ExodusLesson #14

“The Priesthood”(Exodus 28: 1 – 31: 18)

Review

In Lesson #13 God gave the “blueprints” for building the Tabernacle, a physical structure that provides a sinful people access to an infinitely holy God.

Beginning with the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies we worked outward in concentric circles to the Holy Place, observing the Altar of Incense, Table of Showbread and Menorah; from the Holy Place we viewed the acacia-wood frames overlaid with pure gold, the silver sockets, the linen curtains embroidered with violet, purple and scarlet yarn and the 4-layer coverings of the tent; once in the courtyard we saw the Bronze Altar, its utensils and the Wash Basin; and finally, we viewed the acacia-wood posts, with their bronze bottoms and silver tops supporting the linen curtains that provide the perimeter of the courtyard.

  

Review, cont.

Most importantly, we learned that the Tabernacle is not simply a tent erected in the desert; it is a “copy and shadow” of the genuine Tabernacle which is in heaven.

  

The Tabernacle

PreviewAs the Tabernacle is a physical structure that enables a sinful people to gain access to an infinitely holy God, so the priest is the mediator between a sinful people and a holy God. A priest by definition stands between the people and God, and he speaks to God on behalf of the people, ministering at the altar on their behalf.In Lesson #14 God appoints Moses’ brother Aaron as high priest and Aaron’s sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar as priests.

In Israel priests are drawn solely from the tribe of Levi. In Judaism one cannot feel “called” to be a priest, aspire to be a priest or study to be a priest: one is born a priest—or not. The Jewish priesthood is purely hereditary. As the earthly Tabernacle is a “copy and shadow” of the genuine Tabernacle which is in heaven, so is the Levitical priesthood a “copy and shadow” of our great High Priest, Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, speaking to him on our behalf and ministering at the genuine altar in heaven, offering his own body and blood as sacrifice, once and for all.

Aaron, the High Priest

Turban

Golden Plate (“Sacred to the Lord”)

Breastpiece

Embroidered Belt

Ephod

Linen Breeches (Undergarment)

Robe

Golden Bells & Pomegranates

Brocade Tunic

Aaron, the High Priest

Onyx Stones

Breastpiece

Embroidered Belt

Ephod

“Get two onyx stones and engrave on them the

names of the sons of Israel . . .” (28: 9).

“Thus, Aaron shall bear their names on his shoulders as a reminder before the Lord” (28: 12).

“The breastpiece of decision you shall also have made,

embroidered like the ephod . . .” (28: 15).

“Whenever Aaron enters the sanctuary, he will thus bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastpiece of decision over his heart . . . (28: 29).

As Robert Alter observes, “It is virtually impossible to determine precisely what precious stones are referred to in this list of twelve terms. We can do little more than revel in the gorgeousness of the words . . ..” We encounter another list of twelve stones in the book of Revelation, stones that decorate the foundations of the city wall in the “New Jerusalem.”

Exodus 28: 17-20 Revelation 21: 19-20

Carnelian JasperTopaz SapphireEmerald ChalcedonyGarnet EmeraldSapphire SardonyxBeryl

CarnelianJacinth ChrysoliteAgate BerylAmethyst TopazChrysolite

ChrysopraseOnyx

HyacinthJasper Amethyst

  

In the book of Revelation the New Jerusalem has twelve gates, each named after one of the twelve tribes of Israel; its foundation has twelve courses of stone, each named after one of the twelve Apostles. And, of course, the twelve foundation stones are decorated with the twelve precious stones mentioned above. Each gate is made of a single pearl; the

  

Kevin Berlin. “La nouvelle Jerusalem” (tapestry, based on 14th century original), 2006. Private Collection.

city gleamed “with the splendor of God, like jasper, clear as crystal”; the streets are gold; and the glory of God illuminates the city, giving it light. Such lapidary splendor recalls and magnifies the Tabernacle and the jewel-encrusted breast of the High Priest.

“In this breastpiece of decision you shall put the Urim and

Thummim that they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord” (28: 30).

“‘If the blame for this resides in me or my son Jonathan, Lord, God of Israel, respond with Urim; but if the guilt is in your people Israel, respond with Thummim.’ Jonathan and Saul

were designated, and the people went free” (1 Samuel 14: 41).

[Urim][Thummim]

Aaron, the High Priest

Robe of the Ephod

Golden Bells & Pomegranates

“At the hem at the bottom you shall make pomegranates, woven in violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen twined, with golden bells between

them; a golden bell, a pomegranate, a golden bell, a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe” (28: 15).

“You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, as on a seal

engraving, ‘Sacred to the Lord.’ This plate is to be tied over the turban with a violet ribbon in such a way that it rests on the front of the turban” (28: 36).

Aaron, the High Priest

Turban

Embroidered Belt

Linen Breeches (Undergarment)

Brocaded Tunic

“Consecration of Aaron and His Sons,” Holy Bible (illustrated). Philadelphia: A.J. Holman & Company, 1890.

“Bezalel and Oholiab Making the Ark of the Covenant,” Biblia Germanica (colored woodcut). Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1483.

Questions for discussion and thought

1. God appoints Aaron and his sons as priests. What do their jobs entail?

2. What do the two onyx stones on Aaron’s shoulders and the twelve precious stones on his breastpiece signify?

3. During Aaron and his sons’ consecration they are to offer three animal sacrifices. What are they and what do they signify?

4. Everyone who is enrolled among the twelve tribes of Israel, 20 years old and over, must pay God “a ransom for his life” (30: 12). How much does a rich man pay? How much does a poor man pay?

5. Who are the two men God appoints as chief craftsmen to build the Tabernacle?

Copyright © 2014 by William C. Creasy All rights reserved. No part of this course—audio, video, photography, maps, timelines or other media—may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval devices without permission in writing or a licensing agreement from the copyright holder.

[All Tabernacle illustrations in these lectures are taken from: Paul F. Kiene. The Tabernacle of God in the Wilderness of Sinai, trans. by John S, Crandall. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1977. Used by permission.]