Exodus 28
God continues to give Moses instructions for His people in today’s reading, this time specifying how the priests were to be adorned when serving in the tabernacle. Recall, we are all called to be a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), so even if you are not in a formal leadership role in the Church, there is application to be made for your life. John MacAruther once stated, “We are a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The priests of the Old Covenant had one job really, to offer up acceptable sacrifices to God. And that’s what we are called to do, that’s what we are privileged to do.”[i]
Moreover, keep in mind that Jesus Christ is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14), so much of what will be discussed today is perfectly fulfilled in His ministry to us. To begin, God reminds Moses three times in the first four verses how the priests were to be ministers to Him. This is a reminder that, no matter where God has called you to serve, your service is first and foremost to Him. Practically speaking, then, your chief concern is doing what God has purposed you to do, even if that is at odds with those around you.
Next, note the description of the ephod, and specifically, that the leaders’ names of the 12 tribes of Israel were to be engraved on the shoulder straps. “While the first ministry of a priest is always unto God Himself, a priest also is constantly connected to the people, bearing them on his shoulders. The shoulders are a place of work; therefore, in the priest’s ministry unto the LORD, he also worked for and with the people.”[ii] It’s pretty clear that our service as a priesthood is to be concerned with God first, then those He entrusts to our care. (It should be clear, but missing in that is a focus on self.)
After God outlined provisions for the priest’s ephod, He turns His attention to the “breastpiece of judgment” (v. 15). On it, “There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel…Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD” (v. 21). The breastpiece covered the heart, symbolizing the love, compassion, and consideration the priest should have for God’s people while serving.
The Urim and the Thummim were to be put inside the breastpiece. David Guzik notes that “We aren’t sure what they were or how they were used. The best guess is that they were a pair of stones, one light and another dark, and each stone indicated a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from God. The High Priest would ask God a question, reach into the breastplate, and pull out either a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’”[iii] He continues:
In seeking God through the Urim and Thummim, one was really going back to God’s Word for guidance, because it was the word of God that commanded their place and allowed their use. Today, if we have the same focus on God’s Word, He will guide us also. One old preacher was asked to explain the Urim and Thummim. He said, “Well, this is how I understand it. When I need to know God’s will, I get out my Bible and I do a lot of usin’ and thummin’ through my Bible, and God always speaks to me.” More Christians would know God’s will if they did more usin’ and thummin’.[iv]
A priest’s robe was to have alternating pomegranates and bells on its hem (v. 34). The ringing bells would let people outside the Most Holy Place know that the high priest was active in service, while the pomegranates represented a priest’s responsibility to bear fruit. How loud are your bells ringing? Is your fruit in bloom?
One of the last details given for the priestly garments in Exodus 28 relates to the turban, which would have on its place an engraved golden plate, reading “Holy to the LORD…It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.” (v. 36, 38). As mentioned earlier, Jesus is our great High Priest. In this role, He bore our guilt and made those who put their faith acceptable to a holy God. Follower of Jesus, aren’t you grateful that, when God looks at you, He sees Jesus’s righteousness instead of your filth?
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· As a “priest,” how loud are your bells ringing? Is your fruit in bloom?
· How much usin’ and thummin’ in God’s Word are you doing daily?
[i] MacArthur, J. (1989, January 22). The believer’s privileges, part 2. [Sermon transcript.] Grace to You. https://www.gty.org/sermons/60-18/the-believers-privileges-part-2-access-part-1
[ii] Study Guide for Exodus 28. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved March 19, 2026, from
https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/exodus/exodus-28.cfm
[iii] ibid
[iv] ibid