Dressed for a Lethal Glory Text: Exodus 28:40-43
Introduction: The Grammar of Holiness
We live in an age that despises uniforms, detests distinctions, and denies definitions. Our culture is committed to a kind of egalitarian sloppiness, a casual Friday approach to reality itself. The prevailing wisdom is that what is on the outside is irrelevant, a mere shell, and that what truly matters is the sincerity of the heart, whatever that might mean on any given Tuesday. But the God of Scripture is not a vague sentimentalist. He is a God of glorious, sharp-edged particulars. He is the one who separated the light from the darkness, the waters from the dry land. And here, in the Sinai desert, He is teaching His people the grammar of holiness, and it turns out that holiness has a dress code.
After the glorious and intricate detail given for the high priest's garments, the ephod, the breastpiece, the Urim and Thummim, we now come to the wardrobe for the ordinary priests, Aaron's sons. One might be tempted to skim over these verses as some kind of ancient liturgical fashion advice, irrelevant to our modern, spiritual sensibilities. But to do so would be to miss the point entirely. Every detail in the tabernacle construction, and every thread in the priestly garments, is a declaration of war against the paganism of the surrounding nations and a foreshadowing of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The world believes that man, in his natural state, is fundamentally good, and that our nakedness is a sign of authenticity. The Bible teaches that man, after the fall, is fundamentally broken, and that our nakedness is a sign of shame, guilt, and rebellion. Adam and Eve tried to cover their shame with fig leaves, a product of their own cursed ground. It was God who first clothed them, and He did so with skins, indicating that a life had to be forfeit to cover their sin. Here, God is continuing that lesson. To approach a holy God requires a covering, and not just any covering. It must be a covering of His design, according to His pattern, for His purposes. This is not about aesthetics; it is about atonement. It is about how a sinful man can possibly stand in the presence of a holy God and not be consumed.
These verses are intensely practical. They teach us about the nature of glory, the necessity of a covering, the danger of God's presence, and the perpetual need for a mediator. This is not just about Aaron's sons; it is about all of God's sons in Christ Jesus.
The Text
For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty. You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint them and ordain them and set them apart as holy, that they may minister to Me as priests. You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh; they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs. They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. It shall be a perpetual statute to him and to his seed after him.
(Exodus 28:40-43 LSB)
Glory and Beauty as Armor (v. 40)
We begin with the purpose of these garments.
"For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty." (Exodus 28:40)
The priests were to be clothed "for glory and for beauty." This is a direct assault on two fronts. First, it is an assault on the drab utilitarianism of a fallen world. God is not a minimalist. He is an artist, and His creation shouts His glory. He did not have to make sunsets spectacular, but He did. He did not have to give the birds their songs, but He did. Beauty is not an optional extra; it is a reflection of the character of God. The worship of God, therefore, is not to be a dreary, ugly affair. It is to be characterized by the highest standards of excellence and beauty, reflecting the one we worship.
Second, this is a polemic against the gaudy, sensual, and grotesque aesthetics of pagan worship. The priests of Baal and the cult prostitutes of Asherah were not known for their dignified beauty. Their worship was a chaotic, self-mutilating, and debased spectacle. In stark contrast, the priests of Yahweh are to be robed in a way that communicates honor, dignity, and a holy order. This is not the glory of man, which is like the flower of the field, but the glory of God, which endures forever.
These garments, the tunic, sash, and cap, were simpler than the high priest's, but their purpose was the same. They were a uniform. They marked the men out as belonging to God, set apart for His service. They were not there in their own name or on their own authority. The glory and beauty were not their own; it was a derived glory, a reflected beauty. It was armor against the casualness and profanity that our sinful hearts are prone to. It was a constant reminder to them, and to the people, that the service of God is a high and holy calling.
The Five-Fold Consecration (v. 41)
Verse 41 outlines a sequence of actions that constitute the making of a priest.
"You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint them and ordain them and set them apart as holy, that they may minister to Me as priests." (Exodus 28:41 LSB)
Here we see a five-step process of consecration. First, they are clothed. Before any other action is taken, they must be covered. This signifies that their fitness for office is not inherent. It is bestowed. It is an alien righteousness, a gifted glory. We are clothed in Christ's righteousness before we can do anything for God.
Second, they are anointed. The anointing with oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. It signifies an empowering for service. The Spirit sets them apart and equips them for their task. Without the anointing of the Spirit, all our religious activity is just dead works. It is the Spirit who gives life.
Third, they are ordained. The Hebrew here is literally "you shall fill their hands." This likely refers to the placing of the sacrifices into their hands, which they would then offer to God. Their hands, which were empty, are now filled with the means of atonement. They are given their task, their commission. They are authorized to act on behalf of the people before God.
Fourth, they are set apart as holy, or consecrated. This is the result of the preceding actions. To be holy is to be set apart for God's exclusive use, like a dish that is only used for the king's table. Their entire lives are now to be oriented toward God and His service. They belong to Him in a unique way.
Fifth, all of this is for a purpose: "that they may minister to Me as priests." The end goal is service. The glory, the beauty, the anointing, the ordination, it is all instrumental. It is all for the sake of ministering to God. This is a crucial point. They are not priests for their own self-aggrandizement. They are priests to serve Yahweh. This demolishes all pride. The priesthood is not a status; it is a function.
Covering the Shame of the Fall (v. 42)
Now we come to a very specific and foundational requirement.
"You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh; they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs." (Exodus 28:42 LSB)
This might seem like a small detail, but it is the theological bedrock of the entire enterprise. Why this specific instruction? Because it is a direct response to the fall of man in Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve sinned, "the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked" (Gen. 3:7). Their nakedness was not a neutral fact; it was a revelation of their guilt, shame, and vulnerability before a holy God. Their physical nakedness was an outward sign of their spiritual nakedness.
God is holy. His presence is a consuming fire. To approach Him requires perfect righteousness. Any exposure of our fallen, sinful nature in His presence is catastrophic. The "bare flesh" here represents that fallen nature. The linen undergarments are a crucial barrier, a covering for the source of their shame. This is not about prudishness; it is about the lethal reality of sin meeting the consuming reality of holiness.
The priests, who ministered in the holy place, were representatives of a sinful people. They themselves were sinful men. As they moved about the tabernacle, bending and reaching at the altar, there could be no chance of an accidental exposure. Such an exposure would be a symbolic re-enactment of the fall in the very presence of God. It would be a flaunting of the rebellion that God had come to remedy. Therefore, this covering was an absolute, non-negotiable requirement.
The Lethal Consequence of Uncovered Sin (v. 43)
The final verse underscores the life-and-death stakes of this command.
"They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. It shall be a perpetual statute to him and to his seed after him." (Exodus 28:43 LSB)
Here is the consequence: "so that they do not incur guilt and die." This is not an idle threat. We know from the story of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's own sons, that God does not trifle. Unauthorized approaches to God are fatal. To appear before God with one's shame uncovered is to "incur guilt." It is to take responsibility for one's own sin in the presence of the judge, and the wages of sin is death. The covering was a gracious provision. It was a way for them to not die. It was a constant, tangible reminder that their lives were forfeit and that only a God-provided covering could save them.
This was to be a "perpetual statute." This principle does not expire. The need for a covering before a holy God is permanent. The Levitical priesthood and its specific linen garments have been fulfilled, but the statute, the underlying principle, remains. The old covenant priests wore linen; the new covenant priests, which is all of us who are in Christ, must be clothed in something far greater.
Clothed in Christ
How does this all resolve? It resolves in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is our great High Priest, but He is also the clothing for all His people. The entire sacrificial system, with its priests and garments, was a magnificent audio-visual aid pointing to Him.
The priests were clothed for glory and beauty. But Christ Himself is the "radiance of the glory of God" (Heb. 1:3). He is the ultimate beauty. The priests were anointed with oil. Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34). The priests had their hands filled with sacrifices. Christ's hands were filled with His own perfect life, which He offered once for all.
Most importantly, the priests had to have their nakedness covered, lest they die. But what about us? We are called a "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). How do we dare approach a holy God? The gospel answer is that we are clothed in Christ. Paul tells us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 13:14). When God the Father looks at a believer, He does not see our filthy, sin-stained nakedness. He sees the perfect, spotless, glorious righteousness of His own Son.
That is our linen undergarment. It is the robe of righteousness that covers our shame completely. It is not something we have made; it is something we have received by faith. The perpetual statute is fulfilled. We do not incur guilt and die, because our guilt was incurred by Christ on the cross, and He died in our place. His death was the ultimate penalty for uncovered sin.
Therefore, we can now approach the throne of grace with confidence (Heb. 4:16). Not because we are no longer naked sinners, but because we are perfectly clothed saints. We are clothed in the glory and beauty of Christ Himself. And this is not just for a select few, but for all who, by faith, have been set apart as holy, to minister to Him forever.