In serving God and the people, the high priest wore seven pieces of clothing: undergarments (vv. 42–43); a white inner robe (“coat”; v. 39; 39:27; Lev. 8:6–7); a blue robe over that, with bells and pomegranates on the hem (Ex. 28:31–35; 39:22–26); the ephod, a sleeveless garment of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, held together by a jeweled clasp on each shoulder (28:6–8; 39:1–5; Lev. 8:7); a girdle at the waist (Ex. 28:8); a jeweled breastplate, held in place on the ephod by golden chains attached to the shoulder clasps (vv. 9–30; 39:8–21); and a white linen turban (“miter,” 28:39) with a golden plate on it that said “Holy to the Lord” (v. 36 niv).
The ephod and girdle (28:6–14; 39:2–7). “Ephod” is the transliteration of a Hebrew word for a simple sleeveless linen garment that reached to the ankles, usually associated with religious service (1 Sam. 2:18; 2 Sam. 6:14). The high priest’s ephod and girdle were made of white linen beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet threads. The ephod was of two pieces, front and back, held together on each shoulder by a jeweled golden clasp and at the waist by the beautiful girdle.
The significant thing about this ephod was not the fabric or the colors. It was that the names of six tribes of Israel were engraved on each onyx stone on the shoulder clasps, according to their birth order. Whenever the high priest wore his special robes, he carried the people on his shoulders before the Lord. Furthermore, these two onyx stones reminded him of two important facts: (1) the tribes of Israel were precious in the sight of God; (2) he wasn’t in the tabernacle to display his beautiful robes or to exalt his special position, but to represent the people before the Lord and carry them on his shoulders. He had been called, not to serve himself but to serve his people.
If the church is to be faithful as a holy priesthood, believers must serve Christ by serving one another and serving a lost world. Jesus said, “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27), and it’s His example that we should follow (John 13:12–17). In the highpowered spiritual atmosphere of the tabernacle, it would be easy for the priest to ignore the common people outside, many of whom had burdens and problems and needed God’s help. “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2: nkjv).
The breastplate (28:15–30; 39:8–21). The breastplate was a piece of beautifully embroidered fabric, nine inches square when folded double. It hung on the high priest’s chest, supported by two golden chains attached to the shoulder clasps. On the breastplate were twelve beautiful jewels, arranged in four rows, each stone representing one of the tribes of Israel. The stones were probably arranged according to the order of the tribes as they marched (28:21; see Num. 10).
So the high priest not only carried the people on his shoulders, but he also carried them over his heart. If we don’t have sincere love in our hearts, we won’t be concerned about the needs of others, and we won’t want to help them. “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 4:18). As servants of God, we should be able to say honestly to the people we serve, “I have you in my heart” (Phil. 1:7).
The variety of stones on the breastplate suggests the variety of people in the church and in the world, all of them precious to God. Each of the tribes had its own distinctive outlook and personality, and no two were alike. Some were quick to go to battle, while some stayed home (Judg. 5:13–18). Some were easy to work with while others liked to argue and be important (Judg. 8). Yet the Lord loved them all and the high priest had to minister to them all.
“Pastoring a church would be a wonderful experience if it weren’t for people!” a young minister said to me. I reminded him that helping people and meeting their spiritual needs is what ministry is all about, and this demands a great deal of patient love on our part. We are a “holy priesthood” and a “royal priesthood,” but we must constantly be a “loving priesthood.”
Within the folded breastplate were kept “the Urim and Thummim” (“lights and perfections”) which the high priest used to determine the will of God for the nation (Ex. 28:30; Num. 27:21; 1 Sam. 30:7–8). We don’t know what the procedure was, but it was the priests’ duty to perform it (Deut. 33:8; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65). Some think there were two stones in the pouch, one black and one white, and the stone the priest withdrew indicated the will of God. Or perhaps they were jewels that shone in a special way to indicate the leading of the Lord. It’s useless to speculate because the details haven’t been revealed to us.
Believers today don’t have devices such as the Urim and Thummim for determining what God wants us to do, but we do have the Word of God to guide our steps (Ps. 119:105). The Word of God reveals the God of the Word, His character, His desires, and His purposes for His people, and the better we know God, the better we can discover His will. God’s Word contains precepts for us to obey, warnings for us to heed, promises for us to claim, and principles for us to follow. If we’re sincerely willing to obey, God is willing to direct us (John 7:17; Ps. 25:8–11).
But if we had a simple infallible method of determining the will of God such as the Urim and Thummim, we probably wouldn’t pray as much, search the Scriptures as much, or humble ourselves as much as we do today as we seek God’s direction. But seeking and doing God’s will is the way we grow in the Lord, and sharing in the process is as much a blessing as knowing the results.