Holy Garments Part I

In Ex. 28:1 4 we read where God commanded the children of Israel to make holy garments for Aaron for glory and beauty and to consecrate him to serve and minister in the priest's office. They were commanded to make a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle. We will look at several aspects of the "holy" garments. The Lord told some unbelieving Jews, "Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me." The Lord said the scriptures are a testimony of him. The scriptures under consideration at that time were the old testament scriptures for the new testament hadn't been written at that time. Thus the old testament is a testimony of Jesus Christ! This is an essential element of studying the old testament, that we seek to see Jesus in the types and shadows therein and in the prophecies and declarations. The holy garments of the high priest are designed to declare unto us certain aspects of the person and work of our High Priest Jesus Christ.  In the description of the holy garments given in Exodus chapter 28 certain aspects of these garments are highlighted. The first aspect of the garments we will consider is the colors of the garments. The colors included in the garments are gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen (white). The ephod, breastplate, and curious girdle are made of all 5 colors. The robe was all blue with a hem containing pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet and golden bells. The mitre was made of fine linen with a plate of gold with a blue ribbon. The coat was made of fine linen.

The use of colors in the scriptures are associated with specific bible subjects. We will consider each of the five colors and their associated subjects. First, however, we note that there are three basic colors: yellow, blue, and red. From these three basic colors all other colors are derived by mixture of the basic colors. For instance, the color purple is derived from an approximately equal mixture of red and blue.  Also we should note that according to Webster's dictionary gold is defined as yellow and yellow is defined as gold in color. The color scarlet is a deep dark (blood) red color.

The color, gold, is associated in the scriptures with deity and kingship. For instance, idols were frequently made of gold, Aaron and the children of Israel fashioned a golden calf as a symbol or image of God. While, what they did was obviously wrong, yet we see the association. Also we see in the furniture of the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant (a figure of Christ) was of gold. The mercy seat was made of gold. We read of golden crowns, golden thrones, and a golden sceptre all of which are associated with kingship. The gold of the holy garments thus points to the deity and kingship of Jesus Christ. He is our high priest after the power of an endless life. Possessed with deity, he has the authority, purity and power of deity to accomplish his eternal purpose.

The color, blue, is associated with law or commandment. We read in Num. 15:37 40, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they made them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them, and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go whoring: that ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God."  Thus when the children of Israel looked upon the ribbon of blue they were to remember and do the commandments and law of God. Jesus is not only the law giver, but he is also the keeper and fulfiller of the law.  Jesus said in Matt. 5:17, 18, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot and one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."  Thus, Jesus, as an high priest is the great keeper of the law and through his keeping of the law he fulfilled it perfectly, thus making himself the only one who could stand before God in judgment to represent his people as their perfect representative and sacrifice.

The color, scarlet, is the color of blood. We read in Heb. 9:19 22, "For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without the shedding of blood is no remission." Remission of sins came through the shedding of blood of the perfect sacrifice. Jesus as our high priest appeared in the presence of God to put away our sin by the sacrifice of himself. For by one offering he perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Thus, the color, scarlet points to the sacrifice of Jesus to purge us from our sins.

The color, purple, is frequently found in the robes of priests and kings. Purple is a mixture of blue and scarlet (red). Thus Jesus in keeping the law (blue) perfectly and then in shedding his blood (scarlet) for the remission of sins confirmed himself and his work as our High Priest and King. Furthermore, as we read in Rev. 1:5, 6 "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father..." Not only did Jesus confirm himself as King and High Priest, but he also made us to be kings and priests unto God.

Fine linen (white) is associated with righteousness: Rev. 19:8, "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." Naturally, we have no righteousness of our own as we read in Is. 64;6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." Jesus Christ is the righteous one (1 John 2:1; Rev. 16:5; 2 Tim. 4:8) and it is he as our High Priest who hath made us righteous: II Cor. 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."