Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:36-38

36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness to the Lord.

37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.

38 And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

Now we hear a detail of the mitre, which was a hat or turban worn on the head. We do not hear much of the design of the mitre itself, only that it bore a golden plate with the words “Holiness to the Lord” engraved upon it.

Previously, we heard how the Israelite tribes’ names carved into stones on the priest’s shoulders and chest, now a remined of the Lord is carved upon the head. So, once again we see the role of the priest being representative and mediator for both God and the Israelites at the same time. He has both etched into him, the considerations of each are borne in the carrying out of his duties.

I think it is interesting to note the possibly symbolism of the names of the Israelite tribes being upon the shoulders and the heart, but God upon the head. Assuming that the ancient Israelites viewed the meaning these body parts somewhat similar to how we do today, then the tribes are connected to what you carry and care for, while God is what you are mindful of.

That symbolism might explain what is said in verse 38 that the plate is to cause Aaron to bear “the iniquity of the holy things.” He loves and carries the Israelites, but because his mind is on the holiness of the Lord, he cannot help but perceive the people’s imperfections and iniquity. He thinks on the Lord’s holiness and sees how far the people are from it and he is the one that is responsible to account for that gap.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:33-35

33 And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:

34 A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.

35 And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

The only decoration mentioned for the robe is that it would have a hem of pomegranates and golden bells.

The pomegranates were to be of the same scarlet, purple, and blue that was used on the ephod, and also on the walls and gate of the tabernacle. This would suggest that the pomegranates were balls of linen thread as well. Historically, the pomegranate has been seen as a symbol of progeny and prosperity, given its multitude of juicy seeds. This is not the first time that the fruit of the branch was depicted in the tabernacle either. A few chapters back we heard how the candlestick would incorporate the image of almonds in its design.

As for the bells, this would create a constant jingling wherever the priest went. Many scholars have noted that this would allow the common Israelite to witness with their ears the rituals that they were not allowed to witness with their eyes. When the priest passed into the holy place the people could still follow the performance of his duties by the jingling of his bells.

There is also the question of why verse 35 states that the priest would die if he did not wear the bells. Some have said this simply means he would be struck down if he dared to approach the holy places without his proper adornment, and that the ringing of the bells was a representation of all the proper clothes being worn.

This may be, but my first instinct when reading this verse was that the ringing would announce the priest’s approach before passing through the curtain into the Lord’s presence. Of course, one cannot assume that the omniscient God would be startled by the unheralded arrival of the priest, so it couldn’t be that God was reacting out of shock. Perhaps, though, the ringing of the bells represents the voice of prayer, and the threat given here demonstrates that spiritual acclimation must precede physical presence. If the priest was not already in regular communion with God from without by the ringing of his prayers, then there was no way that he would be worthy to tolerate God’s presence when he approached in the flesh. So, too, we will only survive the encounter with God on judgment day if we have been acclimating to Him all of our earthly lives with our prayers from beyond the veil.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:31-32

31 And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.

Underneath the ephod layer would be a blue robe. It sounds as though it would have a single hole in the middle for the head, with the front and back covered and the sides open, just like a poncho. This would explain why there was a girdle around the waist to hold it firmly to the body instead of leaving it to flap freely.

The hole would have a stitching around it, to make sure that none of the loose threads would run or tear. Josephus states that the entire thing was made of a single weave, with no seams, which explains why cutting a hole would be necessary. Thus, it would have been a piece of perfection…with a key flaw then cut into it, but that flaw would be bound to prevent it from growing any worse.

To me that sounds like an excellent description of the human condition. We are made in the image of God, after a pattern of perfection, but we all find a gaping hole within us at some point. That hole will tear and ruin us, unless we establish a relationship with God and have Him hold our frayed edges together. Of course, what we really want is to be healed so that there isn’t any hole left, and in some cases perhaps that really happens, but in my experience, it is more often that God holds the loose ends of our punctured heart, so that we can carry on even with its brokenness. He gives us peace even if the loved one doesn’t come back, or the dream doesn’t materialize, or the sickness really is terminal. The hole remains, but its ability to tear us is halted.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:30

30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.

Today we learn that the Urim and Thummim would be placed within the breastplate in the priest’s clothing. This, of course, raises the question, “what on earth is the Urim and Thummim?”

The reason these words sound strange is because they are simply the phonetic representations of the original Hebrew words. There was no attempt made to find a common English counterpart, perhaps because none exists. As far as what these Hebrew words mean in their own language, the closest terms would be “light” and “perfection.” I presume those words were not used in the English translation because they are intangible and conceptual, whereas it seems that the Urim and Thummim were physical objects, given their placement within the breastplate.

There are only a few references to the Urim and Thummim elsewhere in the scriptures, the last reference being in Nehemiah. It is possible that they were lost during the Babylonian captivity, as they are never heard of afterward.

The best clue we have as to the purpose of the Urim and Thummim comes from 1 Samuel 28:6: “And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.” It would seem that they were tools somehow used to receive the will of the Lord. This is an interesting idea. Divine artifacts that can impart portions of God’s spirit have certainly been invoked by Christian churches in the past, but I feel that today such things are generally considered idolatrous and likely a scam. Today we tend to view our interactions with God as being purely spiritual, with little or no physical medium to assist in the process.

Whatever they might have been, the Urim and Thummim were apparently held in the breastplate of the priest. Given that the breastplate was likely woven linen, some have suspected that it was woven with the front and a back, like a little bag, and the artifacts were held in there. It specifically says that the Urim and Thummim were in the breastplate of Aaron, which might mean there was only one set, and it was exclusively carried by the High Priest, or Aaron might just be being used as a representative for all priests, and all of them carried a pair.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:26-29

26 And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.

27 And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.

28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.

29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

We heard yesterday how the breastplate was secured at each side to the shoulders. This would still allow it to swing from side-to-side, though, so today we hear that there were two more points of attachment on the forepart of the ephod, just above the waist. Thus, the gems and the names inscribed upon them would be held firmly in place.

Also, verse 29 explicitly confirms the symbolism that I mentioned in yesterday’s post: as the priest performs his duties in the tabernacle the names of the breastplate are to bear “upon his heart…for a memorial before the Lord continually.” Specifically, we are told, it is the “judgment of the children of Israel” that is to weigh upon his heart.

Much of the symbolism we have heard about the tabernacle would keep the priest in constant remembrance of God, but this breastplate would also keep him in constant remembrance of the children of Israel. Thus, the priest was a mediator between the two, bringing God and the Israelite into one within his own person, trying to close the gap between them via sacrificial offerings, a type for Christ who would come many years later.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:22-25

22 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.

23 And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.

24 And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.

25 And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.

The breastplate would hang from two golden chains, one on each side. The other ends of the chains would be secured to the two shoulder pieces that the onyx stones were held in. Yesterday I spoke of the broad sense of duty that the priest had for each of the twelve tribes (represented by the onyx stones on the shoulders), in addition to the specific love that would be required for each one (represented by the individual stones on the breastplate).

In today’s verses, those two concepts are literally linked together. The love and the duty are fastened together. The duty is borne because of the love, and the love is borne out in the performance of the duty.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:17-21

17 And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

18 And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

19 And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

20 And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

21 And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.

The face of the breastplate would be covered with twelve precious stones. They would be four rows of three stones, and each would be inscribed with the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. We were already told that each priest would bear the twelve names upon his shoulders, six on each side engraved in a single onyx stone, and now all of them again on the chest, but here each carved into its own unique jewel.

There may be some symbolism in this. Having a cluster of names on each shoulder could mean having a broad sense of the burden for the work that the priest must perform for each tribe. The work for the Danite would be indistinguishable from the work for a Benjaminite. Each would be part of the same mass of labor, and so, too, their names could be massed together, six on each shoulder. But the tribes were not to be lumped together in such a way upon the heart. Twelve unique stones on the chest suggests having a unique and individual love for each tribe, the priest being able to appreciate their separate roles within the whole.

As for the types of stone that are described, some of them are assumed my modern scholars to be incorrectly interpreted. For example, there is no evidence that these ancient people would have known of the diamond, nor that they would have had the technology to etch a name into it. It therefore seems highly likely that a different stone was meant.

I have to assume that each stone was not chosen at random. If a sardius was selected for Reuben, I assume there was something in the nature of the sardius that was seen as particularly fitting for the nature, role, and destiny of Reuben within ancient Israel. There are several commentaries that suggest what those connections might have been, but I do not have the background to know which ones are most credible, so for now I will content myself with the opinion that the connections do exist.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:13-16

13 And thou shalt make ouches of gold;

14 And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.

15 And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

Ouches is another word for settings: recessed receptacles to hold the onyx stones mentioned in the previous verses. These would be attached to the shoulder, and golden chains would run from them to the breastplate that sat upon the chest.

I have seen some images where the breastplate is rigid and made of some metal, usually gold. I have also seen images where the breastplate appears to be made of woven cloth. I assume the metal presentation comes from the name of the article: breastplate, which we most often identify as a metal piece of armor. Verse 15, however, suggests that the cloth interpretation is correct. It sounds as though it was made of the same dyed linen that the ephod was, and probably blended in with it.

We are told that the breastplate was a square, one span on each side. A span was half of a cubit, which was about a foot-and-a-half. A span would therefore be about nine inches, which is well-fitted to the chest of an adult. Of course, the truly notable element of the breastplate was not the body of it, but the stones that were embedded on its face. We will examine those tomorrow.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:9-12

9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

11 With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

12 And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

On each shoulder of the priests would be an onyx stone, each set in a golden base and each with half of the tribes of Israel engraved on its face. According to Josephus, the names were written in order of birth, the six elder sons of Jacob being placed upon the right shoulder, and the six younger upon the left.

Thus, the priests literally bore the weight of the twelve tribes upon their shoulders, a constant reminder that they stood not only representatives of God, but also of all the people. Every move of the arm and hands while carrying out of their tabernacle duties would shift the tribes upon their shoulders.

God also specifies that the stones were to be engraved “like the engravings of a signet.” A signet was a ring or a bracelet with a person’s name carved into it, which would be pressed into wax as a seal or signature for whatever document it was attached to. There is no record of the shoulder stones ever being used literally as a signet, but God does seem to be suggesting that they are to be viewed as a sort of signature of the people upon the priests.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 28:6-8

6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

Today we hear the details of the ephod and the girdle that the priests wore. The ephod, once again, was a sort of apron that was the priest’s outer layer of clothing, worn above the robe and coat. The girdle was a sash, bound around the waist to secure the layers of clothing against the body.

These two articles of clothing were to be made with linen, dyed in colors of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, woven together in a cunning pattern. There is an immediate connection between this and the inner curtains and walls of the tabernacle. Recall that the instructions for those included that they be made, “of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet.” Also, just as the tabernacle followed that first layer with others of goats’ hair, rams’ skin, and badgers’ skin, similarly the priest had other layers with their robe and their coat.

These similarities in design would have had the aesthetic effect of binding the personage of the priest to the place of his duties. One could tell at a glance that the man belonged with the tabernacle because of their similar adornment. There is also a symbolic lesson, wherein it is suggested that the body of the man was the tabernacle of the Lord, meant to house the same holy and most holy places that the constructed building did. Paul made this very point in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.”

In fact, the one difference between the priest’s clothes and the curtains was that the clothes added the extra color of gold. This might suggest that the person was an even holier tabernacle than the physical edifice. While the Israelites would construct this new tabernacle, God had already constructed the human tabernacles, propping them up with bones instead of boards of shittim wood, covering them with human skin instead of badgers, topping them with human hair instead of goats. Man was made for the same purpose as the tabernacle, to be a house of the most holy of places. A sacred structure wherein resides the presence of the Lord.