranate a

golden bell

and pomegranate

around the

hem of the

robe and

he shall be

on Aaron

when he

ministers and

his sound

shall be

heard when

he goes

into the

holy place

before the

Lord and

when he

comes out

so that

he does

not die.

It's

fascinating.

The bottom

of the robe

alternating

decoration of

pomegranates

which is a

symbol of

the fertility

of God's

promised land

as given

in Numbers

13 23

and the

golden bell.

What's the

bell for?

It's kind of

similar to how

some of you

guys' dogs

have bells

so you know

when the

dog's coming

going?

It's not

because God

needs a

heads up.

I mean he

knows everything.

He sees

everything.

Rather it's

the high

priest's way

of asking

God's

permission

to enter

and asking

leave of

him.

Much like

the way you

knock on

someone's

door as

a courtesy

before entering.

It's a

manner of

courtesy and

respect toward

God.

God

because you

cannot just

barge in

there even

if you're the

high priest

like it's

your own

living room

or bedroom.

No one

not even

the high

priest may

enter into

God's

presence

unannounced

and if he

did not show

proper deference

to God

then he

would be

struck dead.

I guess

the people

would know

that he's

dead because

the bells

wouldn't be

ringing

anymore.

The same

thread is

mentioned

again in

verses 40

to 43

where God

gives instructions

for the

simpler

priestly garments

of Aaron's

sons.

The high

priest had

the more

ornate

garment

that I

showed you

earlier.

The sons

had simpler

garments,

the linen

undergarments.

They were

all to wear

these undergarments

made of fine

linen that

reached from

hips to

the thigh

to cover

their naked

flesh so

that when

they go into

the tent of

meeting or

when they

come near the

altar to

minister in

the holy

place,

lest they

bear guilt

and die.

Again,

a mortal

threat.

Not wearing

the proper

undergarments

could lead to

indecent exposure

within the

tent of

meeting which

would be an

act of

gross

disrespect

toward the

king,

toward the

divine king.

So once

again,

there's a

thread of

death.

All these

threats of

death are

reminders to

us that

God is

holy,

he is not

someone to

be treated

lightly,

and he

takes

offenses against

his glory

and holiness

very seriously.

There's still

yet another

reminder of

this fact

in a detail

that is

conspicuously

omitted

from this

passage.

The priest's

footwear.

There are no

instructions for

manufacturing priestly

shoes.

And this is not

an oversight.

God told Moses in

Exodus 3, 5,

Do not come

near.

Take your

sandals off

your feet,

for the place

on which you

are standing

is holy

ground.

When you

draw near to

God, when

you want to

stand on

holy ground,

you must

remove the

sandals off

your feet as

a gesture of

respect and

worship.

Not only that,

after removing

their sandals,

Aaron and his

sons were

required to

wash their

hands and

their feet

with water

at the

bronze basin

in the

courtyard,

before they

go into

the tent

of meeting,

so that,

it says in

Exodus 30,

that they

may not

die.

Another

mortal threat.

All of

these details

show just

what special

care that

the priest

and the

high priest

had to

take when

ministering in

the tabernacle.

And that

begs the

question,

if even

the high

priest,

with his

holy garment,

he could not

enter the

presence of

God without

his holy

garment,

made for

glory,

and beauty,

if even

the high

priest could

not meet

with God

without golden

bells to

announce his

coming,

or without

the linen

undergarments

that covered

all of his

nakedness,

or without

removing his

shoes and

washing his

hands and

feet,

lest he die,

then how

could ordinary

Israelites

ever hope

to meet

with God

with all

their sin,

with all

their

commonness.

That's

precisely

why God

appointed

the high

priest,

that he

might serve

as the

mediator of

his precious

people,

bearing our

names,

our judgment,

and our

guilt.

Look with

me at

verses 36

to 38

of chapter

28.

Aaron is

to fasten

the gold

medallion,

the plate,

to his

turban,

so that it

sits on

his forehead.

The Hebrew

word that

is translated

plate literally

means flower

or rosette,

so it's

possibly

tasseled at

the golden

plate had

the shape

of a

rose or

flower.

And this

plate had

an engraving

on it which

said,

holy to

the Lord.

It's only

when Aaron

is properly

dressed,

wearing his

golden plate

on his

forehead as

he ministers

in the

temple,

that they,

it says,

the people of

Israel and

their holy

gifts may

be accepted

before the

Lord.

The plural,

the reference

to them,

Israelites,

and their

gifts suggests

that the

inscription holy

to the

Lord doesn't

merely refer

to Aaron,

the high

priest,

but actually

to the

people of

God.

God had

promised,

next verse 19,

6,

to make Israel

a kingdom of

priests and a

holy nation.

So they are

holy to the

Lord,

and this

serves as a

reminder to

God of the

covenant promises

that he had

made to the

Israelites.

So when Aaron

offers the

gifts and

offerings that

the Israelites

are bringing

to God

within the

tabernacle,

he bears any

guilt that

comes from

that,

himself.

And because

of Aaron,

God forbears

with them and

accepts the

Israelites in

spite of the

fact that their

offerings are

inadequate and

imperfect.

it's notable

that even

the holy

things that

the Israelites

consecrate as

their holy

gifts to

God incur

guilt.

Isn't that

amazing?

This is the

sacrifice that

they're making

because of

their sin,

and that

very sacrifice

incurs guilt

because of

how sinful

they are,

even in the

manner that

they bring

it.

Isn't that

so true of

us?

As we

read in our

confession of

sin today,

though Christ

has imputed

his righteousness

on us and

has clothed

us with a

bridegroom's

robe and

decked us

with jewels

of holiness,

he said our

best prayers

are stained

with sin.

We need to

repent of

our repentance.

We need our

tears to be

washed.

We have no

robes to

bring to

cover our

sins,

no loom to

weave our

own righteousness.

We're always

standing clothed

in filthy

garments,

and by grace

are always

you are

receiving

change of

raiment,

for you

do always

justify the

ungodly.

Even our

obedience is

tinged with

pride and

pretensions.

Even our

prayers are

stained with

selfishness and

self-righteousness.

Even our

service is

tainted with

self-promotion.

Isaiah 64,

6 says,

all our

righteous deeds

are like

a polluted

garment.

This is why

there is

no way

in heaven

and on

earth

that any

of us

can save

ourselves.

What are

you going to

do to save

yourself when

that very

act of

trying to

save yourself

itself is

unworthy of

God?

When your

righteousness

itself is

filthy rags,

how are

you going

to save

yourself?

This is

why again

and again

the Bible

says we

need a

righteousness

that is

from God.

We need a

righteousness

that is of

Christ,

that is not

our own but

of another.

That's why the

New Testament

repeatedly speaks

of how we

need to put

on the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3

27, as

many of

you as

were baptized

into Christ

have put

on Christ.

When we

put our

faith in

Jesus, our

great high

priest, we

remove our

filthy garments

and we put

on Christ,

become part

of him,

in him,