Welcome to today's Daily PBJ devotional. If you're reading the Old Testament with us this year, read Exodus 28, Proverbs 4, and Psalm 76. This devotional is about Exodus 28. Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve me as priests. Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, to give him glory and splendor. You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron's consecration, so that he may serve me as priest. These are the garments that they shall make, a breast-piece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may serve me as priests. They shall use gold, along with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen, embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. It shall have two shoulder pieces attached at two of its corners, so it can be fastened. And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod must be of one piece, of the same workmanship, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. Take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on one stone, and the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth. Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings. Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. Fashion gold filigree settings and two chains of pure gold made of braided cord work and attach these chains to the settings. you are also to make a breast-piece of judgment, with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. It must be square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide. And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald. In the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond. In the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. And in the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings. The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. For the breastpiece, make braided chains like cords of pure gold. You are also to make two gold rings and fasten them to the two corners of the breastpiece. Then fasten the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, and fasten the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. Make two more gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breast piece on the inside edge next to the ephod. Make two additional gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near its seam, just above its woven waistband. The rings of the breastpiece shall be tied to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the waistband of the ephod and does not swing out from the ephod. Whenever Aaron enters the holy place, he shall bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder before the Lord. And place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will be over Aaron's heart whenever he comes before the Lord. Aaron will continually carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the Lord. You are to make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening shall be a woven collar, with an opening like that of a garment, so that it will not tear. Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all the way around the lower hem, with gold bells between them, alternating the gold bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe. Aaron must wear the robe whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters or exits the sanctuary before the Lord, so that he will not die. you are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as a seal, holy to the Lord. Fasten to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban, and it will be worn on Aaron's forehead, so that he may bear the iniquity of the holy things that the sons of Israel consecrate with regard to all their holy gifts. It shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be acceptable before the Lord. You are to weave the tunic with fine linen, make the turban of fine linen, and fashion an embroidered sash. Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron's sons, to give them glory and splendor. After you put these garments on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests. Make linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh, extending from waist to thigh. Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants. This is God's Word. Exodus 28 described the uniform that the priests were to wear. Most of the garments that made up this uniform were for all the priests when they ministered in the holy place, according to verse 43. Some pieces were reserved only for the high priest to wear, according to verse 15. Besides a description of each piece in the uniform, this chapter tells us the following. First, the purpose of these garments was to give them dignity and honor, according to verse 2 and verse 40. Next, the name of Israel's tribes were inscribed on stones and to be worn over the priest's heart, according to verses 9 through 12. Third, the breast piece was designed to make decisions for Israel, and that was to be worn, quote, over his heart before the Lord. That's verse 30 in the NIV. The names of Israel's tribes were inscribed on stones which were worn over the priest's heart. This should have helped him be conscious of what he already knew, which was that he represented the people before God. Every time he put on the ephod, he had something tangible to remind him of his responsibility for all of Israel's people. Likewise, Every time he put on the breast piece, he had a physical reminder that God was the King of Israel and that he was making decisions for the people. Still, the best human priest could only imperfectly remember the people, and his responsibility to them, and the Lord, and his way of revealing God's will. Aaron was a man, just like every other priest. As a man, he felt responsible for the work he was supposed to do. But he also experienced the concerns of everyday life. He felt anxiety, perhaps, fear, loneliness, doubt, greed, envy, lust, and more. There were some times, and some priests, I'm sure, where very little thought was given to the people or to the Lord's will because the priest was preoccupied with his own stuff. Jesus, our perfect priest, however, did not suffer from the sinful and or selfish concerns that every other priest wrestled with as he did his duty for God. Jesus needed no reminder that his priestly ministry was for the people. The Bible tells us that his people were chosen by name to be in Christ before the foundation of the world. Jesus was able to reveal God's will like no other priest because he was God in the flesh. He did not need the urim and thummim over his heart to know and be conscious of God's will. He knew God's will intimately because he was the one willing it. Likewise, he did not need a reminder of the people whose sins he atoned for because he knew perfectly and completely and personally each one of us. As the perfect man, because of his divinity, he was and is able to be our perfect priest without being distracted by his own human stuff. Instead of bearing a category, Representing us over his heart, he made atonement for and intercedes for us because we are in his heart. Praise Jesus for fulfilling the symbols in this passage perfectly as our Great High Priest.