Exodus 28 gives the details of the attire worn by the priests. It is in the same careful detail as the previous chapters. Again, God is intimately concerned with every detail.
A couple of observations from the chapter. First, on four occasions, the text states that the role of the priest (s) was to minister to God…not to the people (v.1,3,4,41). It is easy to think that the priest is there for the people…and He does serve the people…but He ministers before the Lord. God is the point. Whether you consider our great high priest– Jesus who lived, died, and was raised again…to the glory of God; or, whether you consider us…a kingdom of priests. We do not live for ourselves or for the world. We live for God. We minister to God. We are consecrated to that service as His priests.
Some argue that we are here to serve the world. Not so. We are here to serve God…and that sometimes entails serving the world…but we are clearly servants of the Most High God. When we get that wrong…people become the point…and then we miss the point.
In v. 21, the priest, who wore a breastplate of judgment, stood before God representing all 12 tribes of Israel. This encompassed all of God’s people. Jesus is the only means of Salvation for all peoples. He is the ONLY mediator between God and man. There is not a priest for Buddhist people, or Muslim people…there is only One…and His Name is Jesus.
In vv.36-38, we see that the role of the priest was to consecrate the unacceptable offerings of the people before God. Everything we could offer God would come up far short of the standard. He is absolutely Holy. Therefore, we need a Priest who takes our unacceptable offerings (ourselves) and consecrates them through His intercession (Christ’s Work on our behalf) and makes them pleasing before God.
Apart from Jesus, we can never please God. Apart from His work, our best work is woefully insufficient. But, with Him, we are righteous before God…not with our own righteousness, but in the righteousness we have because of Christ!
Proverbs 10:17 is the takeaway today. “He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, but he who ignores reproof goes astray.” Heeding instruction leads to life. It alone is the way.
