YouTube video sermon

Exodus 28:1 – 31:18

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 28. We’re drawing ever closer to the end of this series in the book of Exodus. In fact, next week, you’ll get another brief reprieve. I’m taking another short weekend break before starting my Ph.D., and another one of my friends, Steven Ragan, will be filling in for me. Steven serves on the staff at our local Baptist Association as a Senior Associate Mission Strategist.

Fancy title, I know. Basically, he works alongside churches to help them engage in mission-related work. But before that, he served for 20 years in various pastoral roles most recently serving as the Lead Pastor for Riverside Baptist Church across the street from Riverside High School in Greer. So, you’ll get another break from Exodus next week. Then, when I return, we’ll knock out the rest of this series and be finished by the end of August. Where are we headed after that? I don’t know, but it’s likely the New Testament. I can promise you that it won’t be Leviticus, Deuteronomy, or Numbers. Yes, they’re part of our Bible, and for that reason we ought to read them and know about them, but they’re tremendously hard books to preach. And that’s the perfect segue to today’s message.

Like last week, today will be more teaching than preaching. It’s just the nature of the text. If you’re wondering what the primary difference is between preaching and teaching – preaching is primarily geared toward life-change and teaching is primarily aimed at transferring knowledge. Clearly, these latter chapters of Exodus are more in the teaching category – the transferring of knowledge – than they are the preaching category, but we’ll still see if we can’t find some areas of application and life-change too.

Before we jump into the text let’s pause for a word of prayer:

“Our Father and our God, once again, we thank You and praise You for Your Word, and for the promise that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. We ask that You give us teachable spirits so that we might learn all that You have for us. Keep us, we pray, from falling into deceptive and false teaching.

Lord, we also pray that You would open our minds to the truth. Grant us the gift of discernment so that we are not tossed about by every wind of doctrine. Thank You for what You are teaching us. Give us a thirst to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest all the Scriptures – for they reveal to us a deeper understanding and greater appreciation for Jesus Christ and His work of redemption.

Guard us from pride, and may we walk humbly before You all the days of our lives. We offer this prayer to You, O God, in the name of Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.”

Previously, we looked at the tabernacle and some of the items that made up this portable worship space. As we continue, we’re now introduced to those who worked IN the tabernacle (the priests) and those that worked ON it (the craftsmen). When we conclude this section, once again, we get a reminder of the Sabbath and its importance in the life of God’s people. (One more reminder, perhaps, is to consider reading/studying Exodus 28-31 alongside Exodus 35-40 – the former being the instruction on the tabernacle and priesthood, and the latter being the implementation of those instructions.) The first thing I want us to see is the…

Priest’s Work In the Tabernacle

A major theme of Exodus 25-40, basically the second half of the book, is worship. In fact, if you want a simplified way of looking at the book of Exodus, it’s this: part 1/act 1 is the exit from Egypt and part 2/act 2 is an entrance into worship. You exit from there (slavery in Egypt) to enter here (worship before God). There’s a sense in which we do that each week (hopefully, even daily). For an hour, perhaps a bit more, we exit from the halls of the world to enter the sanctuary of the Lord. We seek to put aside the cares and concerns of the flesh and enter worship and communion with the Spirit of God. That’s the simplest division of the book of Exodus – an exit from slavery and an entrance into worship. And chapters 28-29 reinforce this principle of worship.

The tabernacle was a portable sanctuary for the purposes of worship, and God went with His people. But the people could only worship God on His terms and that’s where the priests come in. The priests were unique. Notice that I didn’t say better and notice that the Bible doesn’t call them better or more spiritual or holier. They were unique. They were different. How were they different? Look at Exodus 28:1, “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, Eleazar and Ithamar.” They were different because God called them to this office. They didn’t “run for office” or appoint themselves – this was a “calling.” The priests worshipped God “in the splendor of [His] holiness” (Psalm 96:9), and their garments bore this out.

Look at verses 2-3, “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 a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for My priesthood.” We’re going to look at each of these pieces quickly but, like the tabernacle (from last week), the priests and their garments point us to Jesus. And just like these Old Testament priests, every Christian today is a priest.

1 Peter 2:5, 9 say, “[Y]ou yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Make no mistake about it; if you’ve responded, in faith, to the Lord Jesus Christ, then you’ve been set apart to walk in the beauty of holiness before God – not with clothing, but in the beauty of a life devoted to God. In a sense, you’re a priest. Maybe not the kind of priest that you remember from your childhood or some other church denomination, but all of us are called to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Now, let’s quickly look at the clothes of the priest. Verse 4 outlines six of the eight priestly items, “a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash.” If you jump down to verses 36-37, then you read, “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.” And a little farther down (vs. 42), “You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh.” Those are the eight pieces of clothing that make up the priestly garments, and interestingly there’s no mention of footwear. That’s because when God called Moses at the burning bush, He told Moses to remove his shoes because the ground he was standing on was “holy.” Similarly, the ground of the tabernacle, and particularly the “holy place” and the “holy of holies” was, well, holy. So, no shoes.

The ephod was like an apron. It had two shoulder straps, and each strap had an onyx stone on it. One of the stones had six of the twelve tribes of Israel on it, and the other stone had the other six. Thus, the high priest bore the names of the people of Israel as a memorial before the Lord.

Verses 15-30 is the largest segment of verses, and it outlines the breastpiece. Basically, it was a pouch that was worn on the chest, and it had four rows of three gemstones. Again, each stone had one of the names of the tribes of Israel engraved upon it so that they would be represented before the Lord. There’s another fascinating connection with these stones, all of them are referred to in Ezekiel 28:13 as being present in the Garden of Eden, and then again in Revelation 21:19-20 in the New Jerusalem. Just another one of those glorious threads that ties the Old and New Testaments together.

The most mysterious part of the priest’s garments is the Urim and Thummim. These were stones, perhaps one dark and the other light since that’s what the words Urim and Thummim mean “light” and “dark.” We’re not exactly sure. Nor are we exactly sure how they worked. All the text indicates is that they aided the priest in discerning the will of God. Some commentators seem to suggest that they lit up, others say that there were words engraved on them and they were used similarly to dice. It appears these stones were only used in determining matters related to the entire nation, not matters of personal preference: “Whom should I marry?” or “Where shall we go to eat?”

And while we don’t have the specifics about these stones, it should be noted that this method was not their first resort. Earlier, we were introduced to the fact that God had delivered to Moses the Ten Commandments, and the people were called to obey God’s revealed Word, first, just as we’re encouraged to do today. Listen, there’s a great deal of answers and directions concerning how we’re supposed to live that is plain and simple in the Bible, and yet we walk around challenging God’s Word and twisting God’s Word, to justify ourselves. And then we wonder what God’s will is.

Now, that isn’t to say that the Bible offers specific answers to every major decision that you’ll face in life. Indeed, who you marry is a big deal. Should you accept this job offer over another, or simply remain with the company you’re with? In those instances, the Bible says that it’s wise to get counsel. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” And Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” But it’s probably good that we don’t have more specifics on these stones, because we’d likely have someone selling them online or offering them at some 1-800 number.

Then there’s a blue robe that’s mentioned in verses 31-43. It had imitation pomegranates embroidered on it and little golden bells on the hem. The bells likely served as an audible reminder to the people that the priest was in the holy place or the most holy place.

The turban was made of fine linen and contained the golden plate with “Holy to the LORD” engraved on it. Verse 39 introduces us to some type of coat or tunic. Alabama fans always use this verse to prove that God blessed the Crimson Tide because some Bibles refer to this as “checkered work,” and they equate it with the houndstooth print. Tennessee fans argue it was a checkerboard pattern, like their end zone. Either way, it was held together by a sash and no Citadel cadet can deny that the “checkered work” is a reference to the tartan plaid and the burgundy sash worn by officers.

All jokes aside, the undergarments were the last piece mentioned and the Bible clearly says that it was “to cover their naked flesh” (vs. 42). Again, there’s a subtle reminder of Adam and Eve’s nakedness when they sinned, and how God provided garments to cover their shame. These undergarments pointed to the idea that the priest had to be righteous. The psalmist writes, “May Your priests be clothed with righteousness” (Psalm 132:9). Ultimately, we know, there was only one high priest that would be “Holy to the LORD” and would be clothed in perfect righteousness – Jesus. The Apostle Paul would put it this way, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That’s the only way that we can stand before God – to have the righteousness of Christ freely given to us by faith.

Chapter 29 outlines the consecration of the priests. There’s a rather elaborate ceremony and process described for us, and again the connections with the New Testament are obvious. The priests began by being washed with water (Exodus 29:4), and when we commit our lives to Jesus we go through a “washing” of sorts, being washed in the waters of baptism. Next, Aaron was clothed with all these garments. We, too, according to Colossians 3:9-10, “have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Verse 7 goes on to say that Aaron would be anointed with oil by pouring it on his head. Again, the New Testament is filled with references (2 Corinthians 1:21, 1 John 2:20, 27) to our being anointed in and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And don’t forget the sacrifices. Sacrifices were everywhere in the Old Covenant: a bull and two rams – every day for seven days. And after the priests were ordained, the sacrifice of two lambs would take place daily: once in the morning and once at night. Just another reminder that no one can enter God’s presence apart from blood, and how Jesus’ blood was poured out once and for all to cover our sin. Hebrews 9:12 says it best, “[Jesus] entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing [our] eternal redemption.”

And these offerings gave off an aroma that was pleasing to God. In a similar but greater fashion, Jesus’ sacrifice filled heaven with a holy perfume. Hear these words from Ephesians 5:1-2, “[B]e imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” As His people, we should imitate Him through the sacrifice of love to others.

Charitie Bancroft wrote a song in 1863 with these words:

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is “Love,”
Who, ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands;
My name is written on His heart;
I know that while in heav’n He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart;
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me;
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb!
My perfect, spotless Righteousness;
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace!
One with Him I cannot die;
My soul is purchased with His blood;
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God;
With Christ my Savior and my God!

The priest’s work in the tabernacle reminds us that we need someone to represent us and work on our behalf, which points to Jesus. He’s a better prophet than Moses, and He’s a better priest than Aaron.

Craftsmen Work On the Tabernacle

The craftsmen work on the tabernacle, and they point us to the Holy Spirit who enables us to serve others for God’s glory. As before, there’s a little connection here with Genesis. Just as God did His work in creation by the power of the Spirit, so He did His work in the tabernacle, this little Eden, by that same Spirit.

If you still have your Bibles open, then look at Exodus 31:2-6, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.” These men, like the priests, were chosen by God, and their skills, talents and abilities were given to them by God. As I thought about this, there were two possibilities that came to mind.

The first is that these men (and others like them) had been born with these interests and skills and had been growing in their ability, much like people with hobbies get better as they practice their craft. Then, lo and behold, one day God made it clear to them why they had these seemingly natural interests – because He called them to use those gifts for His tabernacle.

The second possibility is the more direct reading of the text, which suggests that you have these two men who are just plain old country boys. They go to bed one night and haven’t a clue how to do these things, and the next morning they wake up and go into the garage and build a V-8 muscle car with the spare parts laying around. Like, it’s divine intervention. It’s not there one minute and the next minute all the knowledge and training and ability and intelligence is there.

(By the way, I’m praying that’s how my doctorate works – go to bed and haven’t the slightest clue what I’m going to write about, then wake up the next morning and spit out a 250-page dissertation – but something tells me it’s not quite like that. No, I tend to resonate with the words of author, Douglas Adams, who wrote, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” Anyway, I digress.)

The application from the craftsmen is clear. May we use our gifts, talents, abilities, knowledge, intellect, and whatever else we have for God’s glory. The irony behind all of this is that in Exodus 32 we’re going to see the people use their gifts to make a golden calf and worship and idol. And the question we must wrestle with is: Are we using what God has given us for His glory or for our own gratification?

But that’s not the only application, we also need the Spirit of God to accomplish the work of God. The late pastor and theologian, Timothy Keller, said, “Everyone will be forgotten, nothing we do will make any difference, and all good endeavors, even the best, will come to naught. Unless there is God. If the God of the Bible exists, and there is a true reality beneath and behind this one, and this life is not the only life, then every good endeavor, even the simplest ones, pursued in response to God’s calling, can matter forever.” We need the Holy Spirit working in our lives if we hope to do the work that God has for us. We may not consider our work for God as “sensational”, but if God has called us to it, then it’s most assuredly “important.”

Sabbath Worship At the Tabernacle

Let’s end with rest. After all, that’s how God ended. In Genesis, when God had completed all the work of creation He rested. Let that sink in for a minute. God doesn’t need rest. God doesn’t get tired. Of course, God doesn’t gain more strength or energy either. He’s simply eternally capable – yet He “rested.” Here’s another reminder that we, too, need rest. Without going into details about what is and isn’t permissible on the Sabbath, consider this: there’s a type of rest that can be found only in Jesus. We find our rest in the One who had done the work for us. Many Christians try to avoid serious work on the Lord’s Day, and yet they still fail to keep the Sabbath because they’re worry themselves into knots about all sorts of things. They’re not trusting Christ. Do you find yourself in the same situation? Rest in Christ.

I’ll end with this quote from Louie Giglio:

Sabbath is not so much about a day off as it is a “day up” – a day to remember that He is God and we are not. Without Sabbath, we forget who we are and lose sight of who He is, leaving us to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. When there is no Sabbath in our lives, we become intoxicated by the lie that the sum of our lives depends on our effort alone.

We get to the place where we truly believe that the outcome of the Story fully depends on us. But in truth, we are tiny, limited beings. Our biggest and best efforts still accomplish far less than what God can do in us, through us – or without us – in one breath.

So how do we wrap this up? Well, while the priests worked in the tabernacle, we have a great high priest who worked for us and still works on our behalf. While the craftsmen worked on the tabernacle, we have the Holy Spirit of God working on us, molding us, shaping us into the people He’s called us to be. And when God reminds us to rest, let’s look to our true and eternal rest, which is only found in Christ.