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.

The Golden Ephod (Exodus 28:5-14)

“And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel …” (Ex. 28:12).

The ephod was the outermost garment of the high priest. Inferior priests wore linen ephods (1 Sam. 22:18), and Samuel wore one when he was a child (1 Sam. 2:18). David also wore one when he danced before the ark (2 Sam. 6:14). But this one that the high priest wore was called a golden ephod because there was a great deal of gold woven into it. It was a short coat without sleeves, buttoned closely, with a girdle of the same material. The shoulder pieces were buttoned together with two precious stones set in gold, one on each shoulder on which were engraved the names of the children of Israel (Ex. 28:9–12).

In allusion to this, Christ, the Great High Priest, appeared to John girded about the breast with a golden girdle, just like the one on the ephod (Rev. 1:13). The Scriptures tell us in Isaiah 11:6 that righteousness is the girdle of His loins, and so it should be for us. Ephesians 6:14 says, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.” This has a double meaning, for Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, protecting us from the slanders and accusations of the devil, enabling us to stand against his wiles. If we had to stand before the tribunal of God with Satan as our accuser, we could never survive by our own righteousness because we have no goodness in us. But because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, bound about us like a breastplate, like a golden ephod, we can stand boldly before the judgment seat, for God’s wrath has been appeased.

Another truth from this verse is that, as believers indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we are being conformed daily to the image of Christ. This work of sanctification is a daily struggle as we, by God’s grace, put to death the misdeeds of the body and put on Christ and His character. Each day, our goal should be to abide in our Lord, seeking first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness.

The golden ephod worn by the high priest bore the names of the tribes of Israel. In the same way, Jesus Christ represents the church as He stands before the presence of the Father, interceding on our behalf. Our names are known to Him because He died for us. He stood in our place, representing not an abstract number, but people known by Him and loved by Him, even while we were yet sinners.

Read Ephesians 4:17–5:21. Paul teaches believers how to put on the breastplate of righteousness as we strive to be conformed to the image of our Lord. What do you need to do to put on righteousness? What do you need to put off? Describe the old man. Describe the new man. Memorize Ephesians 4:22–24.

The Aaronic Priesthood (Exodus 28:1-4)

“Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons …” (Ex. 28:1).

For a little while now we have been looking at the atoning work of our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. We now return to our studies in Exodus and read of the institution of the Old Testament priesthood. God had made Israel into a nation, and, as such, it needed a priesthood. Until that time, fathers had led families in worship, erecting altars for the burning of sacrifices and the offering up of prayers for the family. Now that Israel would be joined together as a holy nation, it would need someone to speak for the people, to represent them before the Almighty. God Himself made the appointment. It wasn’t Moses, who acted as prophet in speaking God’s words to the people and ruling over them as judge and governor, but Aaron, whose name means “very high.” The name was appropriate for he would be exalted above all others in this great and holy service to the Lord. Aaron also functioned as a type of Christ, who would be exalted above all others, who would be high and lifted up as the Great High Priest.

God appointed Aaron and each of his sons. But notice in Exodus 28:1, the text says, “that he may minister.” Aaron and his sons joined together to form one united priesthood, and Aaron’s office was inseparable from His sons’. This single point stands out as a great and glorious foreshadowing of the union between Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, and His church. We are all priests unto the Lord, joined with Him by the grace and mercy of our heavenly Father.

After naming Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, God gave instructions concerning their clothing. Their garments were to be glorious and beautiful so that they might be fitting for holy service. They were designed this way to remind the priests of the dignity of their office and to motivate them to behave accordingly. The beautiful robes also reminded the people of the holiness of God, and of their own need to approach God in holiness and purity.

The priests, dressed in their glorious robes, can be seen as types of Christ, who would offer Himself without blemish. They also foreshadowed Christians, who would have the beauty of holiness put upon them. Such adornment is not outward, but consists of the blessings of salvation and robes of righteousness (Isa. 61:10), costly because these have been purchased by the blood of Christ.

Read today’s passage in Exodus 28:1-4. What kind of care was taken concerning the externals of religion? As the church of Christ, we are to be concerned about the internal realities of religion in our hearts (though this does not mean that we ignore our physical appearance). Before you worship today, prepare your heart by meditating on Psalm 51.

Objections Answered Regarding Particular Atonement (John 3:1-21)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Read the entire passage in John 3:1-21.

Today we will deal with two common objections to the doctrine of limited or particular atonement. The first objection is the assertion that the atonement of Christ is contingent on the faith and repentance of man, that Christ died for those who put their faith in Him. While it is certainly true that Christ died for those who put their faith in Him, the question is: “Who puts their faith in Him?” The answer to this question is: “Those for whom Christ died.” This is because it is by His death that Christ purchased faith and repentance. The Atonement itself makes it certain that these conditions will be met, not the other way around.

The second objection is the assertion that various “universal” passages such as John 3:16 prove that Christ died for all men, thus making a limited atonement false. This objection, however, is based on a wrong understanding of the word “world” in such passages. “World” in John 3:16, for instance, does not mean “all the individuals that constitute the entire human race.” If this were so, every individual would be saved. It is evident from Scripture that the term “world” has various meanings. If the term “world” always meant “all men” then John 6:33, 51 would teach that Christ actually gives eternal life to all men. We know, however, that this is not true. In Romans 11:12, 15, “world” cannot be all-inclusive since the context excludes Israel.

We do learn from Scripture that the term “world” refers to the Gospel going out from Israel to include all nations (Matt. 24:14; Mark 16:16; Rom. 1:5). According to the context of John 3:16 and 17, this is how we should interpret this use of the word “world.” When Jesus said that God loved the “world” and that through Him all the “world” would be saved, He was not talking about every individual in the human race. He was talking about nations other than Israel. The Israelites had a difficult time understanding that redemption would include the Gentiles. They wanted to believe eternal life was promised to them exclusively. But it wasn’t. The Gospel would go out into all the world, be preached to all nations, and salvation would come to those outside the camp of Israel, to “sheep” in another sheepfold. Jesus taught that He would lay down His life for the sheep, both in Israel and in other nations.

Read the passage for today very carefully. To whom is Christ speaking? Why is it significant that He is talking to a leader in Israel? How, then, would Nicodemus, as an Israelite, understand the term “world” as it is used in this passage? Why can this not mean every human being ever to exist?

A Certain Atonement (John 10:7-21)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

The purpose of the Atonement is the actual and certain salvation of those whom God has chosen. It is not the establishment of the possibility that all men might be saved. Christ’s work is more certain than this. If the Atonement only allowed for the possibility that men might be saved, it is conceivable that Christ could have died for nothing, for it certainly would be possible that no one would receive Christ by faith.

It is important for Christians to understand that Christ did not die for everyone, but that He died only for those given to Him by the Father. Jesus Himself said that He laid down His life for the sheep, not for the goats and the sheep, but for the sheep alone (John 10:11, 15). Christ died for the church (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25–27), for those given to Him by the Father, for the elect (Rom. 8:32–35). This is the language of Scripture. If the purpose of the Atonement were to save every person, then every person would be saved, for the secret will of God is not thwarted—His plans are never frustrated.

Christ’s intercessory work and His sacrificial work are two sides of one coin—they cannot be separated. For whom Christ intercedes, He died; for whom Christ died, He intercedes. Christ made it very clear that He does not pray for all men, but that He prays only for those given to Him by the Father (John 17:9). And part of His ongoing intercessory work is applying the benefits of redemption to those for whom He died. The prayers of the Son are always heard by the Father, and His intercessory work never fails. Those for whom Christ prays certainly will be saved, and the only people Christ prays for are those for whom He died.

This has an Old Testament counterpart because the incense could only be burned on the sacrificial altar, thus inseparably connecting the prayers of the priests (intercession), represented by the incense, to the sacrifice on the altar.

If Jesus Christ died for the purpose of saving every individual, then every individual certainly would be saved. We then would have to believe in absolute universalism, which is the doctrine that every person actually is saved. Of course, this is unbiblical. We are left, therefore, with the biblical doctrine that Christ died only for those chosen by God.

Read Matthew 1:21, Galatians 1:3–4, Colossians 1:21–22, Titus 2:14; 3:5–6, Hebrews 9:12, and 1 Peter 3:18. According to these passages, did the death of Christ only make it possible for sinners to come to faith and repentance, or did it make the salvation of some certain? Praise God today for making salvation not a possibility, but a certainty.