Woven Glory: The Grammar of Priestly Garments Text: Exodus 39:1-7
Introduction: The Divine Tailor
We live in an age that prides itself on being casual, an age that confuses sincerity with sloppiness. In our approach to worship, we often think that what matters is the "heart," and that the external forms are secondary, if not entirely disposable. We want a faith that is practical, efficient, and stripped down to its bare essentials. But when we come to a text like this one, we are confronted with a God who is anything but a minimalist. He is a God of glorious, painstaking, and deeply meaningful detail.
At first glance, this chapter might seem like little more than an ancient inventory list, a tailor's notes on a long-completed project. We read of blue, purple, and scarlet material, of hammered gold threads and engraved onyx stones. Our modern, pragmatic mind is tempted to skim over it, looking for the "real" point. But in doing so, we would miss the entire point. These chapters on the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings are not a tedious appendix to the story of Exodus. They are the climax of the story. God has rescued His people from bondage in Egypt, not so they could wander aimlessly in the wilderness, but so that they might worship Him. And true worship is never a sloppy, man-made affair. It is always according to the divine pattern.
These garments are not merely ceremonial costumes. They are a sermon in fabric and stone. They are a theological treatise woven with threads of gold. Every color, every material, every placement is a word from God, spelling out the nature of our sin, the necessity of a mediator, and the glorious character of the Mediator to come. This is not just about Aaron's wardrobe; it is a portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest. And it is a lesson for us, who are called to be a kingdom of priests, on how we are to be clothed in Him.
The Text
Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
He made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen.
Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen, the work of a skillful designer.
They made joining shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was joined at its two upper ends.
The skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
They made the onyx stones, set all around in filigree settings of gold; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.
And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
(Exodus 39:1-7 LSB)
Obedience in Every Thread (v. 1)
We begin with the summary statement that governs the entire operation.
"Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses." (Exodus 39:1)
The first thing to notice is the drumbeat of obedience that echoes through this entire section. The phrase "just as Yahweh had commanded Moses" appears three times in our short text and eight times in the chapter as a whole. This is the foundation of all true worship. The people are not improvising. They are not forming a committee to brainstorm more "relevant" or "culturally sensitive" designs. They are following the divine blueprint with meticulous care. This is a direct assault on all forms of will-worship, the kind of worship that Cain offered and that Paul condemns in Colossians. True worship is not about what we think God might like; it is about doing what God has explicitly commanded.
The materials themselves are a lesson. Blue, the color of the sky, speaks of heaven. The priest's work is of heavenly origin and points to heavenly realities. Purple is the color of kingship. The priest is a royal figure, mediating on behalf of the people before the Great King. And scarlet is the color of blood, of sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins, and the priest's entire ministry would be a fraud. These three colors, woven together, declare that the priest is a royal mediator, appointed from heaven, whose work is grounded in blood atonement. This is a pre-incarnate portrait of Jesus Christ, our King-Priest from heaven who secured our redemption with His own blood.
The Divine Woven In (vv. 2-3)
Next, we see the construction of the ephod, the central and most glorious of the priestly garments.
"He made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen, the work of a skillful designer." (Exodus 39:2-3 LSB)
The ephod was an apron-like garment, but its significance lay in its materials. Here we see the addition of gold. Gold, throughout Scripture, represents divinity, purity, and glory. But notice how it is incorporated. It is not an external plating. The gold is hammered into thin sheets, cut into fine threads, and then intricately woven into the very fabric of the garment. This is a stunning picture of the Incarnation.
In the person of Jesus Christ, divinity (gold) is not merely laid over humanity; it is woven into it. The two natures, divine and human, are joined in one person without confusion, without change, without division, without separation. The process itself is suggestive. The gold must be hammered and cut, pointing to the humiliation and suffering of Christ. His glory was revealed through His suffering. This was the "work of a skillful designer," a masterpiece of divine wisdom that angels long to look into.
The Burden-Bearer (vv. 4-5)
The structure of the ephod is described next, and it is all about bearing a load.
"They made joining shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was joined at its two upper ends. The skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material... just as Yahweh had commanded Moses." (Exodus 39:4-5 LSB)
The ephod was held together at the shoulders. The shoulders, biblically, are the place of strength, of government, and of bearing burdens. When the lost sheep is found, the shepherd lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah that "the government shall be upon His shoulder." The high priest was designed to be a burden-bearer. He was to carry the weight of the people's concerns into the presence of God.
The band, or girdle, was made of the same interwoven material, binding the whole garment to the priest. This speaks of integrity and readiness for service. It shows that the priest's identity and work are a seamless whole. He is the God-man, our King-Priest, girded for the work of representing His people. And again, this was all done precisely as God commanded. There is no room for human innovation in the work of our salvation.
Engraved on His Shoulders (vv. 6-7)
Finally, we come to the most personal and precious detail of the ephod.
"They made the onyx stones, set all around in filigree settings of gold; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses." (Exodus 39:6-7 LSB)
On each shoulder piece was an onyx stone, and engraved on these stones were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, six on each shoulder. Think of what this means. When the high priest went before Yahweh, he did not go alone. He carried the entire covenant community on his shoulders of strength. He was their representative. His access was their access. His acceptance was their acceptance.
The engraving was permanent, "like the engravings of a signet." A signet ring was used to press an official, unalterable seal into wax. This means the people of God are permanently identified with their priestly representative. Their position is secure. Our Lord Jesus, the true High Priest, bears our names on His shoulders of omnipotent strength. No one can snatch us from His hand, because we are engraved upon Him.
These were "stones of remembrance." But for whose remembrance? They were a remembrance for the people, that they had a mediator. They were a remembrance for the priest, of the people for whom he served. But most importantly, they were a remembrance for God. Not that God is forgetful, but in the language of covenant, for God to "remember" is for Him to act faithfully on His covenant promises. When God saw the priest with the names on his shoulders, He was seeing His covenant people, represented by their mediator, and He acted toward them on the basis of that representation. This is precisely what Christ does for us. He intercedes for us, presenting us before the Father, and God remembers His promises to us for Christ's sake.
Conclusion: Clothed with Christ
Aaron was a flawed man, clothed in glorious garments that were a shadow of a greater reality. Those garments would wear out, and Aaron would die. But they pointed to our eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is clothed in ultimate glory. He is the one from heaven (blue), who is King of kings (purple), who offered His own blood as the perfect sacrifice (scarlet), and whose very being is the perfect union of God and man (gold woven with linen).
He carries His people, not as names on a stone, but as beloved children engraved on the palms of His hands. He carries us on His shoulders of sovereign strength, and He will never fail or grow weary. He stands before the Father as our stone of remembrance, and because of Him, God remembers His covenant of grace with us and forgets our sins forever.
The application for us is twofold. First, we must rest entirely in the finished work of our High Priest. We bring nothing to God on our own merits. We come clothed in His righteousness, carried on His shoulders. Second, as a "royal priesthood," we are called to imitate this pattern. Our lives of service to God must be built on the foundation of strict obedience to His Word. We are to bear one another's burdens, carrying each other on our shoulders in prayer and practical love. And our whole lives are to be a finely woven tapestry of worship, offering God our very best, a skillful work designed to display the glory of the one who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.