the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Discovering Christ Day by Day
Today’s Reading: Exodus 38-40
“Clothes of Service”
Exodus 39:1
As the Mosaic record of the Tabernacle’s construction ends, Moses was inspired of God to give us a description of “the holy garments” that were made for Aaron, those garments Aaron was required to wear whenever he went into the Tabernacle doing service before the Lord God as Israel’s high priest. They are called “clothes of service.” These “clothes of service” were very significant and highly symbolical. They are listed three times by Moses (Exodus 28, Exodus 39 and Leviticus 8). Aaron was not allowed to appear before the Lord God as Israel’s priest to do service in the holy place without these “holy garments,” without these “clothes of service.” They were vital to his priestly work; and we are specifically told that they were “garments of consecration,” “for glory and for beauty.”
Aaron’s Garments
These garments were made specifically for Aaron, to show forth the glory and beauty of his work as Israel’s high priest. But they show more than that. These garments were made for and put upon Aaron to show forth the glory and beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, of whom Aaron was but a type.
Actually, Aaron had two sets of priestly garments: — This glorious apparel, which he wore before Israel and before the Lord in his common, daily functions in the tabernacle, and those holy linen garments mentioned in Exodus 39:28, and more fully described in Leviticus 16:4, which he wore only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. On that great Day of Atonement, when he went in with the blood of the paschal lamb before the Lord God in the holy of holies, Aaron was robed only in spotless white, portraying the infinitely meritorious obedience and personal righteousness and holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ, by which He was worthy and able to undertake and accomplish the stupendous work of putting away the sins of his people by the sacrifice of his own blood.
Our Beauty
The garments described in Exodus 39 were specifically ordained of God to show Aaron’s glory and beauty to the people he represented and served as a priest. These garments are described in great detail for us, so that we might see and be assured of the glory and beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ, as our great High Priest. Try to picture the Lord Jesus in His glory in heaven. Try to picture our Savior’s great beauty before God as your Mediator and High Priest in heaven. All His glory and beauty He has put upon us and made ours! Every sinner who trusts the Son of God is made exceedingly beautiful before the thrice holy Jehovah in the beauty of God’s own Son (Ezekiel 16:6-8; Psalms 149:4; Isaiah 61:1-3). In the perfect beauty of Christ, being one with Christ, every saved sinner is holy, blameless, without spot, and the perfection of beauty before God!
