Title: Priest's Attire
Exodus 28:1~3
priest's robes
Clothes indicate a person's identity. Priests also express themselves as priests through their clothing. The text explains the priest's clothes in detail, so let's take a look at this and receive grace.
1. A priest is the office of serving God on behalf of the people (1).
The saints who live by receiving many graces from God should serve God. Serving the Lord (service) is a privilege that only believers can enjoy. In addition, when you have committed a sin, you must come to God and offer a sacrifice for atonement. This is because if we do not receive forgiveness from God, we are bound to receive terrible punishment.
However, God did not want all the people to come to God and do this. This is because, when sinful humans faced God directly, they would rather commit sins and suffer greater misfortune. In order to prevent this kind of disaster in advance, God has appointed representatives of the people and not only receive service through them, but also accept the sacrifices they offer on behalf of the people, forgive their sins, and give blessings. Because the priest's work is so important, it can be seen that the responsibilities and duties were enormous, and his wrongdoings had a great impact on the people.
However, by dying on the cross, Jesus accomplished eternal atonement for our sins (Hebrews 9:12). Therefore, in the name of Jesus, the High Priest, we can come before God, serve God directly, repent of our sins and enjoy the privilege of receiving atonement. We must not neglect to enjoy this privilege. We must serve God and become faithful believers. Romans 12:11 says, “Do not be lazy in diligence, but be zealous and serve the Lord.”
2. The priest wore priestly clothes to serve God.
Clothing is to be worn according to one's status or ministry. Judges wear robes and doctors and nurses wear white robes. Priests also wear the sacraments to make their ministry more effective. Priests wore priestly clothes when they came to God for work. Its purpose is threefold. The first was to cover the priest's fault (lower body) (42). People, no matter who they are, have flaws. No one is without blemish or spot or shame. He had them wear the priest's robe to cover all these sins and transgressions. The second was to glorify the priest (2). To glorify means to honor or glorify.
The office of a priest is the most honorable and honorable. The clothes that expressed it were the robe worn by the priest. The saints are honorable and glorified in the sight of God. Isaiah 49:5 “I am glorified in the sight of the Lord (I am honorable in the Lord’s sight),” Isaiah confessed. We should all live in confidence and serve the Lord by making this confession every day. Third, it was the clothes that made the priest beautiful (2). When priests wear robe, they look much more pious, holy, and beautiful. Moreover, the clothes of the priests at that time were to be made very beautifully. The priest in that garment must have looked very beautiful. The most beautiful name in the world is the name of Saints. We must become believers who strive to live a life that is not ashamed of this name. Some clergy these days wear cloaks and some don't.
The Reformer Calvin was against wearing it. It flows with an outward tendency, and it is too authoritarian. I agree with Calvin's argument. In our church, the session has decided not to wear the surname except for special occasions and is practicing it. Would you then violate God's command, that priests should wear priestly clothes to serve God? It never is. All the saints are clothed in the white robe of righteousness that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
In Revelation 3, the Church of Sardis is introduced. It is a church that has a name of being alive, but rebukes it for being dead and commands us to repent. But in that Sardis church, there are some who have not soiled their clothes, and they wear white clothes and walk with the Lord (Revelation 3:4). It is also said that their names will not be erased from the book of life and will be confessed before God (Revelation 3:5). In Revelation 7:9, it is said that many peoples from all nations and peoples who could not be counted were wearing white robes and holding palm branches to praise and glorify God and the Lamb, but they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:14).
The clothes of the saints are those made clean by the blood of the Lamb. All sins are covered, and the saints are glorified and beautiful. We must not forget that we are already clothed in the white robe of righteousness cleansed by the blood. Even if the clothes we see with the naked eye are not luxurious or expensive, God will give us special blessings upon seeing the spiritual clothes cleansed by the blood. Revelation 7:15-17 "Therefore, they were before the throne of God, and they served God day and night in his temple; and he who is not on the throne will pitch his tent over them, and they will never hunger or thirst again, neither will they They will not be hurt, for the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd and lead them to springs of water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Just as the clothes of a priest are essential, the white clothes of righteousness are essential for the saints who will stand before God. Thanking God for the grace that has already been purified by the blood, I hope that we will not only serve faithfully in the church on earth, but also go to eternal heaven to praise and serve God with hope and joy.