A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII.
Verſ. 1. ANd take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, &c.]
Becauſe Aaron was the brother of Moſes, to prevent any envy amongſt the people, this is in the firſt place expreſſed, that it was by the Lords appointment and command that he and his ſonnes were ſet apart to the office of the prieſthood.
Verſ. 2. And thou ſhalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty.]
That is, glorious and beautifull. And hereby was ſignifyed, 1. the inſufficiency of Aarons prieſthood, that there was not in him (if you look on him in his own perſon) ſufficient worth that he ſhould mediate between God and man; for th…refore was this holineſſe in his garments to cover the pollution of his own p…rſon▪ 2. the more then angelicall purity and holineſſe of Chriſt, whoſe type Aaron thus attired was, Heb. 9. 14. Christ through the eternall ſpirit offered himſelf without ſpot to God. By whom alſo his Church is clothed with garments of beautifull glory, Iſai. 52. 1. Put on thy beautifull garments, oh Jeruſalem, the holy citie. Rev. 19. 8. To her was granted that ſhe ſhould be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteouſneſſe of the Sain…s: 3. to ſhew the extraordinary degrees of holineſſe required in thoſe that ſerve at the altar▪
Verſ. 3. And thou ſhalt ſpeak unto all that are wiſe-hearted, &c. that they may make Aarons garments to conſecrate him, &c.]
That is, to be a ſigne of his conſecration and ſanctification from God; therefore it was death to miniſter without theſe garments.
Verſ. 6. And th…y ſhall make the ephod of gold, &c.]
It was called the ephod of an hebrew word, which ſignifieth to cloſe, compaſſe, or gird about, becauſe it compaſſed fitly the body, and was tied thereto: it was the outmoſt of all Aarons garments, and covered his whole body, both back and breaſt, from the ſhoulders down to the loyns, excepting onelyonly the breaſt, where the breaſt-plate was faſtened.
Verſ. 7. It ſhall have the two ſhoulder-pieces thereof joyned at the edges thereof; and ſo it ſhall be joyned together.]
Theſe ſhoulder-pieces were either the pieces which went up both before and behind from the body of the ephod, and ſo met together on the top of each ſhoulder, and were joyned together in the edge thereof, a hole being left in the midſt through which the prieſts head went when he put on the ephod; or elſe it is meant of certain wings (as we call them) which were joyned to the ephod in the edge round about each ſhoulder.
Verſ. 8. And the curious girdle of the ephod which is upon it ſhall be of the ſame, &c.]
By this is meant two pieces or ſlaps which came from the back part of the ephod under the arm-holes, and are called the curious guard, or girdle, becauſe the nether lappets ſerved as a girdle to faſten it below: and it is ſaid that it ſhould be upon it, that is, is joyned as a part of it, which is added to diſtinguiſh it from the girdle mentioned ver. 39. Thou ſhalt make the girdle of needlework, which was not a part of the ephod, as this, which is therefore called often the golden girdle.
Verſ. 9. And thou ſhalt take two onyx-stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Iſrael.]
Theſe two onyx-ſtones, whereon were graven the names of the twelve ſonnes of Jacob, ſignified the firm and perpetuall love of Chriſt toward his Church; and alſo how precious they be to him, & how continually mindfull he is of them, Cant. 8. 6. Set me as a ſeal upon thy heart, as a ſeal upon thy arm; for love is strong as death. See alſo Hag. 2. 23. In that day, ſaith the Lord of hoſts, will I take thee O Zorobbabel my ſervant, &c. and will make thee as a ſignet.
Verſ. 10. Six of their names on one ſtone, and the other ſix names of the rest on the other ſtone, according to their birth.]
That is, firſt Reuben, then Simeon, and ſo the reſt according to their age: And this ſignified the like precious faith and dignity which all have obtained before God in Chriſt, 2. Pet. 1. 1. To them that have obtained the like precious faith: So Gal. 3. 28, 29. Ye are all one in Chriſt Jeſus: And if ye be in Chriſt, then are ye Abrahams ſeed, and heirs according to the promiſe.
Verſ. 12. And thou ſhalt put the two ſtones upon the ſhoulders of the ephod, &c.]
Hereby was ſignified the power and principality of the Mediatour, laid upon Chriſts ſhoulders, Iſai. 9. 6. And the government ſhall be upon his ſhoulders, &c. See 22. chap. ver. 22. And the key of the houſe of David will I lay upon his ſhoulders. In regard whereof he doth, 1. bear our iniquities, Iſai. 53. 4. Surely he hath born our griefs, and carried our ſorrows, &c. 2. by his mediation and interceſſion he preſents us as pure and holy unto God, Eph. 5. 27. That he might preſent it to himſelf a glorious church, &c. ſo alſo John 17. 19, 20, 21. And for their ſakes I ſanctifie my ſelf, that they alſo might be ſanctified through the truth, &c. 3. he doth ſupport and defend us from all evil, Deut. 32. 11, 12. As an eagle ſtirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, ſpreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, ſo the Lord alone did lead him, &c. And fourthly he carried thoſe, whoſe names are written in the book of life, as it were upon his ſhoulders into heaven, who were plunged in the gulf of ſinne and death, and were utterly unable to raiſe themſelves thither. And thus was all the occaſion of envy taken away, the people being hereby taught that they were none of them excluded, but in the perſon of one were all preſented as a royall prieſthood unto God.
For ſtones of memoriall unto the children of Iſrael.]
That is, they ſhall be a viſible ſigne to put them in remembrance of their intereſt in God through Chriſt, and to aſſure them that God ſeeing their names upon the ſhoulders of the prieſt, would remember the covenant he had made with their fathers, and accordingly would do them good: for ſo the like phraſe is uſed concerning God, Gen. 9. 16. The bow ſhall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant betwixt God and every living creature.
Verſ. 13. And thou ſhalt make o…ches of gold.]
To wit for the two onyx ſtones to be ſet in, whereon were ingraven the names of the twelve ſonnes of Jacob, and which were to be faſtened upon the two ſhoulderpeices of the ephod.
Verſ. 15. And thou ſhalt make the breaſtplate of judgement, &c.]
So called, becauſe the prieſt did uſe to put it on when he conſulted with the Lord about the cauſe of the people to give right judgement▪ Numb. 27. 21. And he ſhall ſtand before Eleaſar the prieſt, who ſhall ask counſel for him after the judgement of Urim before the Lord, &c. Or it noted the care that the prieſt ſhould have of anſwering judgement and equity to them that enquired of God by him. See verſ. 30. And hereby was ſignified the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, Iſa. 59. 17. For he put on righteouſneſſe as a breaſtplate, and an helmet of ſalvation upon his head.
Verſ. 17. And thou ſhalt ſet in it ſettings of ſtones, &c.]
See verſ. 9.
Verſ. 21. And the ſtones ſhall be with the names of the children of Iſrael, &c.]
By this was ſignified both that the Iſrael of God are united to Chriſt and joyned ſo, that what he did we may be ſaid to have done in him; (in him we are preſented unto God as pure and holy) and alſo the love of Chriſt that he alwayes bears us in his heart, being ever mindfull of us, and ſolicitous for our ſalvation.
Verſ. 22. And thou ſhalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends, &c.]
Theſe I take to be the ſame mentioned verſ. 14. And two chains of pure gold at the ends: onelyonly there they were ſpoken of in regard of their faſtening to the ouches, here in regard of their faſtening to the breaſtplate.
Verſ. 25. And put them on the ſhoulderpeices of the ephod before it.]
That is, toward the forepart of the ephod. And thus was the breaſtplate faſtened to the ephod by theſe two chains, which were faſtened at one end to the two rings that were in the upper corners of the breaſtplate, and at the other end to the two ouches that were on the ſhoulderpi…ces of the ephod.
Verſ. 26. And thou ſhalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate, &c.]
That is, in the two ends of the nether part of the breaſtplate below, towards the imbrodered girdle of the ephod.
In the border thereof which is in the ſide of the ephod inward.]
That is, not onelyonly on the undermoſt edge of the breaſtplate, but alſo on the inſide of that edge, that the joyning together of theſe rings with thoſe of the ephod might be hidden under the edge of the breaſtplate.
Verſ. 27. And two other rings of gold thou ſha't make, and ſhalt put them on the two ſides of the ephod, &c.]
The rings here mentioned were thoſe to which the rings on the lower part of the breaſtplate were to be faſtened, and direction is given where they ſhould be ſet, to wit, firſt on the ſides of the ephod, the right ſide and the left; ſecondly underneath, that is, in the lower part of each ſide of the ephod, not in the upper part or middle of it; thirdly, towards the forepart thereof, that is, though on the ſides of the ephod, yet not ſo backward as to be under the arms, but toward the forepart of the ſides nearer the breaſt; fourthly, over againſt the coupling thereof, that is, directly againſt the ouches on the ſhoulderpieces, where the upper part of the breaſtplate was coupled to the ephod; and fifthly, above the curious girdle of the ephod, that is, above thoſe lappets wherewith the ephod was girt cloſe about the loins of the high prieſt, which were therefore called the curious girdle of the ephod.
Verſ. 30. And thou ſhalt put in the breastplate of judgement the Urim and Thummim, &c.]
Urim and Thummim are by interpretation lights and perfections, and ſignified that the gifts of the holy Ghoſt ſhould be in Chriſt without meaſure, even all the treaſure of wiſdome and knowledge, and all perfection of purity that mans nature is capable of. What theſe Urim and Thummim were, we cannot ſay▪ Amongſt the divers conjectures of Interpreters the…e are two that have moſt probability in them: the one is, that the Urim and Thummim are no other but thoſe very rowes of pretious ſtones, before mentioned, that were in the breaſtplate, and are here called Urim and Thummim, not onelyonly becauſe of their brightneſſe and perfection, but eſpecially alſo with reſpect unto their uſe, which was, that by them the high prieſt did inquire of God for the people, and was by the ſpeciall inſpiration of the Spirit enabled to return them an anſwer, which did accordingly come to paſſe: and hence it is, they ſay, that in the thirty ninth chapter, where Moſes doth exactly relate how all things were made according to Gods appointment, there is no mention made of the Urim and Thummim, but onelyonly of the twelve pretious ſtones ſet in the breaſtplate, becauſe theſe ſtones, ſet in two rowes, were uſually called among the people the Urim and Thummim in regard of their uſe, the high prieſts enquiring of God by them and returning a perfect anſwer to thoſe demands that were made to him. And indeed this I ſhould readily imbrace for truth, but that one thing onelyonly makes it doubtfull, to wit, that it is ſaid the workmen did ſet the ſtones in the breaſtplate, chap. 39. 10. whereas Moſes put in the Urim and Thummim, Levit. 8. 8. The other opinion is, that theſe very words, Urim and Thummim, were written in ſome pretious matter, not made by humane art, but by the almighty power of God, and ſo were given by God to Moſes, and by him put within the fold of the pectorall, Levit. 8. 8. Alſo he put in the breastplate the Urim and Thummim. And therefore this is not mentioned amongſt thoſe things that were made by the artificers, becauſe this was, as the tables of the Law, the work of God and not of man: This alſo is very probable, but yet a conjecture onelyonly; neither can we (the Scripture being ſilent) certainly determine what they were. When the Jews returned out of Babylon they were loſt, and therefore ſome buſineſſes hung in ſuſpenſe, Ezra 2. 63. Till there ſtood up a prieſt with Urim and Thummim; neither do we find in any of the Jewiſh Rabbins that they themſelves did certainly know what they were.
And Aaron ſhall bear the judgement of the children of Iſrael upon his heart, &c.]
That is, the breaſtplate of judgement, wherein were the Urim and Thummim, ſo called, both becauſe it was the type of that light and perfection in Chriſt which he communicates to his people; as alſo becauſe hereby anſwers of judgement were given to the Iſraelites. See Numb. 27. 21.
Verſ. 31. And thou ſhalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.]
So called, becauſe it was worn next under the ephod, and, being of it ſelf a looſe robe, was girded to the body by the curious girdle of the ephod: It ſignified the heavenly robe of Chriſts righteouſneſſe.
Verſ. 33. And beneath upon the hemme of it thou ſhalt make pomegranates of blue, &c.]
Theſe as they hung upon the garment, ſignified that onelyonly the fragrant ſmell of the garment of Chriſts righteouſneſſe makes us a ſweet favour unto God; as they hung intermixed with bells, they ſignified the ſweet and comfortable effects of Chriſts doctrine, by which we come to be clothed with the fragrant robe of Chriſts righteouſneſſe, and from his fulneſſe to receive even grace for grace.
And bells of gold between them round about.]
Signifying the pure and pretious voice of Chriſt, heard of God in his prayer and mediation; of the people, in his teaching and inſtruction.
Verſ. 35. And his ſound ſhall be heard when he goeth unto the holy place, &c.]
Of which (beſides the myſteries ſignified, whereof above) this was alſo a reaſon, that notonely the prieſt but the people alſo might by the ſound of thoſe bells be put in mind to lift up their hearts to God, &c.
Verſ. 36. And thou ſhalt make a plate of pure gold, &c.]
This was made like the forepart of a coronet, and therefore called, chap. 29. 30. The plate of the holy crown, which being joyned to the miter, ſignified that Chriſt ſhould be not onelyonly prieſt but king.
And grave upon it like the engravings of a ſignet, Holineſſe to the Lord.]
Signifying the interceſſion of Chriſt, that by his holineſſe we are preſented as holy, yea perfectly holy, in the ſight of God. John 17. 19. And for their ſakes I ſanctifie my ſelf that they alſo might be ſanctified through the truth.
Verſ. 38. And it ſhall be upon Aarons forehead, &c.]
To wit that it might be an eminent viſible token of Gods gratious acceptation of his people to be ſeen and read of all men to their comfort, even that God accepteth both them and their imperfect ſervices in the face of Jeſus Chriſt, who by his ſufferings and mediation hath taken away the ſinnes of his people which they commit in their moſt holy and religious actions, 1. John 2. 1, 2. If any man ſinne, we have an advocate with the Father, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our ſinnes, &c.
Verſ. 39. And thou ſhalt imbroider the coat of fine linen, &c.]
A garment with ſleeves, covering the whole body down to the feet, and being looſe was girded to the body with a girdle. Levit. 8. 7. And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, &c. It was under the robe of the ephod; and did alſo ſignifie the garments of juſtice wherewith Chriſt and his children are arayed.
And thou ſhalt make the girdle of needlework, &c.]
This was made of fine linen, blew, and purple, and ſcarlet, Exod. 39. 29. It ſerved to gird the coat with, which was under the robe, Levit. 8. 7. And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, &c. and ſignified the truſt, conſtancie, and expedition of Chriſt in his miniſtration, Iſay 11. 5. And his righteouſneſſe ſhall be the girdle of his loyns, &c. for theſe are things uſually ſignified in the Scripture by girding, Luke 12. 35. Let your loyns be girded about, and your lights burning.
Verſ. 40. And for Aarons ſonnes thou ſhalt make coats, &c.]
Called elſewhere ephods (1. Sam. 22. 18. And ſlew on that day foureſcore and five perſons that did weare a linen ephod,) becauſe it was their uppermoſt garment: the high prieſts was imbroidered, this onelyonly of linen, chap. 39. 27. And they made coats of fine linen, of woven work▪ for Aaron and for his ſonnes; and ſignified the purity and ſanctification of Gods Saints, who are all prieſts evangelicall. See Levit. 16. 4.
And thou ſhalt make for them girdles, &c.]
Aarons was of divers colours, Exod. 39. 29. theſe not.
Verſ. 41. And thou ſhalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his ſonnes with him.]
Now cannot the people think that Aaron had injuriouſly ſeiſed upon the prieſthood for his poſterity, ſince the ſame hand inveſted both father and ſonnes.
Verſ. 42. And thou ſhalt make them linen breeches, &c.]
See Exod. 20. 26.