Exodus 28:13-3013And thou shalt make ouches of gold; 14And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. 15And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. 16Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. 17And 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. 18And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 20And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. 21And 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. 22And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold. 23And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. 25And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it. 26And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward. 27And 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. 28And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. 29And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. 30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually. (Exodus 28:13‑30)
The shoulder pieces of the ephod were attached by golden chains to the breastplate which was in turn fastened to the ephod. itself by a lace of blue in a way that it could not be loosed. How beautifully all this reminds us of the perfect security of the believer. The Lord Jesus Himself has pledged that those who have put their trust in Him “shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of (His) hand.” John 10:2828And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28).
Dear reader, how is it with you? Can you say you are secure for all’ eternity because you are resting upon Christ’s finished work? Is your confidence in His love and His power made known on your behalf, quite apart from any of your efforts to save yourself, or even to hold on? Remember the shoulder plates and the breastplate were held on by chains of gold and a lace of blue, and so in righteousness (the gold) we are put in this place of perfect security. We can also look up above the “blue” sky and know that we are already “seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”; and so we have the blue and the gold. It was grace alone that gave Israel their place of favor and acceptance, and so grace alone has given us our place as “accepted in the beloved.”
We have seen that the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel were borne upon the shoulders of the high priest, and now we find that the same names were also engraven upon twelve stories in the breastplate which was carried over the high priest’s heart. Not only does divine strength hold every believer safe and secure, but perfect love is ever toward each one in an individual way. Although these twelve names were only the names of the children of Israel, God would show us that He had in His purposes blessing for those who believe front every nation, in that the breastplate was foursquare. Then too it was doubled, a span each way, for ours is a double security, held by the Father’s hand and the Son’s hand. (John 10:28, 2928And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:28‑29).)
Every one of these twelve stones was different and all were beautiful. How this reminds us of our individual place in the heart of Christ. We are never lost in the crowd to Him. He knows our individual needs and each one of His children has a special beauty in His eyes because of His comeliness which He has placed upon us. (Ezekiel 16: 14.) Each stone was set in gold, and so each believer has the same perfect standing—made the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21).)
Inside of the breastplate was placed the Urim and Thummim, which means Lights and Perfection. God has not told us exactly what this was, but we know that it was there in the breastplate, and we often read of its being used in seeking guidance from. the Lord at certain times in Israel’s history. It would speak of divine wisdom.
There were three important parts to the ephod then: the shoulder plates, which speak of strength; the breast-plate, which speaks of love; and the Urim and Thummim, which speaks of wisdom. Surely we can see these three things in their perfection in Christ our Great High Priest. He is perfect in strength which He delights to use on our behalf, and His love passes knowledge. Then too He always sends what is best for us because His wisdom is infinite.
ML 02/12/1950