The Full Armor of God (Exodus 28:39-43)

“And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness …” (Ex. 28:42).

The garments of the priests typify the righteousness of Christ, the covering that prevents us from dying in our iniquity. But they also could represent the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6. If we venture unarmed into the battle that awaits us every day, our spiritual enemies will gain victory over us, we will bear the consequences of our rebellion, and our blood will be spilled. Blessed therefore is the man who guards his heart and wears his armor: “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame” (Rev. 16:15).

The Christian must be well armed for the spiritual battle that is being waged constantly in this world. We need to “put on the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11) so that no part of us is exposed and naked before the enemy. This armor must be of God, not of ourselves. It must be rooted in His will, in His strength, and in His grace. Otherwise, we will find ourselves defenseless before the enemy as we try to fight in our own strength. The armor is prepared for us by the Lord, but we must put it on ourselves. We must pray for grace, and we must use the grace that is given to us.

We must be completely armed, clothed in the robes of the Lord to hide our nakedness, so that we will stand against the wiles of the devil, so we will be able to overcome his assaults and all the deceptions he throws our way. This combat is not against flesh and blood, but against our own corrupt natures and against the ranks of devilish spirits who govern this world.

Only when we stand clothed in Christ’s righteousness can we hope to stand against the onslaughts of the devil. The Scriptures tell us that if we resist the devil he will flee. But we must resist him by trusting in the righteousness of Christ. That presupposes we are in constant prayer, meditation on the Scriptures, Bible study, and worship of the Lord both privately and publicly. We must serve Him in love and obey His commands. When we flagrantly ignore His directives, we cannot be surprised when we fall, for to ignore His commands is to betray our unbelief in His righteousness. The only remedy, therefore, is to trust in God’s righteousness, to put on the full armor of God, and to take our stand.

Read the passage from Ephesians 6:1-20. What makes up the armor of God? Where are you exposed to the enemy? What are some habits that are keeping you from being clothed in the armor of God? Think about what changes you need to make in your daily schedule to help you put on your armor. Make those changes today.

The Holiness of God (Exodus 28:31-38)

“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD” (Ex. 28:36).

A golden plate fixed to the front of the turban, which the high priest wore about his head, bore the engraving “Holiness to the Lord.” By this signet, the priest was reminded that God is holy, and that His priests must be holy. This is a primary theme in Scripture, but sadly it is one that many people fail to consider. Our understanding of religion and of God Himself is clouded by worldliness rather than illuminated and lifted up by the holiness of God. The high priests, being sequestered from the world and separated from everything unclean, were never to forget the holiness of God. So important was it that God inscribed it on their foreheads as a reminder of His character and of what He requires from man.

So, all that attend God’s house, His church, must have “Holiness to the Lord” written on their foreheads. They must be holy and devoted to the Lord, purposing to live for His glory in all they do. This must appear on their foreheads, as an open profession of their relation to God, as those who are not ashamed to live by it and to answer the world according to it. The engraving must be deep and lasting, sincere and durable, even when we suffer for His holy name.

In this way, the priest was a type of Christ, the great Mediator between God and man. Through Him, we can come before God’s holy presence without fear of judgment. The Law is strict and demands that we be clean when we come into His presence. But despite our sin, we are welcome because Christ has borne our iniquity and we are accepted as holy because of His name.

This does not mean that we remain passive in our service to God. We are accepted before His throne on account of the holiness of Christ, but He has given us His Spirit who transforms us into the image of Christ by His power. We, then, must be striving to put away our sinful ways and to pursue holiness. This should be a daily goal: to be holy before the Lord. Holiness means separation. If we want to be holy unto the Lord, we cannot be friends with the world. We must be different and set apart for the service of God. In this, we must not be ashamed, but we must walk boldly and with confidence as the world mocks us because of our profession. But though the world despise us, we will be accepted by the Lord.

Read and meditate on Psalm 47:8; 48:1; 86:2; and 93:5. How often do you think about the holiness of God? How consciously do you pursue holiness every day? What does it mean to be holy before the Lord? Pray today that you will revere God’s holiness and strive to be holy even as He is holy.

Lights and Perfections (Exodus 28:26-30)

“And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD” (Ex. 28:30a).

God directed Moses to put “the Urim and the Thummim” in the breastplate of judgment, which would be over Aaron’s heart when he went before the Lord. Urim and Thummim are Hebrew words that begin with the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We do not know exactly how these were displayed, whether they were stones of different colors, or other objects engraved with the letters of the alphabet. In whatever manner they were arranged, these symbols were used to receive oracles from the Lord and to know the will of the Lord in difficult circumstances.

Urim and Thummim might signify light and integrity, or lights and perfections. The symbols themselves were not endowed with any power, but they represented the role of Aaron as he was endued with a power of knowing and making known the mind of God in all difficult and doubtful cases, relating either to the civil or ecclesiastical state of the nation. The government of Israel was a theocracy. God was their King, the high priest was their ruler under God, and the Urim and Thummim were his cabinet council. It was likely that Moses wrote these words upon the breastplate or wove them into it, to signify that the high priest who wore the garment would be the one to ask the counsel of God in any emergency relating to the public. By wearing these words, the high priest had the authority to take such action.

The high priest would receive God’s instructions as he stood before the mercy seat of the ark, as Moses did (Ex. 25:22) and as Phinehas did (Judg. 20:27–28). If he was at a distance from the ark, as Abiathar was when he enquired of the Lord for David (1 Sam. 23:6), then the answer was given by a voice from heaven or by an impulse upon his mind as it was informed by God.

The oracle was of great use to Israel. Joshua consulted it (Num. 27:21), and it is likely that the judges after him consulted the oracle. During the captivity, it was lost and never regained. It was, however, a shadow of good things to come. Christ Himself is our oracle, and by Him God reveals Himself and His will. Revelation centers in Him and comes to us through Him. He is the light, the true light, the faithful witness, the truth itself, and from Him we receive the Spirit of God. It is through the Word of Christ that we receive truth. May we live by it.

Where do you go to know the mind of the Lord? Do you seek the advice of friends? Do you try to interpret the events of your life? Do you mix in worldly philosophies to try to discover spiritual truths? If you want to know God’s will, you must go through Jesus Christ. Read and study His Word every day if you want to know His will.

Power and Love (Exodus 28:22-25)

“They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod …” (Ex. 28:28).

Last time (some time ago - sorry for the delay) we touched on the theme of intercession as we looked at the garments of the high priest and at the engraved names of Israel on the ephod and the breastplate. Today we will focus on how these two figures reveal the power and love of our Great High Priest. The priests of old wore the names of Israel both on their shoulders and on their breasts, intimating both the power and the love with which our Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for those who are His. We should never consider the intercession of Christ from a theoretical or academic point of view alone. His work before the throne is alive and active, full of power and feeling. He not only bears His chosen ones up by the power of His almighty arms, but He bears them upon His heart and carries them in His bosom with most tender affection.

If you are a child of God, He loves you. He gives you the strength to overcome the trials of the day, to face the onslaughts of the world, and to subdue the temptations of sin that strive to undo you. He is the source of your power and your strength. He is your stronghold in times of trouble. His are the wings under which you hide when life beats you down with its harsh realities and its sin-induced bitterness. You never could survive physically or spiritually without the power of our Lord who cares for you as a shepherd cares for His sheep.

If you are a child of God, then you live close to His heart. He loved you while you were still a sinner. He loves you when you fail. He loves you when you fall along the way. He bears your name on His breast, close to His heart. And if your name is so close to His heart, how close should His name be to yours? Your response should be one of humility, submission, and adoration, as love flows from you in gratitude and praise. What a comfort it is to us, in all our prayers to God, that the Great High Priest of our profession has the names of His people upon His breast as a memorial, presenting them to God as the people of His choice, who were made to be accepted in the beloved. Never fear that God has forgotten you, and do not question His being mindful of you in every circumstance, for you are engraved on the palms of His hands (Isa. 49:16) and upon His heart. He loves you because He chose you. He set His love upon you when you would have nothing to do with Him. Receive His love, and return it with adoration and obedience.

Do you ever doubt the love of God for you? Do many days pass before you really think about how much the Father loves you, His child? If you have faith in Christ, then you are His child and you have the promise of His love. Meditate on the verses below and pick one to memorize.

Precious Stones (Exodus 28:15-21)

“And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name …" (Ex. 28:21).

The most considerable of the ornaments of the high priest was the breastplate, a rich piece of cloth wrought with gold and purple. This was fastened to the ephod by braided chains of gold both at the top and the bottom so the breastplate could not be detached from the ephod. The ephod was the garment of service, whereas the breastplate of judgment was an emblem of honor. Hence these two, service and honor, could not be separated. Matthew Henry comments that, if any man would be a minister unto the Lord and do His will, he must judge rightly what is the doctrine of the Lord. He must give the Lord honor in his service by watching his life and his doctrine closely.

In the breastplate, the twelve tribes of Israel were represented by twelve precious stones. Aaron was commanded to bear their names for a memorial before the Lord continually, being ordained for men to represent them in things pertaining to God. In this, Aaron typified our Great High Priest who always appears in the presence of God for us. This is a major theme of the priesthood, as we saw in our study of the ephod and the representation of the names of Israel there. Intercession and representation are key functions of the priesthood and of our Great High Priest.

Though the people were forbidden to come near and obligated to keep their distance, the high priest, who had their names on his breastplate, represented them as he entered the Holy of Holies. As he went before the Lord, bearing their names, it was as if they too went before the Holy of Holies. In the same way, believers, even while they are here on this earth, enter into the holiest place and, by faith, they sit with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). This is the honor and distinction of the believer. While the world is separated from God by its sin, the Christian can draw close to the Holy of Holies because he is represented by Jesus Christ. Our Savior and our Redeemer bears our names on His breastplate, thus enabling us to go before God without fear of judgment.

Notice that the name of each tribe was engraved on a precious stone, thus indicating how precious we are in God’s sight. The Lord loves His people, He honors them, cherishes them as His own, and they shall be His “on the day that I make them My jewels” (Mal. 3:17).

Read Hebrews 10:22. Are you ever afraid to pray? Do you ever feel too unworthy to pray? Do you ever think that your sin keeps you from coming into God’s presence? Meditate on this verse. How can you enter into the Holy of Holies? Put your faith in Christ, go before the Lord in prayer, and worship Him freely.