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Go check out all

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that God is doing at Midwestern Seminary this

1:24

year. You're

1:31

listening to Knowing Faith, a podcast

1:33

of Training the Church. This

1:41

is

1:45

Kyle Worley, and I'm joined by my co-host,

1:47

Jen Wilkin, in JT English. What's

1:50

up? How's it going? Hey, Kyle. I'm

1:52

kind of hungry. Yeah, I'm hungry too.

1:54

JT was just talking about food, wasn't he? Yeah,

1:57

And it made me hungry, and now we got to get

1:59

through this. I rumbling some make

2:01

the i know right well earned

2:03

a would reopen it. Normally at

2:05

this hour I would not be

2:07

here. I would be a just

2:10

that's what I that's where I

2:12

do usually over lunch and or

2:14

say that because there's a segway

2:16

here images bragging about going to

2:18

Jujitsu The listen as unannounced out

2:20

as you don't up last. ah

2:22

let's not, let's what. literally that

2:24

question for offering some apartments in

2:26

person. Author of. So.

2:31

I. I go to

2:34

Jujitsu through four times a week and

2:36

I don't like broadcast. That. I'm

2:38

a pastor but that information seems

2:40

to get out there. Ah ai

2:42

is. It because you pray copiously Why

2:44

you're. Being tell the i hear ya opponent

2:47

employees more and on my rug onto the

2:49

lord Help me Help me our prayers and

2:51

sit as swears. Or

2:54

worse, except that it must be

2:56

a pastor. So yeah, exactly itself.

2:58

But weirdly enough, one of the

3:00

things that has become more more

3:03

common. I don't know if this is

3:05

just like the fading of Christendom. In America but like

3:07

when I tell people I'm a pastor they'll

3:09

be like oh like so you're a priest

3:11

and I don't we're wedding ring when I

3:13

train rights as like I don't want to

3:15

than happy to my fingers and so people

3:17

below your a pre so be like well.

3:20

I'm a pastor and what when you think

3:22

of a priest, he might be thinking of

3:25

like a Catholic priest. He's unmarried and like

3:27

not a merry avocado and I'm not. Oh

3:29

okay. Okay and but it does end up

3:32

raising the question to them of like will,

3:34

what's the difference between a priest and a

3:36

pastor And every time they asked me this

3:38

off the like table might my biblical theology

3:41

have you will. Technically it's all christians are

3:43

priest that I have to go into their

3:45

world for a second and try to like

3:47

help. Okay, like you're you're thinking of a

3:50

priest in this. Way you're thinking reprise

3:52

to somebody who wears like official closed

3:54

Probably thinking of a priest to somebody

3:56

who has like a religious commitments every

3:59

single day they can use offering a

4:01

sacrifice in the mass And then as

4:03

soon as I begin to talk to

4:05

them about freeze, it often reminds me

4:08

of what we're discussing today. which is

4:10

there is a lot that we think

4:12

about when we thing about priest. Even

4:15

when we think about Roman Catholic priest,

4:17

even priests for more pistol or Anglican

4:19

denominations where there is a familiarity there.

4:21

There are some things that are attached

4:24

to the priesthood and the Old Testament

4:26

that reverberate even consider expressions of christianity.

4:28

Today I'm not condoning. Them on that,

4:30

supporting them. I'm not saying that's what

4:33

we should do, I'm just saying it

4:35

is a part of what we understand

4:37

priest be. And we find that here

4:39

in Exodus Twenty eight when we think

4:42

about the garments, the closing, and the

4:44

consecration of the priests. Now there are

4:46

some really important things to discovering these

4:48

passages Years, but this is it. Another

4:51

one of those passages where you might

4:53

read it in Go: Why am I

4:55

hearing about the wardrobe of these priests

4:57

like I don't need a you know,

5:00

a depiction. Of what they're going to

5:02

wear and so a what does a

5:04

want us to begin with this? Big

5:06

questions and may be a hub to

5:08

some contexts for the details will uncover

5:10

your in a moment. What

5:13

is a priest just like is to me

5:15

ask you according to the bible what is

5:17

a priest was a bit. basics, biblical story

5:19

line, biblical theology of the priesthood. Let's start

5:21

with that. I know that's real big picture

5:23

and we're going to narrow it down but

5:25

just have some. He said what is a

5:28

priest according to the bible What would you

5:30

say. whenever. Somebody asks me

5:32

for presets on the find. A pastor in Richardson

5:34

who does jujitsu, The

5:37

referee so that your the why you're the

5:40

hear the ones that I know I'm assuming

5:42

people your way Perfect. That explains so much

5:44

I'd be inch the hear your your your

5:46

definition. I've always thought of a priest as

5:49

a representative in a representative in two directions.

5:51

A priest is somebody who represents God to

5:53

the people and also the people to.i think

5:55

that that's another said. I think that was

5:58

a very simple definition. Yeah. And

6:00

author can wrestle. An idea for

6:02

ass off for extra hassle. That's right school. Let's

6:04

let's let's read about the garments of the priests.

6:07

I'm going to read Exodus twenty eight vs. one

6:09

through five and then I'm is skip over twenty

6:11

nine vs. one through nine. Am not doing that

6:13

because there's something we'll want to talk about in

6:15

between there. but we need a kind of anchor

6:18

and both of these passages so I'm not try

6:20

to avoid something. But again, as we said before,

6:22

we're not. really do the line by line studied

6:24

your exes sets up with the seasons are about.

6:27

I just want to give us an anchor. points.

6:29

Who would imply this passage to the larger ripples

6:31

of. From. The priesthood that

6:33

we find both before and beyond the book itself.

6:35

So let me read Exodus: Twenty eight vs. want

6:38

to fight Then I'll skip over to exit twenty

6:40

nine vs. one through nine. Then

6:42

bring near to airing your brother and

6:44

his sons with him from among the

6:47

people of Israel to serve me as

6:49

priest. Aaron Aaron son's ne dad in

6:51

a D who Eliezer and Fmr and

6:53

you shall make holy garments for Aaron

6:56

your brother for glory and for beauty

6:58

You shall speak to all the skillful

7:00

whom I have filled with a spirit

7:02

of skill that they make may make

7:04

errands garments to consecrate him for my

7:07

priesthood. These are the garments it's a

7:09

shall make him abreast peace and acids

7:11

a robe. A coat of

7:13

checker works, a turban and sas

7:15

they shall make holy garments for

7:17

air and your brother and his

7:19

sons to serve me as priests

7:21

they saw receive gold, blue and

7:23

purple and scarlet yards and fine

7:26

twined linen. Non skipping over twenty

7:28

nine vs. one through nine. now

7:30

this is what you shall do to

7:32

them to consecrate them but they may

7:35

service priests take one bowl of the

7:37

heard and to rams felt blemished and

7:39

unloved and bread and levin takes mixed

7:41

with oil and unless and wafers smeared

7:43

with oil you shall make them a

7:45

fine wheat flour you so put them

7:47

in one basket and bring them in

7:49

the baskets and bring the ball and

7:52

the to rams you shall bring aaron

7:54

and his sons to the entrance of

7:56

the tit of meeting and wash them

7:58

with water then you something the garments,

8:00

and put on Aaron the coat, and

8:02

the robe of the ephed, and the

8:04

ephed, and the breast-piece, and gird him

8:06

with a skillfully woven band of the

8:08

ephed. And you shall set the turban

8:10

on his head, and put the holy

8:12

crown on the turban. You shall take

8:14

the anointing oil, and pour it on

8:16

his head, and anoint him. Then you

8:18

shall bring his sons, and put coats

8:20

on them. And you shall gird Aaron

8:22

and his sons with sashes, and vine

8:24

caps on them. And the

8:26

priesthood shall be theirs by a statute

8:28

forever. Thus you shall ordain Aaron

8:31

and his sons. Okay,

8:34

there we go. Have

8:36

we encountered priests before this moment? Let's

8:38

start there. This is the

8:41

establishment of the formal priesthood of Israel,

8:43

but I don't think, given our definition of

8:46

what a priest is, these are the first

8:48

priests we've encountered. They're not the last priests

8:50

we will encounter. So let's just kind of

8:52

just start here. Are

8:54

these the first priests we're meeting, or

8:56

is something happening with the institution of

8:58

the priesthood that's unique here? I'll

9:01

jump in. I don't know that I have a whole biblical

9:03

theology of priesthood in mind, but no, this

9:05

isn't the first time that we've encountered priests. I think

9:08

it's very reasonable for us to look at the

9:10

very first human characters that we meet in

9:13

the Bible, Adam and Eve, as having some

9:15

kind of representative priesthood role. They are image

9:17

bearers. And there's a

9:19

priestly nature in that. They are representing all

9:21

of creation to God, and God to creation.

9:24

They are creating order where there is chaos,

9:26

and they're extending His glory to

9:28

all of His creation. He can make

9:30

the case that Noah is also a priest.

9:32

The very first thing that he does is he's

9:35

representing God to people and people

9:37

to God, and he's also a

9:39

worshipper. He's somebody who immediately after

9:41

the flood, and the

9:44

first act based upon Jen Wilkins' Bible

9:47

quiz is to worship and

9:50

to build an altar of worship to God, the

9:53

pre-incarnate Christ, Melchizedek is another

9:55

example of priests.

9:59

You gave me the question. It's not my fault of

10:02

priesthood. I mean, and so whenever we see one

10:04

of these main characters emerge

10:06

in the Bible, not whenever, but many times when

10:08

we see one of these main characters emerge in

10:10

the Bible, we're kind of seeing some

10:13

of the language you might use as

10:15

a type or an archetype. This is

10:17

a shadow that is both representative of

10:19

something that's come before, but also pointing

10:21

towards something that's coming in the future,

10:23

specifically our great high priest, Jesus.

10:26

And so we could see priestly

10:28

natures in Adam and Eve and

10:30

Noah and Melchizedek in Abraham. Certainly

10:33

see it here with Aaron. You can see

10:35

it with the Levitical priesthood. All

10:37

of these are both real, but

10:40

also shadows pointing to a great

10:42

high priest. Yes, yes.

10:44

So when we get to this moment,

10:47

we're seeing the institution of the

10:49

formal priesthood of Israel. They

10:52

haven't had a priestly, we might

10:54

call it pass, you

10:56

know, they haven't had a

10:58

priestly charada. They haven't had a

11:00

formal priestly leadership. There have been figures

11:03

that precede this moment that have served

11:05

a priestly function, but this- This is

11:07

now a specific vocation for a group

11:09

of people. That's right, for Aaron and

11:12

his sons in particular.

11:14

And so this is going

11:16

to be significant because they're going

11:18

to be fulfilling a holy

11:20

vocation, an office, a

11:22

calling that is going to

11:24

continue long after this, beyond

11:27

the tabernacle, beyond the wilderness. Once they get

11:29

into the land, once they build the temple,

11:31

this is going to continue, it is going

11:33

to continue, it is going to continue until

11:35

it is perfectly fulfilled in

11:37

Jesus and until there's a place where

11:40

you can no longer offer sacrifices. And

11:43

so because of this, I think we

11:45

should ask, what were these priests doing?

11:47

Jen, what were the priests up to?

11:49

Yes, they were broadly serving as representatives

11:52

on man's behalf before God, on God's behalf

11:55

before man, but what were they actually doing?

11:58

Well, they were responsible for the- Keep

12:00

in that setting up of the

12:02

tabernacle everywhere that they when they

12:04

were responsible for offering the daily

12:07

sacrifices on behalf of the people

12:09

and then the high priests once

12:11

a year offering their on the

12:13

day of atonement that the sacrifice

12:16

on behalf of all of the

12:18

people so they were. They were

12:20

busy guys and depending on whose

12:22

son you are you had one

12:25

roller another and am everybody had

12:27

plenty of work to do and

12:29

so. As I was thinking though,

12:31

like about how. He. Read

12:33

the descriptions of their clothing and is

12:36

this their elaborate and will talk more

12:38

about and some of the pieces of

12:40

the garments Bet I was noticing going

12:42

through Exodus one time how in the

12:45

instructions that are given for the tabernacle

12:47

there's no dressing room. For

12:49

these guys, which means they must have had

12:51

to get all of this. Garment

12:53

stuff on at home and walk through

12:56

the camp as to go do their

12:58

duties. And like one of the things

13:00

that on their robes of the priest

13:02

or bells they have bells along the

13:04

him of their robes which means that

13:07

you would hear them coming before you

13:09

would see them coming. and if they'd

13:11

already perform service in the tabernacle you

13:13

would probably smell them coming to because

13:15

of the smell either As you know,

13:17

barbecue basically from their outer core that's

13:20

really not the proper term for it

13:22

or incense see know, depending. On where

13:24

they had they had served and I was

13:26

thinking like you guys know when you're in

13:28

a local church for a long time and

13:31

people know the you are like I have.

13:33

I lead this women's Bible study at my

13:35

church of let it for you know almost

13:37

sixteen years and so when I go into

13:40

Target in in Flower Mound I'm like. Can.

13:42

I get in and out of here without

13:44

somebody stopping me. Vivid to consider,

13:47

is easily know but also i enjoy

13:49

the interaction when it happens but i

13:51

think about these guys walking to and

13:53

from work and how they would have

13:56

been a presence in the community that

13:58

was immediately recognize even before they stepped

14:00

into the room and I thought often

14:02

about like how what

14:05

people would have said to them and what they would

14:07

have asked of them you know are you going into

14:09

the tabernacle today you know will you offer prayers for

14:11

me for my family I don't know it was just

14:14

kind of a cool thought and then

14:16

I wondered as long as I'm just dragging us

14:18

down the rabbit trail like do

14:20

you think Kyle you said you know

14:22

when you go to jujitsu you're not wearing a clerical

14:25

collar or anything but is there

14:27

a significance to the

14:29

priest the person who I mean obviously we don't

14:31

think in a Protestant sense of a pastor as

14:34

being an intercessor the way that like a

14:36

Catholic would but do we

14:38

lose anything when there isn't an outward

14:40

sign of the office

14:42

of pastor that's worn all the time

14:44

I'm just curious yeah I mean I

14:47

think I thought about this a lot and

14:49

you know I don't like obviously just

14:51

for the record I don't wear a clerical collar

14:53

and I don't think pastors you would look right

14:55

in one oh well thank you if

14:59

I were bells it would stop a bunch of jump

15:02

scares actually

15:04

you should wear

15:07

bells like a

15:09

glorified cat yeah but I will

15:11

I will say I do

15:14

think something is lost I

15:17

think something is lost I don't know if there's something

15:19

that's gained that's commensurate I do think something is lost

15:22

in the way that uniforms typically

15:24

do identify people

15:26

in the community in terms of what they

15:29

can provide like it's helpful if there's a

15:31

fire to have somebody in

15:33

a fireman's uniform like that

15:35

guy can probably help in the same way that if

15:37

I get robbed on the street it

15:39

would be most helpful to point to a police

15:41

officer in a police officer's uniform that it would

15:43

just be going hey can anybody help me here

15:46

so I do think there is a sense in

15:48

which these clothes are identifying marks

15:50

not just of what somebody's vocation is

15:52

but of what their role is in

15:54

serving the community and that is certainly

15:56

true for the priestly garments it was

15:58

funny you bring that up because that's

16:00

exactly one of the things that I was

16:02

going to talk about, which is that these

16:04

priestly garments were not just meant

16:07

for in tabernacle usage or in worship

16:10

usage, but they would have been a

16:12

visual indicator to all

16:14

of the people of Israel's encampment at this

16:16

time that the presence of God,

16:19

yes, is in a blessed and

16:21

special way in the tent of meeting,

16:23

but it is not confined to the

16:25

tent of meeting. It's not constrained there.

16:28

Even the priest walking around with the

16:30

garments on is an

16:32

indicator to Israel that yes, the priest

16:34

might be going to or from the

16:37

dedicated house of worship, but we should

16:39

be under no illusion that the presence

16:41

of God is somehow confined to that

16:44

place, and I think that's

16:46

really, really significant, particularly for

16:48

a wandering people, for a

16:50

nomadic people. Before they get to the land,

16:53

it's literally walking with us. It's in our

16:55

sights, it's in our sounds, it's in our

16:57

smells, and I do think that that is

17:00

certainly more holistic than we often think

17:02

about the role of worship, you know,

17:05

where the pastor is doing his ministry

17:07

in the place where the presence of

17:09

God and ministry happens, as opposed to

17:12

this is merely one very special, very

17:14

sacred, very blessed place that

17:16

is a picture of what's happening in all the world

17:18

and all the time. That's really

17:21

interesting too when you think about when they

17:23

get to the Promised Land and the land

17:25

allotments are assigned and the Levites

17:28

don't receive a land allotment

17:30

because they receive portions that

17:32

are dispersed among the people. So

17:34

you see that same idea get bigger and

17:36

even that

17:38

is foreshadowing really the

17:40

Great Commission where it says that you will

17:44

take my words to the ends of the earth. I just

17:46

I hadn't really ever thought about that until just now. No,

17:48

and I think it's one of the things that Peter has

17:51

in mind in 1 Peter 5 when

17:53

he's exhorting the elders to shepherd the

17:55

flock of God that is among them.

17:57

I think Peter is deliberately calling on

17:59

the tradition. of the

18:01

priestly tribe, priestly caste,

18:03

not having a sectarian

18:06

or siloed space, but being interspersed

18:08

among the tribes of Israel for

18:10

the purpose of being a mediated

18:14

or visible picture or symbol

18:16

of the presence of God among the people. That

18:19

is how it's supposed to work. It's kind of

18:21

coming at it from all sides.

18:23

Now we've been talking about the garments

18:25

of the priest, but we

18:27

haven't really talked about some of the specifics

18:29

there, and it does get specific. Some

18:32

of the things that are drawn to

18:34

when the priestly garments are specifically the

18:36

colors, the coloration of the priestly garments,

18:38

it's a rather colorful outfit when

18:41

you really look at it here. And not

18:43

only that, I've been thinking of another word

18:46

to say it, and I'm not saying this word

18:48

because I'm trying to be silly with

18:50

it, but they are bedazzled almost. There

18:53

is a- I quit. Here's my

18:55

formal resignation. I'm

18:58

just saying, I really was trying to think of a

19:00

word- I think beduelled. Beduelled,

19:02

bedazzled, they

19:05

certainly have colorful stones on them,

19:09

but they're significant. What are some of

19:11

the significances here? I've got a

19:13

couple of things, but I'll let you guys lead the way.

19:15

I think the first thing I would highlight, I did a

19:17

sermon on this at TBC a long time ago, so I

19:19

don't remember all of the details as well as I did

19:21

when I was preparing for that. If

19:23

I could communicate anything specific to our listeners,

19:25

and even to remind myself, none

19:28

of these details are insignificant insofar

19:30

as they're just trying to look

19:32

fancy. This isn't just, let's

19:35

make the priests look fancier than everybody else.

19:38

Every single element of

19:40

liturgical participation in the story

19:42

of redemption. It

19:44

is a purposeful outfit that helps

19:46

God's people remember who these priests

19:48

are and really to remember the

19:50

story of God. For example, you

19:53

have the ephod with the stones of remembrance.

19:55

This is just to remind the people of

19:57

God Who God is, And then

19:59

there's. These twelve stones of who God's

20:01

people are. In the onto these stones

20:04

are written the twelve names of the

20:06

tribes of Israel. Are you have the

20:08

breastplate that reminds them of God's judgment

20:10

and maybe even how they should be

20:12

adjudicating matters among themselves. The generally mention

20:15

the robe which is worn for it's

20:17

bells which is corrupted. I wouldn't say

20:19

to remind us god the get that

20:21

they're coming in, but it's a it's

20:23

A. It's a function of the priest

20:26

entering into the presence of God so

20:28

there's an awareness of the creature. Coming

20:30

into the creators present so that he wouldn't

20:32

die and and of maybe that the die

20:34

them which is on their errands head which

20:37

is something that Ah Rico maybe offers us

20:39

in some kind of sacrificial sense of God

20:41

is going to except the sacrifices of God's

20:43

people because it's he's coming in bearing the

20:46

name of Galloway himself on his head and

20:48

so there's more details than that. But when

20:50

we read these passages we shouldn't just kind

20:52

of through them and think I was. As

20:55

it matters is about it and I haven't

20:57

got any more recently from To Be at

20:59

our church that was talking about when it

21:01

really feels like storyline has gotten some nicer

21:04

things like the in we haven't We we

21:06

worship in a former Albertsons, but we are

21:08

a little nicer than we were two years

21:10

ago. but we really can have this sense

21:13

of well, not real anymore as we grow

21:15

in excellence or if we have this nice

21:17

thing and I just want to point that

21:19

to the really does need to be a

21:22

sense of transcendence and beauty among the people

21:24

of God for the sake of worship. That

21:26

whether we're thinking about architecture or what we

21:28

were ah, it isn't. That God is

21:31

somehow not going to accept the worship

21:33

of of Ah of somebody who isn't

21:35

wearing something like this. God is merciful

21:37

and is gracious. but God is intentionally

21:39

ordering the worship of God's people around

21:41

who he is in the story for

21:43

demps that he's accomplishing in them to

21:45

both I did that to to remind

21:48

them but also to get glory for

21:50

himself. It's

21:55

a question every one of us

21:57

must eventually answer. Who is? And

22:01

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23:37

Their. Garments are made for glory and for beauty. Of

23:39

Britain and week we have a tendency

23:42

to devalue beauty in in our current

23:44

forms of worship or to think that

23:46

that is am showing us and said

23:49

of something that can point us to

23:51

the transcendence have gone. I.

23:53

like that and the image of their

23:55

the two stones on the shoulders of

23:57

the priests with their six tribes one

24:00

engraved on one and six tribes on the

24:02

other. We have an expression that we use

24:05

where we talk about shouldering responsibility and

24:08

when you see those names on

24:10

the shoulders of the priest, they're

24:12

literally shouldering responsibility for carrying the

24:15

words of the people to God and carrying the

24:17

words of God back to the people and it

24:19

puts me in mind of the prophecy

24:21

that we have in Isaiah of the

24:24

wonderful counselor, Almighty God, everlasting Father and

24:26

then it says, the government shall be

24:28

upon his shoulders in

24:30

reference to Christ and you can see

24:32

that it's a priestly reference that he

24:35

will bear responsibility and he will bear

24:37

the names of the people

24:39

of God into the presence of God. That's

24:43

one of my favorite things and then you were talking about

24:45

the crown, JT. The

24:47

crown is inscribed with the words holy

24:49

to the Lord so they literally have

24:51

an inscription on their foreheads which

24:54

is significant because when we

24:56

get to Revelation, we see

24:58

come to pass what has

25:01

already been promised like we're

25:03

getting in, we're in Exodus

25:05

25, 26, 28 but we've

25:10

already heard in Exodus 19, God say

25:12

that he will make Israel a kingdom

25:15

of priests and

25:17

so they don't get to see that come

25:19

to pass fully. They will see it come

25:22

to pass partially in this priesthood that is

25:24

being instituted here but

25:26

when we get to Revelation, we see

25:28

it come to pass fully and what

25:30

are we told there? We're told that

25:32

these kingdom and priests to God have

25:34

an inscription on their foreheads and

25:37

so you get to Revelation and you start hearing

25:39

a lot about people having stuff written on their

25:42

foreheads and it can sound very foreign to you

25:44

unless you know that having something inscribed on your

25:46

forehead is actually a type

25:48

that has been introduced all the way

25:50

back here earlier in the story and

25:54

so when we hear about people having an

25:56

inscription of the beast on their foreheads, we

25:58

understand that they are not in the type

26:00

of Christ and then the type of

26:02

Antichrist. So when

26:04

we see here the priest having holy to the

26:06

Lord written on his forehead, it's not just that

26:08

he's supposed to. I mean can you imagine walking

26:11

through the camp wearing holy to

26:13

the Lord on your forehead. There

26:15

are a lot of behaviors you're not going to

26:17

engage in when you have that written on your

26:19

forehead. And I

26:21

always think that for us as

26:24

the priesthood, it's good for us to remember

26:26

what if we behaved as though we had

26:28

written on our foreheads holy to the Lord

26:30

everywhere that we went. We

26:32

probably would use different words.

26:34

We probably would be more

26:36

patient. We probably would think

26:38

much more circumspectly about the way that we interact with

26:41

our neighbors. And so I

26:43

do think one of the challenges for every believer, not

26:45

just for the pastor, is to

26:49

live toward that future reality when

26:51

we will in fact be clothed

26:54

and we will in fact bear

26:56

all of the priestly garments in a

26:58

spiritual sense because we have that now

27:01

in Christ. And so even as

27:03

we go about our day, what if

27:05

we pictured ourselves labeled in

27:08

that way? That's right. And

27:11

you took it to exactly where I hoped you would. The

27:15

priestly garments here, you have the name

27:17

inscribed or the title inscribed on the

27:19

forehead. You've got the shoulder piece, but

27:21

you also have on the breast piece

27:23

there that there again the names are,

27:25

it says in verse 29, Aaron

27:28

shall bear the names of the sons of Israel

27:30

in the breast piece of judgment on his heart

27:32

when he goes into the holy place to bring

27:35

them to regular remembrance before the Lord. So they're

27:37

on their shoulders because he bears

27:39

them up and they're on over

27:41

his heart because he remembers

27:43

them. And I actually think we get an echo

27:46

of this when we think about

27:48

Aaron bears this on his breast piece, bringing

27:50

them into the house of the Lord once

27:52

a year into the holy of holies. Right. It

27:55

comes into the merciful atoning presence of

27:57

the Lord once a year.

28:00

but the Lord Jesus as the perfect high

28:02

priest who lives to make intercession for his

28:04

people, who is the Good Shepherd, who knows

28:06

them by name. The Lord

28:08

Jesus doesn't just have the names of the

28:10

sons of the twelve tribes of Israel over

28:12

his breast piece. He has the names of

28:15

the people written in the Lamb's Book of

28:17

Life and he lives to make intercession for

28:19

them. It never stops. Aaron's

28:21

service to remember the people of

28:23

Israel was brought into the presence

28:25

of the Father once a year,

28:27

but the perfect high priest's service

28:30

of intercession before the Father is

28:32

ever more. It is always and

28:34

ongoing. There's never a time when

28:37

the people of the perfect high priest

28:39

are forgotten in the presence of Yahweh.

28:41

They are always remembered because they are

28:44

there in Christ. And

28:47

when we put on the new clothes, as Ephesians

28:49

would say, or when we put on the armor

28:51

of God, as the

28:53

last part of Ephesians will say, as we put

28:55

on the garments of Christ, we

28:57

are taking upon ourselves what he

29:00

has secured for us in

29:02

Jesus Christ. The garments of the

29:04

perfect high priest in

29:07

Israel, or the garments of the imperfect high priest

29:09

in Israel, were confined only to him. He was

29:11

the only one. But

29:13

for us, we all undertake the garments

29:15

of the perfect high priest. We are

29:17

all clothed with something that at one

29:20

point only belonged to Aaron. It only

29:22

belonged to Aaron's descendants. And

29:24

so there is an evolution, a development

29:26

of this over the story of the

29:28

Bible. And I do think it's really,

29:31

I think what you said initially, JT, is so important.

29:33

All of this is liturgical storytelling. It's

29:37

not just fancy clothes. It's

29:39

not even dead—I know we look at some of this

29:41

and think of it as dead ritualism or

29:44

arbitrary or some sort

29:46

of self-serving vanity. It's

29:49

none of that. And I'm

29:51

not saying in bad forms. It couldn't

29:53

be that in some contemporary expression. I'm

29:55

just saying it wasn't instituted to be

29:57

that. It was instituted to be a—

30:00

a mobile witness really to

30:02

the presence of God. Well,

30:04

I've said this elsewhere but I think

30:07

it bears repeating in relation to the

30:09

way that the priests are garbed and

30:11

really every aspect of the tabernacle, we

30:13

don't give God enough credit for being

30:15

a poet. And these

30:17

garments are like wearable poetry.

30:19

They are their metaphor as

30:22

much as they are a

30:24

literal representation. And when

30:26

we are bored with these lists, right, like when

30:28

we rush through them in a reading plan then

30:31

we don't connect the poetic language to the

30:33

other places in Scripture where we should and

30:35

the metaphor doesn't strike us the way that

30:38

it should or the way that it could.

30:40

And like just a very simple example of this would

30:43

be when you get all

30:45

the way to Revelation chapter 4, I

30:47

mentioned this scene in our last podcast

30:49

episode, we see the

30:52

throne room in heaven and it says that

30:54

the one seated on the throne had the

30:56

appearance of Jasper and Carnelian. And

30:59

you might just kind of zip past that unless you

31:01

had paid attention to the list of the stones on

31:03

the ephod all the way back in the passages that

31:05

we're reading now because if you paid attention to that

31:07

list then you would know that's a reference to the

31:10

first stone and the last stone on the ephod. And

31:13

then you see that this one who seated

31:15

on the throne is the alpha

31:17

and the omega that he holds in

31:19

him all of Israel, all

31:21

of true Israel is held in him. And

31:24

then it begins to make more sense why you see at

31:26

the end of Revelation the kinds of

31:29

precious stones that we've seen on

31:31

the ephod mentioned as the foundations

31:34

of the New Jerusalem. And

31:37

all of a sudden you begin to see that

31:39

God's plan to dwell with us has

31:41

gone from this sort of

31:43

germinated form here in Exodus all

31:46

the way to its full completion

31:48

at the end of the story. Yeah,

31:51

I'm loving that you're in both of these

31:53

books at the same time because it

31:55

is really helpful. I think that

31:58

it doesn't take much time. take

32:00

long to realize that Revelation is pulling

32:04

from so much imagery from

32:06

these books. But

32:08

as we've gone through this, it's kind

32:10

of been astounding to me just how

32:12

much of it is getting repeat airtime

32:14

in Revelation. It really has

32:17

surprised me. I know it's there, and some

32:19

of the more obvious ones I've either studied

32:21

or been pointed out to before, but

32:24

I think that for maybe the casual listener who

32:26

is in their Bible reading plan either reading right

32:28

now or about to come up on

32:30

these specific passages and Exodus, who

32:32

are going, all right, what is the – how

32:35

does this really make a difference across

32:38

the rest of the story? Yes, we want

32:40

to appreciate them because they're a part of

32:42

our sacred book and they're here and we

32:44

should know what they're doing here, but they're

32:47

not just confined here. They're not siloed to

32:49

this part of the story. They are reverberating

32:51

and rippling in a very big way all

32:54

the way up and through the

32:56

last book in the canon of

32:58

the Bible. I mean, that's

33:00

a really remarkable thing to think

33:02

about, that the stones on the

33:04

priestly garment are becoming like the

33:06

street work in the new

33:09

heavens and the new earth. It's

33:12

not coincidental and it's certainly saying

33:14

something important, right? Okay,

33:17

so let's skip over to Exodus 29 to

33:20

wrap this up. We've talked about

33:22

the garments of the priest. Let's talk about the consecration

33:24

of the priest. This consecration

33:26

ceremony is a ceremony that is

33:29

one of by blood and this is going to

33:31

come up a lot and I'm going to keep

33:33

pointing it out because I remember as an early

33:35

Bible reader, even as somebody who was growing up

33:37

in a home where I had high levels of

33:39

access to information about the

33:41

Bible, I was astounded by how

33:44

much blood there is and how

33:46

often that blood is getting sprinkled

33:48

and spread on people and places.

33:51

And I think if you're new to the Bible or even if

33:53

you've been in there for a while, you

33:57

can feel like why the blood? Why

33:59

is blood? Why necessary for sacrifice? In

34:01

why in particular here is nester for consecration

34:03

so stressed. Real big picture here. J T

34:05

Walk: Why the blood night and before we

34:08

were talking bus it's role in the consecration

34:10

ceremonies. Why all the blood? Yeah, I mean

34:12

if we're talking biggest picture because of sense

34:14

Because of a a need for sacrifice. I

34:16

think that's what I would point to first.

34:18

even just reading verse ten, bring the ball

34:21

in front of the tenth of meeting an

34:23

area sense must lay their hands on the

34:25

bulls. Had most scholars that I've read at

34:27

least would say this is some kind of

34:29

a transfer. Of sin of policing

34:31

the sense of the priests and of got

34:34

people would read about this and that the

34:36

lamb that the goat that sent outside of

34:38

of of the people in in the day

34:40

of atonement in Leviticus chapter sixteen and then

34:42

this is going to be the land that

34:44

sacrifice to go to sacrifice or the ran

34:46

the sacrifice because of the send now being

34:48

transferred from god's people are the priests to

34:50

this a member of this is going to

34:52

sound a little I don't mean to for

34:54

those of you who might be a little

34:56

I'm squeamish. I get a similar squeamish to

34:58

but lives in seminary. We. Had a professor

35:01

have her up because they're still orthodox

35:03

Jews who participate in some ceremonies like

35:05

this. Still in when you see that

35:07

they should, it's a video of actual

35:09

sacrifice taking place. In when you see

35:11

actual sacked for taking place, it is

35:13

a guttural reminder of your brokenness and

35:15

sinfulness In you are reminded that it

35:18

is Mike with we sing the song

35:20

it is my sin that held him

35:22

Then. It is. It is

35:24

in their here seen. It is my sin

35:26

that led to the death of this animal.

35:29

Deceiving. Takes us back to Genesis Chapter three

35:31

When Dawes a sacrifices an animal in order

35:33

to close it would have been blood. There

35:35

are some blood in the Garden of Eden

35:38

in order to close Adam and Eve and

35:40

there's and their same suit the highest level

35:42

we see the need for for blood being

35:44

poured out because of the sinfulness of humanity.

35:47

Yes, that's right, that's right. Instead, there

35:50

are multiple sacrifices and offered in Exodus

35:52

Twenty Ninth. But I really want to

35:54

just stay here. I we don't have

35:56

time to dive into each one of

35:59

these. Specifically. But what is

36:01

happening is that this is an act

36:03

of consecration you're going to. You see

36:05

that in your Bible the words consecration

36:08

means to set apart or tooth mates

36:10

A wheat. And. Because this

36:12

world is broken by sen,

36:14

sayings are not consecrated by

36:16

nature. They. Aren't they need

36:19

to be made whole? We

36:21

and the only one who

36:23

can make something wholly ease the

36:25

Holy God and because of

36:27

the impact of sin and it's

36:29

fundamental consequence which is death belied

36:32

is required for the forgiving

36:34

of sins and it is also

36:36

required for the making. Something

36:39

wholly, it works. It is required

36:41

for cleansing and for purification. And

36:43

so when the priest or consecrated

36:45

here they are being set apart

36:48

for a whole. The service we

36:50

used the word earlier that we

36:52

didn't defied. The priest has a

36:54

defined vocation, A defined calling. something

36:56

that they are to give their

36:59

day in day out. Pints match

37:01

in a sense works energy. Don't

37:03

think about location as a job

37:05

or as a career. that would

37:08

be to. Lessen its vocations

37:10

is heavier than career

37:13

jobs and so the

37:15

priestly course is to

37:17

give their lives over

37:20

in daily weekly months.

37:22

Leads annual service to

37:25

your way by purification.

37:27

By. Sacrifice by Ceremony by Prayer

37:30

By Worship In So in

37:32

order to do that, they

37:34

have to be purified. They

37:36

have to be consecrated. They

37:38

have to be set apart

37:40

for this pass and the

37:42

blood atonement. The blood offering

37:44

is a significant part of

37:46

how that happens. This isn't

37:49

just true for then, it's

37:51

true for us, right? But

37:53

keep in mind before the

37:55

priest of Air and are

37:57

consecrated was blinds. The entire. nation

37:59

of Israel is covered by it.

38:02

Like they all left Egypt under

38:05

bloody doorpost. All of them.

38:08

And so before the priesthood

38:10

is consecrated, the people of

38:13

Israel are covered. The

38:15

priests aren't being... they're

38:18

not being saved in their consecration.

38:20

They've already been delivered from Egypt. They've

38:23

already been rescued. This consecration

38:25

is above and beyond that. It

38:27

is more significant. It is a

38:29

setting part, setting apart for holy

38:31

office. Probably the closest New Testament

38:33

analog to this is the laying

38:36

on of hands for the purposes

38:38

of ordination of the elder

38:40

and the deacon. That's probably the closest

38:42

we get to something like this in

38:45

the New Testament. Because by the time

38:47

that we arrive at the perfect High

38:49

Priest, we have all become a part

38:51

of the priesthood because we are in

38:53

Jesus Christ, the perfect High Priest, and

38:56

we're all consecrated and covered by His

38:58

blood that that atones for our sins

39:00

and qualifies us for the holy vocation

39:02

of being His people and His priesthood.

39:04

Right? 1st Peter 5 says we're

39:07

all priests, right? We

39:09

are a royal priesthood, chosen people.

39:11

All of us are who have

39:13

become this. It's become first decentralized

39:15

among all of God's people because

39:17

it's now been summed up fully

39:19

in God's person, Jesus Christ. Jen,

39:21

did you have something to add there? Nope.

39:24

You nailed it. Okay. Well,

39:27

I hope that this episode has helped you.

39:30

If you feel like I don't really know

39:32

why I should care about

39:34

the tabernacle and last episode or the garments of

39:37

the priest in this one, we're gonna continue

39:39

this journey. Now don't be afraid. In just

39:41

a few chapters, we're gonna get into like

39:43

a another narrative segment. So we're gonna come up

39:45

for air in a very interesting and peculiar story

39:48

that a lot of us are familiar with when

39:50

we get to the golden calf. But between

39:52

now and then, there is So much

39:54

rich connections between what God is doing here

39:56

among the people of Israel in this place

39:59

at this time. And would are you doing?

40:01

The whole story of. The. Bible if we recommended

40:03

anything. That. You want to find out more

40:05

about you can check the show knows. Ah,

40:07

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40:09

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