Message 121
(6)
Scripture Reading: Exo. 28:6-14; 39:2-9
I treasure very much the word which the Lord has been releasing from the book of Exodus. This is a book filled with the experiential riches of Christ. Some of the points concerning Christ portrayed in Exodus are beyond our ability to utter. Neither in English nor in my mother tongue do I have the adequate utterance to express what I have seen concerning Christ in this book.
In the New Testament we have plain words concerning Christ, our experience of Christ, and the church. There is even a clear word concerning the preciousness of Christ and concerning our value in the sight of God. However, in the New Testament we do not have the full details regarding these matters. Many of the details are found in the types in the Old Testament. By the Lord’s grace, in this message I shall try to point out some of the wonderful details of the preciousness of Christ and of the preciousness of the saints in the sight of God. These details cannot be seen in the New Testament; however, they are found in the picture in Exodus 28.
The main part of the priestly garments was the robe, a long robe reaching almost to the ground. Over this robe the high priest wore a tunic and over the tunic, an ephod. Exodus 28:6 says, “And they shall make the ephod of gold, blue and purple, scarlet, and fine-twined linen, the work of a skillful workman.” By reading this verse we learn with what materials the ephod was made and what colors it had. The materials used in making the ephod were gold and linen. Gold is a mineral, and linen is a substance that comes from the plant life. The blue, the purple, and the scarlet indicate colors, not materials. However, we may say that the gold and the linen also have color. Gold, of course, is golden, and linen is white. Therefore, the ephod was a garment made of two materials and it contained five colors.
I do not believe that in the thousands of years of human history there has ever been another fabric composed of golden and linen thread woven together. Have you ever heard of a garment made of golden and linen textiles woven together? As far as the material is concerned, the ephod certainly was an unusual garment. Today some garments are made of dacron and cotton, and others, of wool and polyester. But where is there a garment made of linen and gold? We certainly would think it strange if someone today wore a jacket made of gold and linen containing the colors gold, white, blue, purple, and scarlet. I am certain none of us has ever seen a garment like this. Nevertheless, this is a description of the ephod worn by the high priest.
The ephod was made of linen thread and golden thread and with five colors: golden yellow, pure white, blue, purple, and scarlet. However, there was no black or gray in the ephod. Because it was made in such a fashion, the ephod was extraordinary in appearance. If you could have seen it, what color would you have said it was? Gold? Blue? Purple or scarlet? Since it was a mixture of several colors, it is very difficult to describe its color in a single word. Anyone who looked at the ephod carefully would have seen five different colors. However, he would not have a word to describe the overall color of this garment.
We know from the New Testament that the Lord Jesus is a Person with two natures: divinity and humanity. Christ’s divinity is typified by the gold in the ephod, and His humanity is typified by the linen. The gold and the linen in the ephod were not linked together or joined together. On the contrary, they were woven together. This weaving together of the gold and the linen in the ephod typifies the mingling of divinity and humanity in Christ.
Because we use the word mingling in relation to the divine nature and human nature of Christ, we have been condemned as heretical. Some are still falsely claiming that we teach that in Christ the two natures of divinity and humanity were mingled together to produce a third nature, a nature which is neither fully divine nor fully human. I have never said that the mingling of divinity and humanity in Christ produces such a third nature. The gold fibers and the linen thread used to make the ephod were not woven together to produce a third nature, something which was neither gold nor linen. No, neither the gold nor the linen lost its own particular nature when it was used to make the ephod. The gold remained gold, a mineral, and the linen remained linen, a substance derived from plants. The natures of these two materials remained, even though they were woven together, mingled together. The same is true of Christ’s divinity and humanity. The divinity and humanity of Christ have not been mingled to produce a third nature. Furthermore, in Christ neither divinity nor humanity has lost its own nature.
John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” According to John 1:14, “The Word became flesh.” We may say that the Word, which is God, is golden, and that the flesh in John 1:14 is linen. Thus, when God became incarnate, the gold and the linen, divinity and humanity, were woven together, mingled.
From the time of Paul and John in the first century, there have been many different teachings concerning the Person of Christ. In theology there is a special term signifying the study of Christ’s Person. This term is Christology. Just as theology is the study of God, so Christology is the study of Christ. Throughout the centuries, there has been debate concerning Christ’s Person. Most teachers have recognized that Christ has two natures, the divine nature and the human nature. However, there have been a number of erroneous teachings concerning the two natures of Christ. Much of the debate has arisen out of this point.
Our book entitled Concerning the Person of Christ gives seven different schools of thought regarding the Person of Christ. Of these seven schools, six are heretical and one is scriptural. I would encourage you to read that book. The six heretical schools are the erroneous teaching of the Docetists, those who claimed that Christ has only divinity, but not humanity; the heresy of the Ebionites, who teach that Christ has only humanity, but not divinity; the erroneous teaching of the Arians, who say that Christ’s divinity is not complete and that He was merely the highest among the creatures; the absurd teaching of the Apollinarians, who said that Christ’s humanity was not complete; the false doctrine of the Nestorians, who maintained that Christ’s divinity and humanity were separated; and the wrong teaching of the Eutychians, who denied the distinctness and coexistence of Christ’s divinity and humanity and asserted that these two natures were merged into one. The proper, scriptural teaching is that Christ has both divinity and humanity and that His divinity and humanity are complete and united in the body of one Person. We repudiate the six heretical schools and follow the scriptural school.
In the New Testament we can easily see that our Lord Jesus Christ is both God and man. Because He is God and man, He is a God-man. Nevertheless, we are falsely accused of heresy because we teach that Christ is a God-man. However, a number of sound, fundamental, biblical teachers admit that Christ is a God-man. Some have even put this into writing. For example, in her book Life on the Highest Plane, published by Moody Press, Ruth Paxson says, “Such a Mediator must needs be one accepted and trusted by both parties, one who partakes both of God’s nature and of man’s nature....A true Mediator must be a God-man. The Saviour of men must be a God-man. Christ Jesus, the Mediator, is the God-man. He is not the man-God. He is not a man who became God but God who became man” (p. 101). On page 112 of the same book Ruth Paxson goes on to say, “In the God-man, God made a new union with the human race.” Moreover, a note on John 1:14 in The Ryrie Study Bible, also published by Moody Press, says, “Jesus Christ was unique, for He was God from all eternity and yet joined Himself to sinful humanity in the incarnation. The God-man possessed all the attributes of deity (Phil. 2:6) and the attributes common to humanity (apart from sin), and He will exist forever as the God-man in His resurrected body (Acts 1:11; Rev. 5:6). Only the God-man could be an adequate Savior....” By reading the New Testament we know that our Lord is both God and man. Therefore, it is altogether right to call Him the God-man.
Although the New Testament reveals that Christ is the God-man, we cannot find a verse telling us that Christ’s two natures were woven together. But this weaving together of divinity and humanity in Christ is portrayed by the type of the ephod. The gold and linen materials were not piled together, linked together, or merely joined together. They were woven together. However, many Christians have the concept that Christ’s divine nature was added to His human nature much like a piece of gold is wrapped in linen. They may not express themselves this way, but unconsciously many have this understanding.
In the past what was your understanding concerning the two natures of Christ? What was your concept of how divinity and humanity were put together? Did you think that the two natures of Christ were linked together somehow? No doubt you strongly believe that Christ is both God and man, but have you ever thought about how the two natures of Christ are put together? Were these two natures side by side within Him, or was Christ’s divine nature placed on top of His human nature? Was Christ’s human nature somehow surrounded by His divine nature, or did His human nature cover His divine nature? The Bible has a picture showing us how the two natures of our Lord have been put together. It is not by adding or linking; it is by weaving together divinity and humanity.
Christ’s divine nature has been processed, just as the gold used in making the ephod was processed. First the gold was refined in order to be pure. Then it was beaten into thin plates, cut into threads, twined together, and woven together with the linen. This picture indicates that Christ became a man by passing through a process. He did not become a man by suddenly descending from heaven to earth. No, He, as God, was conceived in the womb of a virgin. For nine months He developed in that virgin’s womb. Then He was born in a manger in Bethlehem. When King Herod learned of His birth, he tried to kill Him. Therefore, under the Lord’s leading, Joseph took the young child to Egypt. After the death of Herod, Joseph returned with Him to Israel, but he did not dare to stay in Judea. Therefore, he went up to the north to a despised district known as Galilee. As a result, the Lord Jesus grew up in the poor, small village of Nazareth. The Lord was raised in a poor family. In ancient times a carpenter, like Joseph, did not earn very much money. Throughout His years on earth, the Lord experienced the sufferings of human life. His process with all the sufferings is portrayed by the gold becoming the thread woven together with the linen.
As the very God, our Lord went through a process to become one with humanity. Without this process, how could He have become one with man? If He had not experienced this process, the textile needed for making the ephod would not have been produced. In this we see an aspect of the preciousness of Christ that is not clearly revealed in the New Testament.
In this picture of the ephod we also see how Christ’s humanity has been wrought into His divinity. This too involved a process. The linen had to go through a process before it could become twined thread used in making the ephod. Exodus 28:6 speaks of fine-twined linen. This is linen made up of threads wound together. When the cords of linen are twined, they make the thread for weaving. For the linen to become a twined thread, it had to go through a process. Eventually, the two kinds of threads, the gold and the twined linen, were woven together to make the ephod.
Although we cannot explain adequately how Christ’s divinity and humanity have been woven together, if we look at the picture of the extraordinary fabric used to make the ephod and realize that it is a type of Christ, we shall say, “Lord Jesus, I worship You. You are portrayed by the gold and linen of the ephod. Your divinity has gone through a process, and Your humanity has passed through a different kind of process. Then both Your divinity and humanity were woven together into one textile. Lord Jesus, this portrays Your Person. How wonderful You are!”
Because they are preoccupied by systematic theology, many Christians are not willing to accept this revelation concerning Christ from the Word. Furthermore, they oppose us when we teach that in Christ divinity and humanity have been mingled, woven together. But no matter how much opposition there is or what others may say about us, I cannot deny what the Lord has shown us from the pure Word of God. I will never change my realization concerning the Person of Christ. I have seen the picture from the types in the Old Testament concerning what kind of person the Lord Jesus is. I could never say that I have not seen this picture of the Lord. Praise the Lord for this portrait in the book of Exodus! In this picture we see precious details that we cannot find in the plain words of the New Testament.
Having seen how the gold and the linen are woven together through a process involving suffering, let us now go on to consider the colors of the ephod. The color blue signifies Christ’s heavenliness. Brown, by contrast, is the color of things earthy or dusty. With Christ there is nothing brown. With Him everything is blue, heavenly.
Purple signifies the kingliness of Christ. In all He did the Lord Jesus was kingly. Even as a child growing up in the home of a carpenter, He conducted Himself in a kingly way. If you read the account of the way He spoke to His parents when He was twelve, you will realize that He spoke to them in a kingly manner. Even as a small boy of twelve, He could act and speak with kingliness (Luke 2:46-52). If you read through the four Gospels again, you will see that in everything He said the Lord was a king. He did not assume His kingship; it was manifested spontaneously.
We in our natural life certainly are not heavenly or kingly. Instead of expressing blue, we express brown, the color of dust. Furthermore, instead of conducting ourselves like kings, we may act in a way that is very low. When we lose our temper, we may be “scorpions.” Even when we are happy, we still may not have the Lord’s kingly manner. But when the Lord Jesus became angry with those in the temple and made a whip of cords to drive them out, He was angry in a kingly way (John 2:15-16). Moreover, when He wept at the tomb of Lazarus, He did so with kingliness (John 11:35). Even in His weeping, the Lord’s kingship was manifested.
Scarlet signifies redemption. Throughout His life on earth, the Lord Jesus acted in a redemptive way. For example, He manifested the color red, the color of redemption, when He said to His disciples concerning the multitude, “Give them something to eat” (Matt. 14:16). The Lord did not want to see the people go hungry. This implies redemption. Also, when the Lord Jesus healed the woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years and was bound by Satan, He was acting in the way of redemption (Luke 13:11-16). To those who criticized Him concerning this, He said that He did not want this woman to be bound by Satan any longer.
Along with the colors blue, purple, and scarlet, we have golden yellow and pure white. Golden yellow signifies the expression of God. When the Lord Jesus fed the five thousand with two loaves and five fishes, God was manifested. The golden yellow color shone forth from Him. Also, when He was angry and cleansed the temple, He manifested both His kingliness and the golden yellow of His divinity. Furthermore, on that occasion the pure linen, signifying the expression of Christ’s humanity, could also be seen.
Both God and man, divinity and humanity, were manifested in the life of the Lord Jesus on earth. In the living of this Man we can see heavenliness, kingliness, and redemption. We can see the divine brightness and also a pure humanity. In the living of the Lord Jesus we see all these colors.
Can you point to a chapter of the New Testament that portrays the Lord Jesus in the way He is portrayed in the ephod? There is no such chapter in the New Testament, for this kind of description cannot be put into words. It can only be presented by a picture.
Is it possible to describe adequately in words a person’s face? Certainly not. You may take a thousand words to describe someone’s nose or ear, and still your description would not be complete. But a picture would be better than thousands of words. This is the reason I treasure the picture of Christ in Exodus 28.
It is a sad thing that for centuries Christians, including those who love the Lord and seek Him, have not paid adequate attention to the portrait of Christ in Exodus 28. As a result, their appreciation of the Lord has not been sufficiently high. I can testify that by considering this picture, I appreciate the Lord much more, and out of my appreciation I have given Him new worship. I have said, “Lord, I see You in this picture, and I appreciate You. But I cannot put into words what I see and appreciate. Lord, here in Exodus 28 I see You. Thank You, Lord, for this picture of Yourself. You are the ephod woven with gold and linen. Your divinity and humanity are together in Your one Person, yet the nature of divinity and humanity remain. They are not lost. Lord, I praise You for the wonderful Person You are!”
We thank the Lord for the marvelous picture of the ephod with all the beautiful colors. These colors, the colors of the rainbow, are the most beautiful colors in the universe. What colors are more beautiful than the five colors of the ephod? I do not believe you can find colors more beautiful than these, for these colors are in a textile signifying the expression of the Lord’s Person.
I have not interpreted the picture in Exodus 28 according to my natural cleverness. Furthermore, I am not the one who painted this picture. Rather, I have received the mercy from the Lord to understand it to some degree. Here in Exodus 28 we have a picture showing us that there is a fabric in this universe woven with golden and linen thread and containing the five colors of golden yellow, pure white, blue, purple, and scarlet. This is the ephod that the Lord Jesus is wearing today. He is still clad in a garment made of gold and linen and with five beautiful colors expressing His divinity, humanity, heavenliness, kingliness, and redemption. How marvelous!
