Exodus 28:6-14 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.… The ephod, with the breastplate and girdle fastened to it, and put upon the person of Aaron, constituted him a worshipper; adorned with this he could draw near and worship in the holy place. It was put on over the blue robe, and is supposed to have been much shorter than that garment, reaching a little below the knees, whilst the blue robe reached down to the feet. It fitted closely to the person, and was kept in its place by the girdle. It was made of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. These materials represent the purity, loveliness, and glory of Christ as the Man Jesus Christ and the mighty God. It would spangle with gold, and the colours would be so blended as to display their richness and beauty in the best possible way. The four materials were the same as the vail was made of, viz., fine linen, blue, purple, and scarlet, which represent the manhood of Christ in all its perfection as such (Hebrews 10:19, 20); but in the gold thread with which that cloth was embroidered (Exodus 39:3), I see the Godhead of the Lord, and the two are so joined together that you cannot have one without the other. The back and front parts of the ephod were joined at the shoulders, by means of the shoulder-pieces from which it was suspended. In each shoulder-piece was a precious stone set in gold — an oynx stone, a beautiful white and half-transparent stone. In these precious stones the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraven. Aaron carried the names of his people upon his shoulders. He presented them thus before the Lord, and when God looked down upon Aaron, He saw the names of His people indelibly engraven in white stones. The shoulder is the place of strength. The omnipotent strength of Christ is ours. He carries His people's burdens and themselves too (Isaiah 63:9; Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 46:4; Psalm 55:22). The government is upon His shoulder, and the crown is upon His head. (G. Rodgers.) Parallel Verses KJV: And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. |
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