Exodus 28:31–43 (Transcript)

Daily Devotional · Monday, December 15, 2025

Speaker: Pastor John Chen
Transcribed & Edited by: Joseph Wang(Yufan)

Brothers and sisters, peace to you. By God’s grace we come to a new day to study our daily devotional. Today’s passage is Exodus 28:31–43.

Let us pray.

Our God, we thank you. We thank you for your gracious favor and mercy. You reveal your good and beautiful will among us so that we may understand your marvelous grace. We thank you, Lord, for the steadfast love you have shown us—so that we may draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Lord, we thank you: this is accomplished by your blood. So we ask that you would make us holy unto you, and enable us to live a holy life. In Christ’s name, amen.

Now let us look at this section concerning the making of the holy robe. After the ephod and the breastpiece are completed, we come to the instructions regarding the priestly robe.

The Robe of the Ephod: A Heavenly Calling and a Warring Office

Verse 31 says: “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.” The ephod is worn inside, and over it there is an outer robe. Its color is blue. Blue is the color of heaven, as we have noted before. Therefore, when we say the priest is a “heavenly” priest, this is not without basis: he is to live in a heavenly manner. The robe is blue, signifying that he ought to be a man who lives as one who belongs to heaven.

The opening of the robe is to have a binding around it, “like the opening in a garment,” so that it may not tear. The text compares it to armor. I do not think this is a casual comparison. Rather, it suggests that the priestly office is an office of warfare. The priest is not simply an office of ease or enjoyment; he is, as it were, clothed for battle—called to fight the spiritual battle for the kingdom of God.

In this light, when the apostle Paul speaks in Ephesians of putting on the whole armor of God, it is possible that he is drawing on the imagery of the high priest’s full attire—his robe, his belt, and the whole arrangement of the priestly garments. The “armor-like” opening may symbolize the priesthood as a warring calling: a calling to contend against sin, to oppose Satan, and to serve in anticipation of the true and final High Priest, who is victorious.

Pomegranates and Bells: Fruitfulness, Holiness, and Nearness to God

The hem of the robe is decorated with pomegranates made of three colors—blue, purple, and scarlet. We have already considered the significance of these colors: the heavenly color, the royal color, and the color associated with blood.

Why pomegranates? Pomegranates are full of seed; they signify fruitfulness and blessing. This is not a random ornament. It expresses God’s blessing that his people would be fruitful and multiply.

From the beginning, God’s command in creation makes his intention clear. Genesis 1:26–28 reveals God’s will that mankind would be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Therefore, the many pomegranates along the priest’s robe signify that he bears and carries God’s blessing: there will be many of God’s people in God’s kingdom.

Alongside the pomegranates are bells. What is their function? When the priest walks, the bells sound. In his service he wears the robe, and when he goes into the presence of the LORD and comes out, the sound is heard—“so that he does not die.”

This does not mean that he is “knocking” to alert God, as though God needed to be warned. Rather, the point is that one who draws near to God must do so in holiness, according to God’s appointed way.

In church tradition there is also a widely repeated account—one I have heard taught, though I have not personally found it recorded in the books I have read—that when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place, a rope was tied to his foot. If the sound of movement could be heard, it indicated he was alive. If there was no sound—if he were struck down because of sin—those outside could not enter to retrieve him and would pull him out by the rope.

Whether or not this account is historically certain, it does reflect a spiritual truth that is consistent with Scripture: entering the Most Holy Place is a fearful and dangerous matter for sinful man. The high priest entered to make atonement—first for himself and then for the people. If at any point he failed to follow God’s appointed ordinances, he was in danger of death. This warns the priest, and all who would draw near, to take holiness seriously. An unholy person entering God’s presence is liable to judgment.

Yet ultimately we see the final High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. To bear the sins of his elect, he went to the cross and died. In him, the reality to which all the priestly shadows pointed is fulfilled.

From Fear to Confidence: The Blessing of the New Covenant

This leads us to a conclusion: under the new covenant we can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, as Hebrews teaches—“to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Because Jesus’ blood covers us, we may come directly to the Father. The Father regards us as righteous in Christ, and therefore we may pray to him without fear of being destroyed.

If you imagine the high priest entering the Most Holy Place with the constant awareness that he might be struck down, you can understand the fear he must have felt as he carefully observed every ordinance. But in Christ we have been delivered from that terror. This shows how blessed we are.

We give thanks for Jesus Christ’s forgiveness and for the righteousness he has accomplished for us. As we said before, Christ has done two things: he bore our sins and paid our debt; and he also provided the righteousness we lack. Our debt being paid is not enough by itself, because we also require positive righteousness before God. Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, so that in him we are counted as righteous—having no guilt and also having fulfilled righteousness by virtue of Christ’s obedience. Thus we come near to God and enjoy the Father’s abundant love, provision, and protection. What mercy this is.

“Holy to the LORD”: Marked Belonging and a Consecrated Life

Next, the passage speaks of a plate of pure gold engraved with the words: “Holy to the LORD.” This plate is placed on the front of the turban. It signifies that Aaron’s house belongs to the LORD, and that Israel, represented by the priesthood, is set apart to God.

This reminds us of something we see even in the world: public servants often wear uniforms and insignia—badges, emblems, crests—declaring whom they serve. Such signs identify belonging and service.

But the priestly inscription is different. “Holy to the LORD” declares a true consecration: Aaron’s house, and the people he represents, are set apart for the LORD’s service. Holiness means separation—being set apart for God.

The priestly garments also include linen undergarments to cover nakedness, from the waist to the thighs. Why? To cover shame. The priest must maintain a wholly holy posture—serious, careful, without exposure or disgrace. Only then may he enter the tent of meeting and minister at the altar, lest he bear guilt and die.

If they do not wear the garments as God commands, they would sin against God and be struck down. This is an everlasting statute for Aaron and his offspring. Everything must be done according to the pattern God appointed. Even the manner of dressing must not be treated lightly. This teaches us again: drawing near to God is a solemn and serious matter.

The priests of the old covenant had to learn these ordinances from childhood—how to dress, how to serve—until it became second nature, so that they would not err and die. But we give thanks: all of these things were shadows pointing to Christ. The bells, the ordinances, the careful procedures—all are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He has accomplished perfect righteousness, as though clothed in the complete robe, and he has entered the true holy place. And when he gives that robe of righteousness to us, we too may draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. What mercy. What reason for thanksgiving.

Application: Do We Live as Those Consecrated to the LORD?

Now we come to the application of “Holy to the LORD.”

Brothers and sisters, consider this: when we, as Christians, bear the mark of belonging to the LORD, do we truly live as those who are holy to him? This is a test for us.

The New Testament speaks clearly of the seal of the Holy Spirit upon God’s people. You may think of it as a mark upon our foreheads: “Holy to the LORD.” Do we live like those who bear that mark?

When you open your eyes in the morning and step into a new day, ask yourself: Am I holy to the LORD? What is my purpose today? What am I living for?

Let me use an illustration (though it is not perfect). If you were the son of a chairman who will inherit the family business, and you are sent to work at the lowest level for training, would you fight and trample others to compete for a small position? Likely not. Why? Because you know you are destined to inherit. You would not be anxious in the same way, because the company ultimately belongs to you.

In the same way, we as Christians have been set apart by God. We are heirs of the kingdom. Do we live like those who will inherit the heavenly inheritance?

Often, we do not. We become entangled in worldly striving. We live as though God were not there—arguing, grasping, contending like the world. We forget that we bear a mark, that we are not like the world, that we possess a God-given status and security.

We are called to ask: How will I glorify God in this life? The first question of the catechism asks: What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy him forever. From the moment you believe, this becomes the measure of your life. Daily life must be calibrated to this purpose: to live for God’s glory.

Whether earthly things abound or not, the central concern is not comfort, wealth, or ease. The central concern is: Have I obeyed God? Have I sinned against him? Have I glorified him?

If we continue thinking like the world—how to make more money, how to gain more comfort, how to secure a better earthly life—we dishonor God. The Holy Spirit’s seal is given as a pledge, declaring that we belong to a wholly different realm. We live for God’s glory. If we contradict that purpose, we do not live as those who are holy to the LORD.

Therefore, this is a daily reminder. Each morning, ask yourself: Have I lived as one who is holy to the LORD? Have I lived out a consecrated life?

May God help us to live truly as those who are holy to the LORD.

That concludes today’s sharing. Thank you, everyone.