Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Exodus is an exciting book--at first.

It tells about Israel's dramatic history as slaves in Egypt and their deliverance by God' mighty hand.

But after the plagues and miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, the nation comes to Mt. Sinai and the nature of Exodus changes.

Instead of an exciting narrative, we find meticulous legal details .

We start with the 10 commandments, and from there ,God gives detailed instructions about various things like Sabbaths, a detailed pattern for building the tabernacle and its furniture, and even a lengthy section on the garments God wanted made for and worn by the High Priest.

As New Testament Christians, it's easy to get bored in these sections, and maybe we're tempted to skim through them if not skip over them.

But within these laws we can find meaningful lessons.

The priestly garments may seem like a strange and distant topic.

We certainly don't wear such garments now.

But something interesting occurs when God gives the pattern for these raiments.

As He tells Moses how to make them, He also explains why and grants Moses the reasons for these intricate garments.

As we consider the reasons God gave, we may find truths that apply to our own service and worship as Christians!

For Glory & Beauty

God states the first purpose of the priestly garments in Exodus 28:2: "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty."

God is a creative being.

Not simply in the fact that He creates, but even in the manner that He creates.

He could have created something like the sun that provided light and heat, but without the majestic scenes of a sunrise or sunset.

He could have created a utilitarian landscape instead of one filled with beauty and wonder.

He could have created a simple world instead of a vast universe that mystifies, challenges, and inspires awe.

But God has chosen to create beautifully.

And he has placed that desire and that ability to create beauty within us, His crowning creation.

And nowhere is beauty richer and fuller than when humanity worships the Creator.

By God's own plan and design, He desires beauty when His people worship Him.

It's not a simple matter of pleasing aesthetics; it's just one aspect of reminding us of God's glorious nature.

Psalm 27:4 declares, "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."

When Mary of Bethany poured expensive ointment on Jesus' head and feet, her act of extravagant service was rebuked by Judas and some of the other disciples.

But Jesus said in Mark 14:6, "Leave her alone.

Why do you trouble her?

She has done a beautiful thing to me." God has created beauty for us, but has also enabled us to delight Him with the beauty of humble, sacrificial, and obedient worship.

For Consecration

While the garments were "for beauty and glory" they are called "holy garments."

This is expounded on in verses three and four: "...that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood...They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests."

The priestly garments weren't just pretty clothes.

They served a purpose.

One important purpose was consecration.

Something that is consecrated is holy, sacred, set apart, or dedicated to God.

Approaching God is not a common or casual thing--it is sacred and holy.

But further, to truly worship a holy God we must be a holy people!

Worship is not something we do to atone for sinful living.

Worship calls us to holiness.

Worship shapes us so that our daily service is consecrated and holy.

As Leviticus states multiple times, "Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."

As New Testament Christians, we are also to be a consecrated people.

In the New Testament, this is often expressed in the word "sanctified" or "sanctification."

Of the many passages we could consider, First Thessalonians 4:3 starts off with a plain enough declaration: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification..." Countless people are frantically searching for God's will--God's will of who they should marry, what career they should pursue; what town to live in; and on and on.

But God's will is both much simpler and also much deeper--it is for you to be sanctified; to be set apart and dedicate to God!

Such dedication changes much in our lives.

In context of First Thessalonians 4, it shapes our morality.

But sanctification changes more than just our morals, it changes everything about us.

It calls us to be those who serve God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, both in worship and daily living.

For Remembrance

Another function of the High Priestly garments was remembrance.

Verse twelve states that the stones on the shoulder pieces and the ephod were set "as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel."

Later, verse 29 says "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."

Worship reminds God's people what He has done.

Imagine reading the 12 names engraved on those stones; the twelve names of Jacobs sons.

Twelve children may be a big family, but it's just one family.

Then imagine going out as Aaron and seeing the hundreds of thousands of people those 12 had become.

Remembering where Israel came from; remembering God's promises and God's actions would be a powerful motivator.

Throughout the Old Testament Israel is consistently called to remember the exodus and God's deliverance.

In the New Testament, an aspect of our worship is remembrance.

When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper He commanded, "Do this in remembrance of me."

One of the great benefits of worship is it reminds us who God is, what God has done, and what God has promised.

Proper remembrance leads to proper obedience.

But the priestly garments seemed to also serve as a reminder to God.

Now, it isn't that God needed reminding.

But multiple times in the Old Testament God's people called on Him to "remember."

Why?

It wasn't that God had forgotten, but was an indication of one's trust in the covenant with God.

When we are faithful to the covenant, we can rest assured that God is faithful.

He remembers His promises, and He will fulfill them.

For Judgment and Decisions

At least three times the breastpiece is called the "breastpiece of judgment."

But what sort of judgment?

Some translations render this as the "breastpiece of/for decisions."

In verse 30 the breastpiece is also supposed to hold the Urim and Thummim.

While much is unknown of these items, it seems they were used for making decisions that were guided by God.

Seen in this light, we have an interesting and applicable lesson.

God's will--His patterns and plans--they help us.

When we submit to and follow God's ways, then we have a way to make faithful, God-honoring decisions.

As we mentioned earlier, God's will doesn't have to do with finding a specific spouse, choosing a specific career, or buying a specific house.

But serving God does impact our decisions.

When we learn from God's Word, we will use God's Word and will as a guide for choosing a spouse, what we should do, how we spend our money, and many other decisions.

So while the Christian life is not about striving to uncover some secret and elusive "will of God" for all the particulars of our life, it is about making God-honoring choices and decisions.

As we learn from God, as we grow in God's grace, and as we worship God, we grow more and more capable of making godly judgments and decisions.

For Acceptance

In Verses 36-38 we read about the pattern for the turban the High Priest would wear.

On this would be a plate of gold with the engraved phrase, "Holy to the LORD."

Again, to be holy is to be set apart for and dedicated to God.

So this plate on the High Priest's forehead was basically a statement "I belong to the Lord!"

The end of verse 38 says, "It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord."

Surely we all want to be accepted by God.

If that is our desire, then we must be dedicated to Him! God has never left humanity in the dark on how to be dedicated and thus acceptable to Him.

If we would be accepted, we must trust Him and faithfully obeying Him.

Cain and Abel provide contrasting pictures of rejection and acceptance.

Cain's sacrifice wasn't accepted by God, which angered Cain.

But God asked Cain in Genesis 4:6-7, "...Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?

If you do well, will you not be accepted?"

Later, Hebrews says of Abel, "By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts."