Exodus 39:22 – 27 “They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, the work of a weaver, with an opening in the center of the robe like that of a garment, (possibly, like the opening in a coat of mail) with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear.
They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of the robe. They also made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates, alternating the bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe to be worn for ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
For Aaron and his sons they made tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, as well as the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun linen, and the sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.”
When God sets things in place, He does it right! God is the Creator who has divided darkness from light and who has forbidden the use of yeast (leaven) for the bread of the Tabernacle because leaven was developed in Egypt and was a reminder of Egyptian practices. Now God is making a sharp break with the manner in which priests are to dress as well.
How did priests dress in Egypt? Priests were generally only permitted to wear linen clothing and white papyrus sandals when tending a god (neither leather nor wool were were considered to be ritually pure). (Information from: Clothing | Ancient Egypt Online) An ancient Egyptian tomb painting depicts a priest naked to the waist and wearing a white linen kilt. Is it possible that priests with good muscle development might have shown off their physiques? Well, why not? Were there “temple groupies” who were attracted to these Egyptian priests? Possibly.
But now God is creating a totally different kind of priesthood and with it an entirely different approach to priestly garments. While the point of the Egyptian priests’ garments might have been display of the priests’ bodies, every aspect of the Jewish priests’ garments is calculated to point people toward God and away from the priest himself.
The first garments the priests would put on would be linen breeches, followed by fine white linen tunics, white being the color of purity. Next, the priests would put on sleeveless tunics of blue, with the blue of the tunic reminding people of heaven. These tunics were woven in a single piece with a woven neck opening so that nothing could fray or tear. At the bottom of this tunic were bells alternating with pomegranate – shaped tassels made of turquoise, red, and purple yarn. The golden bells were to continually ring as the high priest moved around the holy of holies during the Feast of Atonement. If the bells stopped ringing, it might mean that God had struck the high priest dead!
There were also turbans of pure white fine linen with brightly woven headbands. Completing this part of the priestly garments would have been sashes of fine linen embroidered with blue, purple and scarlet.
Wikipedia gives the following explanation:
In traditional Rabbinical teaching, each of the priestly robes is intended to atone for a particular sin on the part of the Children of Israel. The eminent sage Rashi points out in his commentary on the Talmud that the robe was fashioned to atone for the sin of an evil tongue, speaking poorly about someone else. As the High Priest, adorned with the priestly garments, walked, the bells noisily announced his presence, and because the noise emanated from the robe, it served as a reminder for people to refrain from gossip. The Talmud also states that the tassels between each bell on the robe were made of three materials:turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool. These three materials signify to the three people who are injured when lashon hara is spoken: the speaker, the listener, and the one who is spoken about. (Lashon hara in Hebrew is derogatory speech about a person which emotionally or financially damages them or lowers them in the estimation of others. Lashon hara may include truthful speech as well as lies.)
APPLICATION: For the Israelites, worship was a very serious business. Psalm 24:3-6 says, “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob.”
Each part of the priests’ garments served as a visual reminder to those watching to be careful in their thoughts and in their speech. The question for those of us who are believers is this: how careful are we in our thoughts and our speech?
There’s a sad story making the rounds on Face book about a man who accidentally failed to silence his cell phone in church. The ushers humiliated this man and made him feel unwanted. The whole church experience that morning was terrible. That night he went to a local bar where all the workers were kind to him. Guess where the man is now a regular? I am personally aware of several sad situations in which vicious – minded gossips who were church members drove people away from their churches. Their speeches would have served as perfect examples for lashon hara.
When we approach God knowing that we are sinners and confessing our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9) God can handle sinners; it’s hypocrites that are a major problem.
When the priests ministered, they were always mindful that they were appearing before a holy God. But how many of us realize that the same holy God is present throughout our days? May God help us to continue to look to Him, so that our thoughts and our speech will please Him!
PRAYER: Father God, we confess that we are sinners and that without You, we have no hope. Help us to confess our sins so that You can forgive us and clean us up. Help us to watch what we say, so that we will never be guilty of the sin of lashon hara. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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