Priestly Garments - Ephod and the Girdle (Daily Devotional)

Greetings and thank you for joining us today for our daily devotional. It is our joy to be able to come and spend these few minutes with you in God’s word and prayer. This week, we are looking at the priestly garments, the garments that God prescribed for the priesthood in the Old Testament. We are looking at each piece and drawing insights on what it would mean for us as New Testament believers. We talked about the inner, white linen that the priests wore, the blue robe that hung over that with the pomegranates and bells on the edge of the robe. On top of the blue robe was what the Old Testament refers to the ephod which was a very decorative piece. It was almost like an apron that covered the shoulders and hung in front of the chest of the priest and it was a woven robe with pretty colorful - gold, blur, purple, scarlet and fine linen as well. So, it was very intricately woven and colorful. What was interesting was that on the shoulders of the ephod were onyx stones, where the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written and they were placed on the shoulders of the priest wearing the ephod which was attached to it. The ephod would fall like an apron front and back and on the shoulders were the onyx stones that caried the names of the twelve tribes. The bottom of the ephod ended in a sash that he tied around the blue apron. So, the sash or the girdle held everything in place. It held the ephod in place and tightened the blue robe around the priest. So, what does the ephod speak to us about as part of the priestly ministry? It was very colorful, like God said it was for glory and for beauty. Along with that, there was the onyx stones that carried the names of the twelve tribes on the shoulders of the priests. So, God said, every time he walked in to the holy place and the holiest of holies, he is bearing/ carrying the names of the tribes and representing the tribes before God. A very powerful picture of the priests interceding for the people, that he would carry them before God. So, we recognize this to be our priestly ministry which is to carry people before God, just like the priest in the Old Testament bore the names of the twelve tribes before the presence of God when he walked in. As New Testament priests, we are called to carry the names of people before God. Obviously, we are not carrying the names of all the people on the earth but we are carrying the names of the people whom God has given us responsibility to and for. So, he had two onyx stones, 6 names on both sides and he would carry them every time he goes before God and that is telling us of what we should be doing as priests- bearing people before God, interceding for them as part of our priestly ministry.

Let’s pray, Father, we thank you for what you have called us to do as priests, as holy and royal priests before you, to bear the names of people in your presence, to carry them before you when we come into the holy place and the most holy place, to bring the names of people you have made us responsible for. Help us to fulfill the responsibilities as holy and royal priests so we can reveal your glory and beauty in the lives of the people we are called to serve, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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