Exodus 28:40-29:440And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. 41And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. 42And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: 43And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him. 1And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, 2And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. 3And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. 4And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. (Exodus 28:40‑29:4)
“AND FOR AARON’S sons thou shalt make coats,... girdles,... and bonnets,... for glory and for beauty.”
The sons of Aaron were to be arrayed in fine linen garments, “for glory and for beauty” also. When Aaron is alone he is set before us as a type of Christ, but when seen in company with his sons we have a picture of the Church as the priestly family associated with Him. All the blessings and privileges we as believers enjoy flow from Him. He loves us and has washed us from our sins in His own blood. He has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father (Rev. 1:5,65And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5‑6)), and just as those embroidered linen garments set forth His spotless purity, adorned with every grace, so we as believers are now seen by God adorned in all the glory and beauty of Christ.
The fine linen also speaks of practical righteousness, so that everything Aaron and his sons wore, spoke of that which was suited to the holiness of God’s nature and presence. “And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness.” v. 42. Needless to say, the Lord Jesus, the blessed Antitype, never needed such a covering, for He was ever and always the perfect, spotless One. His every motive, word and deed were always pleasing to God His Father, and His outward life, which man could see, was spotless too, as set forth in the fine linen.
How this should speak to our hearts, for we, like Aaron’s so being priests, should “walk worth of the Lord unto all pleasing.” “He ness becometh Thine house, O Lo forever.” Psa. 93:55Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever. (Psalm 93:5). If we fail should judge it at once, particular’ before we come into His house worshipers.
Now we have the consecration of the priests. Aaron and his sons were to be brought to the door of the tabernacle and there they were to be washed all over with water. This was done only once at their consecration, Afterward, when carrying out their service before the Lord, they needed continually to wash their hands and feet at the laver, but this first cleansing was never repeated.
The Lord Jesus makes this typical meaning clear when He said to Peter in John 13: 10, “He that is washed is clean every whit.” Here it is the moral cleansing by the Word found upon the finished work of Christ, when the soul is brought to know Him as Saviour. The word means “to cleanse thoroughly” — “the bath” and one who has been once cleansed in this sense never needs to be washed again. However, in coming in contact with the world the Christian contracts defilement and needs to have his feet washed (a different word) — that is, he needs the constant intercession of Christ. Therefore the Lord said, “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet.” May we know, dear young Christian, what it is to go continually to Him for this cleansing so that we might “have part” with Him, that is, to be kept in counion with Himself.
ML-10/11/1970