Bird's-eye view
In this brief but potent passage, we are given the instructions for one of the most significant pieces of the high priest's regalia: the golden plate on his turban. This isn't just about ecclesiastical fashion. Far from it. This is about the central problem that the entire sacrificial system was designed to address, which is the unholiness of man and the absolute holiness of God. The inscription on the plate, 'Holy to Yahweh,' is the banner under which the entire project of redemption marches. Aaron, as the high priest, is a type of Christ, and this headpiece is a crucial part of that typology. It shows us how the sinfulness that infects even our best religious efforts is dealt with. Aaron 'takes away the iniquity of the holy things,' which is a profound statement about our need for a mediator. This passage, then, is a tightly packed gospel presentation, showing how God provides a way for His people to be accepted before Him, not on the basis of their own purity, but on the basis of a designated, holy representative.
What we have here is a picture of imputed righteousness, Old Testament style. The people of Israel, sinful and prone to wander, bring their gifts. But their gifts, and their attempts at worship, are tainted with sin. How can a holy God accept such offerings? The answer is placed squarely on Aaron's forehead. He bears their iniquity, and because of the authority and holiness vested in him, represented by that golden plate, the people and their gifts are accepted. This points us directly to the work of Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, who doesn't just wear a sign of holiness, but is holiness itself. He bears our iniquity perfectly and finally, and it is only on His forehead that the declaration 'Holy to the Lord' finds its ultimate meaning. Because of Him, we are accepted before Yahweh.
Clause-by-Clause Commentary
v. 36 “You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, ‘Holy to Yahweh.’”
The instruction begins with the raw material: pure gold. Gold, throughout the tabernacle and its furnishings, speaks of divinity, purity, and glory. This is not some cheap alloy; it is the most precious metal, refined and unadulterated. This plate is to be a thing of immense value and untarnished purity, representing the perfect holiness of God. The instruction for the engraving is also specific. It is to be like the engravings of a signet. A signet was used to impress a seal, an official mark of ownership and authority. This is not a casual scribble. This is a deep, permanent, and authoritative declaration. And what is the declaration? 'Holy to Yahweh.' Or, 'Holiness to the Lord.' This is the central attribute of God. He is utterly set apart, different, pure, and righteous. This phrase is the flag, the standard, the constitutional foundation of God's kingdom. Everything in the tabernacle, every ritual, every sacrifice, is oriented toward this foundational reality: God is holy. The high priest is to wear this declaration publicly, as the official representative of a holy God to a sinful people, and a sinful people to a holy God.
v. 37 “You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban.”
This authoritative declaration is not to be hidden away in a pocket. It is to be fastened with a blue cord. Blue, in the biblical palette, consistently points to the heavens, to that which is transcendent and divine. So you have the divine purity of the gold and the heavenly nature of the blue cord, all holding this central declaration in place. And its placement is critical: 'at the front of the turban.' It is on the forehead, the most visible part of the man. The forehead represents the mind, the will, the identity. When you meet someone, you look them in the face. This declaration of God's holiness is to be the most forward, most obvious, most defining characteristic of the high priest as he conducts his duties. It is his identity. He is the man who belongs to the holy God. This is a public allegiance, an unmistakable brand. In the book of Revelation, the servants of God are sealed on their foreheads, and the harlot has a blasphemous name written on hers. The forehead is the billboard of our ultimate loyalty. For Aaron, and for the greater Aaron to come, that loyalty is to the holiness of Yahweh.
v. 38 “It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel set apart as holy, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall continually be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before Yahweh.”
Here we get to the functional heart of the matter. Why is this declaration of holiness so prominently displayed on Aaron's forehead? Because Aaron has a job to do, and it is a dirty one. He must 'take away the iniquity of the holy things.' This is a staggering concept. The 'holy things' are the sacrifices, the tithes, the offerings, the very things the people of Israel bring to God in their attempts to worship Him. But this verse tells us that even these 'holy' gifts are polluted with iniquity. The people's motives are mixed, their hands are unclean, their hearts are divided. Their best efforts are shot through with sin. Left to themselves, their worship would be an offense to a holy God. So Aaron, the high priest, stands as a mediator. He absorbs, as it were, the sinfulness of their religious performances. He bears the guilt of their tainted worship.
And how does he do this? By what authority? By the authority of the golden plate that is 'continually be on his forehead.' His constant, visible dedication to God's holiness is the basis upon which he can perform this substitutionary, cleansing work. And the result is stated plainly: 'that they may be accepted before Yahweh.' The acceptance of the people is not based on the quality of their gifts, but on the office and consecrated status of their representative. This is pure gospel. We do not come to God on the basis of our clean hearts or our zealous worship. We come, and our worship is accepted, only because our great High Priest, Jesus, has borne the iniquity of our holiest duties. He is continually before the Father, and His perfect holiness is the reason, and the only reason, we are accepted.
Application
The first and most obvious application is to look away from ourselves and to our true High Priest, Jesus Christ. This entire elaborate costume for Aaron was a shadow, a type, a placeholder until the reality came. We are riddled with sin, and this sin infects everything we do. Even our worship, our prayers, our Bible reading, our acts of service, all of it is tainted. If our acceptance before God depended on the purity of our religious efforts, we would all be damned. But we have a high priest, Jesus, who is not merely wearing a sign that says 'Holy to the Lord.' He is Holy to the Lord. And He bears the iniquity of our holy things. Because He is our representative, our prayers are heard, our clumsy worship is received, and we are accepted. We must therefore put all our confidence in Him and none in ourselves.
Secondly, this passage teaches us about the nature of public allegiance. The plate was on Aaron's forehead, for all to see. In the new covenant, we are all part of a royal priesthood. Our allegiance to Christ is not to be a private, sentimental affair. It is to be our public identity. The world should know who we serve. Our minds, our thoughts, our worldview, represented by the forehead, are to be brought under the authority of Christ. We are to have the mind of Christ. Our foreheads should, metaphorically, be inscribed with 'Holy to the Lord,' meaning our entire being is consecrated to Him. This is the opposite of the mark of the beast, which is a mark of allegiance to a man-centered, anti-Christ system. We must choose which mark defines us, and we must wear it openly, without shame, in a world that is hostile to the holiness of God.