“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.