Message 118
(3)
Scripture Reading: Exo. 28:1-4; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6; 5:9-10; John 1:14; Heb. 1:3; John 17:22; Luke 24:19
According to 28:1-4, the priests were required to wear a particular kind of garment. Today those who serve in the armed forces must wear an appropriate uniform. In the same principle, as a group of serving ones, the priests in the Old Testament had to wear garments that were specially designed for the priests. Exodus 28:4 indicates that these garments included six main items: “And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a tunic of woven work, a turban, and a girdle; and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, and for his sons, to serve as priests to Me.”
The breastplate was built with twelve precious stones set in gold. The ephod was underneath the breastplate. The Hebrew word for ephod means to bind. The ephod worn by the priest was similar to a vest. To the ephod were attached the shoulder plates and the breastplate. The robe was a long garment that went from the shoulders down to the feet, covering the body of the priest in full. God required that the priests be fully covered, that no part of their body would be naked. It is rather difficult to say what the tunic was. It was shorter than the robe, probably reaching no farther than the knee. Hence, the tunic may be compared to a short coat. In addition to these four items, there were the turban and the girdle. The turban was a covering for the head, and the girdle was used for the girding of the loins.
In forthcoming messages we shall consider these items of the priestly garments in detail. My concern in this message is that we have a general understanding of the significance of the priestly garments.
The priestly garments signify that those who serve God as priests must have a certain kind of expression. The priestly garments can be compared to the uniform worn by a policeman. When we see a man dressed in the uniform of a policeman, we know that this person is a policeman. A policeman’s uniform is his expression. The same is true of the garments worn by a judge in a courtroom. A policeman’s uniform and a judge’s robe illustrate the fact that clothing signifies expression. According to the New Testament, the priestly garments signify the expression of Christ. Every aspect of the priestly garments signifies an attribute or virtue of Christ. Therefore, the priestly garments are the serving ones’ expression of Christ.
The priestly garments as the expression of the priests were their qualification. If the priests had worn some other kind of garments, they would not have been qualified to serve as priests. Once again we may use a policeman’s uniform as an illustration. A policeman is required to wear the proper uniform when he is on duty. It is the uniform which qualifies him to serve. If a policeman wore some other kind of clothing, even very fine, expensive clothing, he would not be qualified. To be qualified he must wear a police uniform. In the same principle, the expression of Christ qualifies us to serve as priests. We may claim to be priests, but do we have the expression of Christ to qualify us to serve as priests? Whether or not we are qualified to be a priest is determined by the expression of Christ. This expression is our qualification.
The priestly garments also sanctify the priests. These garments separated them from all the other people. The same is true of a policeman in uniform. A police officer’s uniform separates him from others. Should a man wearing a policeman’s uniform approach you and speak to you, you would surely respect him. However, if someone without the proper uniform tried to act as if he were a policeman, you would not show him the same respect. That person would not have the qualification signified by the uniform, and he would not be separated by this uniform from others. For this reason, he would be regarded as no different from anyone else. In like manner, the priests were sanctified, separated to God, by their garments. Exodus 28:3 says, “They shall make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him to serve as priest to Me.” In this verse sanctify means to separate to God for His unique purpose. The priests were sanctified by the expression of Christ. If we express Christ, this expression will both qualify us and sanctify us.
Verses 2 and 4 of Exodus 28 speak of “holy garments.” Verse 3 says that Aaron’s garments sanctified him to serve as a priest to God. The words “holy” and “sanctify” indicate that a priest of God should be separated to Him, set aside for His purpose. To be separated and set aside in this way is to be holy, sanctified.
Exodus 28:2 says, “And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.” The words “glory” and “beauty” are very inclusive. The phrase “for glory” means to express Christ’s divinity (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3; John 17:22). The phrase “for beauty” means to express Christ’s humanity (Luke 24:19). Glory here refers to Christ’s divinity. In our expression of Christ there must be something of the divine nature. This divine nature is typified by the gold which was part of the priestly garments. The fact that the element of gold was part of the garments typifies that divinity, the divine nature, is part of the expression of Christ. A priest must express Christ’s divinity.
If we read the four Gospels carefully, we shall see that although Jesus of Nazareth lived a human life, in His humanity there was the expression of the glory of God. This means that in His human living there was divinity, typified by the gold in the priestly garments. The Lord Jesus certainly expressed the glory of God. John 1:14 says, “We beheld His glory, glory as of an only begotten from a father.” The disciples beheld the glory of Jesus, the glory of God’s only begotten Son. Furthermore, Hebrews 1:3 says that Christ is the effulgence of God’s glory. This means that He expresses God with the divine attributes.
The priestly garments were for beauty as well as glory. Beauty in 28:2 refers to the expression of Christ’s humanity. Christ’s divinity is for glory, and His humanity is for beauty. The four Gospels reveal that in the life and daily living of the Lord Jesus we can see the divine glory and also the human beauty. With the Lord divinity and humanity are blended in a very positive way. They are woven together like fabric woven to make a particular type of textile. With the Lord Jesus the divine glory has been woven into human beauty. For this reason, with Him we behold both the divine glory and the beauty of His human virtues.
First Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession, so that you may tell out the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” The Greek word rendered “praises” in the King James Version is better rendered attributes, excellencies, or virtues. This includes Christ’s divine glory and human beauty. In 1 Peter 2:9 the virtues, or excellencies, are the divine glory, the divine attributes, and the human beauty, the human virtues.
If we live Christ and Christ lives out of us, Christ will be expressed. If we have such an expression, others will realize that in our living there is something glorious. At the same time, they will sense that in our daily living there is a beautiful expression of human virtues. In the expression of Christ both the divine glory and the human beauty can be seen.
For thirty-three and a half years, the Lord Jesus expressed the divine glory with the human beauty. He bore this expression every hour, in fact every minute, of His life on earth. The divine glory and the human beauty were never absent from Him even for a moment.
We, however, are often different from the Lord Jesus in this regard. Perhaps in the morning we may express the Lord with His glory and beauty. But later in the day, we may express something quite poor or low. Then it seems that the divine glory is gone and that the human beauty has disappeared. In the place of such an expression, we express the fallen natural life. I must confess that this has often been my experience. In this matter, we are all the same and suffer from the same spiritual illness. The only difference there may be among us is a matter of degree.
Because we often express the fallen natural life instead of Christ with the divine glory and human beauty, we need to look to the Lord for His mercy, humble ourselves, and pray, “Lord, have mercy on me. I realize that I should express You with the divine glory and human beauty. But, Lord, You know that often I fail to express You with Your glory and beauty. Have mercy on me, Lord, and grant me grace that I may remain attached to the divine glory and the human beauty. Lord, I don’t want ever to be separated from Your divine attributes and human virtues. I need this kind of life to be sanctified and qualified to be in the priesthood.”
I wish to emphasize the fact that it is a life that expresses Christ with the divine glory and the human beauty that actually sanctifies us and qualifies us to be the priesthood. Whenever the divine glory and the human beauty are not expressed in us, we are immediately detached from the priesthood, from the corporate body of priests. If such is the case, then we are not in the building. But whenever we express the divine glory blended with the beauty of human virtues, we are truly in the building. We are built up together as the priesthood.
What is expressed in our living is not merely a matter of doctrine; it is a matter that is very practical and experiential. If you consider your experience, you will realize that whenever you are separated from the other saints and become individualistic, you immediately express the fallen, natural life instead of expressing Christ with the divine glory and human beauty. Those who work in a secular office may not express the divine glory and the human beauty, and even those who serve in the ministry may fail to have such an expression. Even those who love the Lord, who love the ministry, and who are willing to help in the service to the ministry may not be truly built up with others. On the contrary, some may be isolated and individualistic. Whenever we cut ourselves off from the saints, we no longer express the divine glory or the human beauty.
We praise the Lord that in the church life we have truly been graced by Him. The brothers and the sisters in the churches are genuinely one. Therefore, at the Lord’s table we can proclaim our oneness. Nevertheless, at least sometimes in our service we do not have an expression of the divine glory and the human beauty. This means that we are not wearing the priestly garments, the holy garments for glory and for beauty. If we are short of the divine glory and the human beauty, this means that we do not have the priesthood, for there is neither the qualification nor the sanctification necessary for the priesthood. I hope that we shall be helped by this word to reconsider our situation and condition.
