Daily Scripture Reading Exodus 28:15-30

As we seek to fulfill the Great Commission, we will encounter individuals who claim they will not believe in God or Jesus unless they see a miracle. Furthermore, there are Christians who often desire to receive a sign from God when they have a difficult decision to make. The 28th chapter of Exodus contains some details that indicate God used signs in Bible times to give guidance and instruction. However, the New Testament contains some verses that indicate we should not expect signs and miracles during the church age.

The 28th chapter of Exodus describes the garments for the priests. Their clothing was to be holy, glorious, and beautiful. The garments included multiple layers and pieces, such as a robe, tunic, ephod, breastpiece, turban, and sash.

Ex. 28:15 ¶ “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful designer; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen you shall make it.

Take note of the term “skillful designer.” Cheap, ordinary clothing was not good enough. The garments for the priests needed to have value.

Ex. 28:16 It shall be square, having been folded double, a span in length and a span in width.

Ex. 28:17 You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;

Ex. 28:18 and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

Ex. 28:19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

Ex. 28:20 and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold settings.

There were four rows of stones, and each row had three stones; thus, there were a total of twelve stones.

The inclusion of twelve gemstones in the breastpiece added to the overall value of the priestly garments.

Notice that each gemstone was set in a gold setting. The gold also added value to the garments.

Ex. 28:21 The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a signet, each according to his name for the twelve tribes.

Ex. 28:22 You shall make on the breastpiece chains of a twisted work of cords in pure gold.

The words “twisted” and “pure gold” also indicate the high cost and effort that went into creating the garments for the priest.

Ex. 28:23 You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and you shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.

Don’t miss the use of gold to make the rings.

Ex. 28:24 You shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.

Ex. 28:25 You shall put the two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and you shall put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.

Ex. 28:26 You shall make two rings of gold and shall place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod.

Ex. 28:27 You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

Ex. 28:28 They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod.

Ex. 28:29 Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he comes into the holy place, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually.

Aaron was the high priest of Israel. Israel was made up of twelve tribes. By carrying the names of the tribes over his chest, he had a constant reminder that he served Israel as priest, not other nations.

Ex. 28:30 You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he comes in before Yahweh; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before Yahweh continually.

Take note of the phrase “the Urim and the Thummim.” This passage does not tell us what the Urim and the Thummim were, nor their purpose. Other passages indicate that the Urim and the Thummim were used to get answers from God (see Num. 27:21; 1 Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:63; and Neh. 7:65).

It appears that the Urim and the Thummim were used in a manner that gave yes/no or true/false answers. In other words, if a king wanted to know if he should attack an enemy, the priest would use the Urim and the Thummim to get a yes or no answer from Yahweh (see 1 Sam. 28:3-6; Ezra 2:63; or Neh. 7:65). In short, the Urim and the Thummim were a method of getting signs from God.

This may be why Jews in the 1st century AD were known for seeking signs. Seeking a sign to get direction from God was part of the Old Testament system. However, Jesus criticized the Jewish leaders for seeking signs (see Matt. 12:38-39). This indicates that perhaps we should not be quick to ask God for a sign when we have a decision to make.

Furthermore, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified” (see 1 Cor. 1:22-23). Paul did not rely on signs; he preached the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. When we share the gospel, we need to proclaim the historical evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. If people don’t believe the historical evidence, they probably won’t believe a sign either.

Have you ever wished God would give you a sign when you had a decision to make?

If God doesn’t use signs today, how does He guide us?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”