I want to turn please to the book of Exodus once again, to the chapter 28, Exodus chapter 28. And we'll read a portion together beginning at verse 6, Exodus 28, and the verse number 6. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen. with cunning work. It shall have the two shoulder pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof, and so it shall be joined together. And the cunning and the curious girdle of the ephod which is upon it shall be of the same, according to the work thereof, even of gold and blue and purple and scarlet and fine-twined linen. And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel, six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver and stone, like the engravings of Cygnet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel. Thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. And thou shalt make ouches of gold and two chains of pure gold at the ends of raven works, shalt thou make them. and fasten the raven chains to the outshirts. And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with coming work. After the work of ephod thou shalt make it of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen shalt thou make it, for square it shall be being doubled. Span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones. The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle. This shall be the first row, and the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. and the fourth row a barrel, and an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold in their enclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet. Every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes." And the Lord will add His blessing to the reading of His own infallible word. As we proceed to give our attention to the study of the high-priced garments, it will be found that the garments were actually seven in number. In verse 4 of this chapter it refers to six garments, it speaks there of the breastplate, the ephod, the robe, the broidered coat, the mitre and the girdle. Then if you go to verse 36 you'll find in that verse reference made to a plate of pure gold, and that was separate. And here we have the seventh piece, therefore. This plate of pure gold exactly was attached to the mitre that's mentioned there in verse 4. So you have six pieces in verse 4 and you have this golden plate in verse 36. Seven pieces in all. And I would suggest to you that There is importance to this fact that there were seven items in the high priest's garments. Seven in scripture is associated with perfection. And the seven items in the garments of the high priest would certainly remind us of the perfection that marks our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now last week in looking at these garments we noticed that by them the high priest was consecrated. It says that in that third verse. It says they are garments to consecrate him. These holy garments marked the high priest as being God's man. They set him apart in a very real way. They indicated that he was a man who was set aside to do a holy work, a work that was attached to sacred things, to those matters that pertain to approaching God. And in this way, the people of Israel were taught that the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who would come eventually in the fullness of time, would be uniquely holy. He would be, as we saw last week, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. and then of course made higher than the heavens, and I quote again there from Hebrews chapter 7, perfectly consecrated and set apart unto God. That was what was indicated by these garments, consecrating the high priest. They were holy garments, they were for beauty, they were for glory, and they caused the high priest in that way to be set aside and be regarded as a consecrated man. They point us to Christ. and to his consecration. In Hebrews 7 and that 28th verse at the end of that chapter from which I just quoted again, Hebrews 7, in verse 28 it says, For the law make of men high priests which have infirmity. Now notice that. It says there, The law make of men high priests which have infirmity. That's the ceremonial law. And those under the ceremonial law who were priests, they had infirmity, which means they had sin. They were not perfect, very far from it. Then it says, but the word of the oath, that's God's oath, which was since the law, make of the Son who is consecrated forevermore. consecrated forevermore. Here's the consecration of Christ mentioned using that very word. And that word, consecrated, means perfected. Perfected forevermore. And truly, therefore, those holy garments did point to the perfection, to the beauty, to the glory, to the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. They indicated that Christ is, as it's put there, consecrated forevermore. No blemish in Him, no spot in Him, no defilement, but totally and completely and absolutely pure. Now last week, again we noticed as we looked at this chapter, that it is setting forth, therefore, the ministry of our great High Priest on our behalf, as the consequent One, as the One who is set aside to do the work of making sacrifice and of praying for His people. And as we look at this chapter we find that there are, as I say, seven garments mentioned and the two of those garments, almost in fact I should say more than half of the chapter is devoted. And I refer to the ephod and the breastplate. More than half the chapter is given over to describing the ephod and then the breastplate, and there is therefore great significance attached to these two parts of the high priest's garments. Now regarding the actual wearing of these garments, the breastplate was outermost. And then beneath that there was the ephod. Beneath that there was the robe and so on. So the breastplate was the uttermost garment. It was worn, of course, on the front of the priest, on the breast, showing why it's called the breastplate. Beneath that there was the ephod. And we find that set forth in verse 4. It says, these are the garments which he shall make, a breastplate and an ephod. And then it goes on to talk about the robe and the other pieces of his apparel. But we must notice here that the breastplate and the ephod are to be viewed together, not only because one was worn, that is the breastplate was worn on top of the ephod, but for other reasons as well. And one of them is that physically speaking, they were actually joined together in an inseparable way. If you look with me at verses 26 to 28, you will find there that these two, the ephod and the breastplate were joined together. It says there, In verse 26, And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate and the border thereof, which is on the side of the ephod inward. And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. And thou shalt bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue. So the way they were constructed or made, these two pieces, it was so that they could be joined together by these golden rings. and the chains of gold that actually link them together. So they were actually joined, the breastplate and the ephod, in this particular way. But then there's another reason why the ephod and the breastplate are to be considered together, and why they are considered together here in this chapter, and it is because of certain stones. that were attached to each piece. There were stones in the ephod and there were stones on the breastplate. Now look with me here and you will see this. The ephod had two onyx stones on the shoulders and then the breastplate had twelve precious stones that were set into it. And that means that when the high priest had on these garments On the breastplate there were twelve stones, on his two shoulders there were two other stones, and these stones were borne by him when he went in before the Lord, when he went in to offer up the blood on the day of atonement, or when he went in to pray for the people of God. Those stones were upon his garments, and therefore it is because of those stones that we find the ephod and the breastplate being brought together. in this study, even in the very order in which the Holy Spirit has moved Moses to pen this chapter. Now there must be a reason for that. These stones in the breastplate, these stones in the ephod are of great meaning and of deep interest to the people of God. Look with me first of all at the symbolism of the stones. What do they symbolize? Well may I put it to you right away that they symbolize the Lord's people. And we know that is so, because engraved on these stones there were the names of the tribes of Israel. You'll find that regarding them both. If you look there, you'll find concerning the two onyx stones, verse 9, Thou shalt take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel, six on either stone. Then when you go to the breastplate, As we read there tonight, you'll find that the names of Israel were engraved in them. Verse 21, And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve according to their names. So, we find that on these stones, the names of Israel were engraved. And that tells us right away that, as regards symbolism, these stones do represent the people of God. And scripture bears that out. that God's people are symbolized by stones. They are likened to stones. They are described in that way in the Word of God. In 1 Peter, we find it there plainly set forth, 1 Peter chapter 2. So if you have your Bible tutorial there, please, to 1 Peter chapter 2, look with me there at verse 5, where it says, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Believers are described here as lively stones. The word lively simply means living, living stones. And you'll find in verse 4 of this chapter, 1 Peter 2, that Christ is described in the same way, to whom coming as unto a living stone. Now in what sense, first of all, is Christ a living stone? It's a very interesting description of our Lord. And it's a symbol of Him, obviously. So what does it mean? Well, He's a living stone in the sense that He died. But then he rose again, and having risen again, he became the foundation. He became the chief cornerstone of his church on which his people are built. And that's why Christ is the living stone. When we think of a stone, we think of something that's dead. An ordinary stone out in the field, wherever we find it, it's dead. It's an inanimate object. There's no life in it. So it's very striking that the word of God would refer to Christ as a stone, and then describe him as a living stone, because a stone is not alive as we think of a stone itself. But you see, the Lord Jesus Christ is called a stone because he's the foundation on which everything else is built. He's the rock. He is indeed that impregnable and unshakable basis on which his people stand and the whole church is resting and therefore he is a stone in that sense. But you see he is a living stone in that he is alive and it is by virtue of life that to us he is a foundation. that will never fail, that will never crumble, that will never perish and therefore that's why the Bible calls him a living stone because he is the stone, the rock, the foundation on which we stand and he's alive forevermore. Turn to Psalm 118 and notice how the psalmist used language there that intimates this about Christ, Psalm 118 verse 22 It says, the stone which the builders refused has become the headstone of the corner. This is Christ. He's called stone. The builders refused him. That is, Israel would not have him. But in spite of their opposition and their rejection, still he became the headstone of the corner. Then it says, this is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. And then it says this, this is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Everything in those words pertains to resurrection. Christ is the rejected stone by Israel. And when he died and was laid in the tomb, Israel believed that Israel were the enemies of Christ. The religious leaders, at least, they felt, well, he's gone, he's dead. But he rose again. And he rose on that great day of resurrection. That's the day it's in view there. This is the day the Lord has made. That's the Lord's day, that's the resurrection day. Christ, the stone, has risen, he's alive, and he is the headstone of the corner, and this is the Lord's doing, and it's marvellous in our eyes, and therefore he's the living stone. That's why he's called the living stone. The one who, having died, rose again. and has become indeed the foundation of everything that the Christian is, or that the church is. He is the source. and the principle therefore of life to his people. He transfuses life into his people so that they become spiritually alive and they are as living stones. So you see the connection. Christ is the living stone in the first instance. The one who died, the one who rose, the one who triumphed, the one who is now the headstone. And we are joined to him and by virtue of being joined to him we become living stones. So the believer is indeed described in the Bible as a stone, but as a living stone. You're the unbeliever. He's referred to in the scripture as one who is like the adamant stone, hard and resisting to the gospel, but the child of God as a living stone. changed and transformed by virtue of his union with the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember the picture there in Exodus 28. These stones that represent God's people, they were joined to the high priest in being part of his garments. They were linked to the high priest, or united with the high priest in that sense. And it's because God's people are joined to Christ who is a stone, a living stone, that they are alive unto God. And Christ and his people are indeed a great company who make up the temple of God. He is the chief cornerstone, they are the stones that are quarried out of sin and are joy unto Christ and are made alive unto God. And the whole edifice is being built and is growing and is developing as time goes by until it comes to a fullness. Open Daniel chapter 2 before we leave this. Look at verses 34 and 35. Daniel chapter 2 verse 34 and verse 35. The symbolism that's here of God's people like stones, but they're living stones, they're joined to Christ, that suggests growth and development. And in Daniel chapter 2 and verse 34, notice what it says there in that verse, Thou saw'st till that a stone was cut up without hands. which smote the image upon his feet, that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them. And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." And that stone is Christ in Daniel chapter 2. And notice how it speaks of that stone as it were growing, filling the whole earth. This is the Lord's great work that's in view here. Smashing the enemy. The gospel progressing. The Word of God filling the whole earth. Because Christ, the living stone, and His work goes forward. He's the foundation. The temple's always being built. That is, the church is constantly being built until the day when it comes that it will fill the whole earth, the Bible says. And therefore what a very interesting symbol this is concerning our Saviour. He's the stone who smashes all the rest, all the enemies. And one day they will be smashed finally and forever. And Christ's glory will fill this earth. And His church will be complete. And His people will be that great company of stones built into Him, joy into Him as living stones, like these stones in the breastplate and in the shoulders of the high priest. So, the symbolism of the stones is clear. It's the symbolism of the people of God and their union with Christ. Let's look quickly at the setting of the stones. Because in both cases, the stones were set in gold. Go back to Acts 28 and look at verse 11. It says at the end of that verse, Thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And then verse 20, the same kind of line as the end of that verse concerning the twelve stones and the brass plate, they shall be set in gold in their closings. They were set in gold. So we find that the gold here is prominent. It was the setting for the stones. This shows you the skill that was being used here in making all of this. So that for every stone, all those twelve stones and these two onyx stones, ouches were made and little insertions were made on the breastplate of gold so that the stones were fitted exactly and were held there by those gold settings. Indeed as we look at the whole picture holding here we find that the ouches on the breastplate containing the stones they were all joined together with chains of pure gold also. You'll find that in verse 13. Just look at it, it says they shall make ouches of gold and two chains of pure gold at the ends of wreathen work shall thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. You'll find similar language about the breastplate down there again in verses 22 to 25, we don't have time to read them, but you read those verses sometime, and notice the intricacy of this work. Wreathen chain of pure gold. It boggles the mind. to think of what was actually going on here. This was no shoddy affair. This was the most intricate and detailed craftsmanship. As these men, like Brazaliel and his helpers, made these chains of wreathed work, finally made that edge. Not something rough or thrown together, as we might say, but something that was done in great detail. joining all of this together and holding it all together in place. The sapping of the stones, it must have a spiritual meaning, obviously. Gold in scripture is the metal that speaks of deity. It is the most precious of metals, and furthermore, it's the most durable of metals. And you'll notice here that it's pure gold. There's no dross in it. It's pure gold. And that's that Dr. Gold reminds us of deity. And here we get this wonderful picture. We're in union with Christ as stones, and we are kept by the power of God. That's what is in view in that language. These pouches of gold, these little insertions in the breastplate made of pure gold. There we are reminded of the fact that the Lord's people are held and they are secured by the power of God. They're in the grip of the Almighty. He has his hand upon them. They're joined to Christ and therefore they're joined to the Father. That's what the Lord says there in John chapter 10. If you look at that chapter where another symbol of the Lord's people is used, John chapter 10, you'll see how this comes out. That when we're joined to the Lord Jesus, we're joined to the Father as well. And therefore we're set in ouches of gold. We are held by deity's infallible power. That's what the Lord is describing for us in John chapter 10. turn there please and notice how it is brought out John chapter 10 we find in verse 11 that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who gives his life for the sheep then go down to verse 28 and there it says my father sorry verse 28 I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." So here we find this double security. We find that the believer is in Christ's hand, but when we're in Christ's hand, we're in the Father's hand. The Lord Jesus Christ takes His people and He commits them to the Father. He hands them into the Father's keeping, the Father's security. He did that in His great high priestly prayer. He said, Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me. And that was from John 10 as well. We're in the hand of Christ, but we're in the hand of the Father. Acts 28. bound to the Lord, our great High Priest, like he's stone set on the breastplate or on the shoulders. But you see, in being joined to the High Priest, we're also joined to the Father. We're set in these settings of gold. Speaking of deity, so by virtue of our union with Jesus Christ, we're in the very hand of that infallible power That upholds all things. And that means that no power can snatch the believer away from the hold and the grip that the Father has upon him. And that's a great encouragement to us as we think about our position in this world. when we see ourselves so often beset around with enemies and with foes. And yet we must stop and remember that we are set in sets of gold as it were. We're kept by deity's power. No one can touch us, no one can remove us from that position. The stones of the Lord, those who are these living stones. But then very quickly, move on and look with me at the significance of the stones. And the significance comes out in this point that on these stones the names of the tribes were engraved. As we find in verses 9 and 10 and then also verse 21. So the names of the tribes were written on these stones. And this helps us to see now the significance of the stones. You see, you'll notice in verse 10 what it says. It says there at the end of the verse, according to their birth. Mark those words. according to their birth. Then go down to verse 21, and concerning those stones in the breastplate it says, according to the twelve tribes. So the same names are written on these stones. Take the two onyx stones. They are on the shoulders set into the ephod. The pouch is there on the shoulders of the ephod. The two onyx stones, the two stones are exactly the same. And there are six names on one stone, six names on the other stone. And they're written, it says, according to their birth. Which means that it began with Reuben and right through to Benjamin, in that order. In the breastplate, there you find that they're written according to the tribes. And what it means is, there was a certain order in which the Lord's people and their tribes actually marched. And it wasn't the same order as their birth. It's a different order altogether. So if you read Numbers 2 sometime, and we looked at this when we did the study on the Levite. If you look at Numbers 2 sometime, you will find that there was an order there for marching in the wilderness. And actually you'll find when you compare the two passages, this about these 12 stones and the breastplate, and then the 12 tribes marching, you'll find that they marched through the wilderness were in four rows with three tribes in each row, just like these four rows of stones on the breastplate and three stones in each row. It was exactly the same layout. And therefore this feature here of the breastplate with the twelve stones follows the order of the marching of the tribes in the wilderness. Or there are other times when they assemble, whatever the case might have been, in that order. That's why it says there, according to the tribes. So, I just put out those details to bring home to you, that there's a difference here in regard to how the names were written on these stones. On one hand, it was according to birth. On the other hand, it was according to the twelve tribes, to do with their work and their warfare in the life of the congregation. Now, the spiritual significance is this. When God's people are listed according to birth, there is no deference. There is no deference. You see, you look with me again there, and you'll notice what it says about these two onyx stones. It says there in verse 9, And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and graven them the names of the children of Israel, six of their names on one stone, and the other six names on the other stone, according to their birth. Two onyx stones. The point is, they were exactly the same stones. When you come to the breastplate, you have twelve different stones. And you see, when we deal with the birth of the believer, the new birth for the Christian is exactly the same for all of God's people. But when you come to deal with the work and the service question, there's great variety. There are great differences. and that it's being brought out here. Why would there be this situation where the names of Israel are written on two stones, first of all, that are exactly the same stones, and then written on twelve stones, secondly, which are entirely different? There has to be a significance to that. There has to be a meaning to that. And that is the meaning. You see, the Bible says that all of us in Christ Jesus are the same. You turn over to Galatians chapter 3 and verse 28 and notice how, in regard to our spiritual birth, it is stated there, Galatians 3, 28, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Regeneration is the same in the experience of all believers. You're all one in Christ Jesus. This is dealing here with birth. being born again. Because it talks in verse 27, in this way, as many as you have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. And that baptism into Christ, that's the new birth. That's not water baptism. That's spiritual baptism. And when we're baptized into Christ, it says there's June or Greek. There's neither bond or free. There's neither male nor female. It's simply saying, essentially saying, that in the matter of the new birth, There is no precedence of one over another. Whether you take male or female, or national identity, or status in life, all believers are on the same level, on the same standing when it comes to birth, that is, the new birth. Just as those twelve names were written on two stones, exactly the same according to birth. According to birth, they were on the same level. And that's teaching the child of God that, as I say, regeneration as regards experience is exactly the same for all of the people of God. And you can have a man who's a king, and you can have a man who may be a pauper, but by the new birth they have the same standing before God. One does not have precedence over the other. They are exactly the same. They are loved equally. They are guarded as being the same in the sight of God. But when it comes then to service, there is a difference. Because here were twelve different stones representing the twelve tribes. And because there are twelve different stones on the breastplate, there are many variations among the people of God. There are differences with regard to abilities and talents and gifts and the kind of service that we're given to do in the work of God. There certainly is a great variety and that's brought out by the twelve stones on the breastplate. They're all different stones, they represent God's people and they tell us that spiritual truth that in the church there is variety, there is diversity. So that as God equips his people he does not equip them all the same. As God gives gifts to his people, he does not gift them all the same. And this must be brought out by these twelve stones, this variety that there was in these stones in the breastplate of the high priest. But at the same time, and we must notice this, that while there is this heavy diversity, at the same time there is unity. Because they are all set in the one breastplate. They're all joined together. And they're all represented as one body. And that's what Ephesians 4 teaches us. So clearly, one body, one spirit, and so on. Then it says in verse 7 of Ephesians 4, But unto every one of us is grace given according to the measure of Christ. So there you have it, you have unity, but you also have diversity and variety, and that's the way it has to be in the work of God. The Lord has no clones. There are differences. I'm not talking now about differences of personality, though that's true. I'm talking now about differences in regards of us and our labor for the Lord. One is given a certain work to do. but is entirely different from somebody else's work or service for the Lord Jesus Christ. But you see, they must work together. They must keep in mind their unison. The fact that they're all part of the one body. You see, whenever the high priest went into the holy place, for example, wearing these garments, he would come before the candlestick And the light of the candlestick would fall on these twelve stones on his breast, on the breastplate. And that meant that as he was in the glare of the light of the candlestick, all those stones sparkled together. They all shone together. That brings out the great truth. That though we all have different places or capacities in the work of God and different forms of service, whatever that might be for any one of us, yet at the same time, whatever we are and are to be for God, we're to shine there. We're to sparkle there. We're to radiate light, just as those stones in the breastplate shone forth as a unit, and yet at the same time, individually. So what a remarkable picture there is here in the significance of these stones. You have God's people according to their birth, and there they're all the same. You're all one in Christ Jesus. And then when you come to search and to labour and to toil God's work, there are variations, differences. There are different capacities for the people of God in which they serve. But you know the most encouraging thing about all and all of these thoughts about these stones is that you see the support and the strength that Christ gives to his people. The first two, the onyx stones, they're on the shoulders of the high priest. There's a picture of the Lord with all his people resting on him. being supported by Him. All twelve tribes, their names are on the two onyx stones, and they're in these huts on the shoulders of the ephod, therefore it's representing Christ bearing up all of us people at the same time. And then those in the breastplate, those stones in the breastplate, they're close to what? They're close to the heart. And there's the sympathy of the high priest. One case you have the support due to His strength, He upholds us all. But at the same time, He is the sympathizing Christ. And that's represented by the stones on the breastplate. Carried in to the holiest of all by our great High Priest. And at the Father's throne, He supports us by praying for us, by sending forth His Spirit, of course, to suffer us. Yet at the same time he sympathizes with us and he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and he knows all about us. And therefore he does strengthen and suffer at the same time his dear people because they're joined to him, they're needed with him, they're loved by him, they're represented by him. They're never out of his sight, they're never out of his grip. They're kept. and they are preserved in Christ Jesus. May the Lord write these thoughts in our hearts and help us as we meditate upon them, as we dwell upon them this evening, and may the Lord truly bless his truth to our souls for his own glory and his sake.