Coats, Girdles, and Bonnets

O. T. #235 "Coats, Girdles, and Bonnets"
Feb. 26, 2014
Exodus 28-Part 7
And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets, shalt thou make for them, for the glory and for beauty.  Exodus 28:40

LET IT GLOW

I like to wear clean clothes, as I am sure do likewise. I usually don't wear the same dress clothes everyday that I wear on Sunday to worship. So I guess you could say that I get dressed up. So it was with the Israelite priests. Read on  to find out what the coats, girdles, and bonnets have in common.

Since we have covered the clothing (no pun intended) which the high priest was instructed to wear, I wanted to contrast it with that of Jesus.

High Priest/Jesus clothing:

• a beautiful ephod/a purple robe for mocking;
• precious gems on shoulders/no jewels, only an undeserved cross;
• a breastplate with Israel on his heart/died of a broken heart for Israel and mankind;
• an untorn, seamless robe/a robe stripped away at the cross;
• delicate sounding bells proving he was alive/the sound of pounding nails insuring His death;
• a fine linen turban/ a painful crown of thorns;
• a headplate reading "HOLINESS TO THE LORD"/ a life and death showing holiness;
• linen trousers to hide nakedness/bore our sins on the cross in naked shame. (Guzik)

The priests' garments set them apart from the ordinary citizens.

Of course, we are aware that Jesus is serving as our High Priest now, sitting on the right hand of God, making intercession for us.
Are we clothed in His righteousness?

LET IT GROW

To finish this chapter, let's look at the garments of the "regular" priests:

• Coats, in Hebrew, means to cover; a skirt, garment, robe.
• Girdles refers to a belt.[First mentioned in verse 4]
• Bonnets is a word meaning a cap (as hemispherical). [First mentioned in verse 44.] 
• These were made for glory and beauty.
• They were special garments to be worn when the priests went into the Tabernacle, at the altar, lest they die.

Moses was instructed to take Aaron and his sons and anoint, consecrate, and sanctify them that they might minister to God in the priest's office. (verse 41)

These assigned garments remind us of the righteousness that ought to characterize our walk and our service. (Wiersbe)

Annoint means to rub with oil; to consecrate; to paint.
Consecrate and sanctify means the same thing: make, pronounce or observe clean (ceremonially or morally); be or keep holy; sanctify one self; wholly.

Are we walking by faith? (2 Cor. 5:7)
Do we walk in the Spirit? (Gal. 5:16)
Am I walking in love? (Eph. 5:2)
Will I walk in the fear of the Lord? (Acts 9:31)

LET IT GO

Walk, live, worthy of a Christian.