Exodus 28:40 - Meaning and Application

Here are special instructions about the clothing of the lower priests. They were to wear coats, sashes, and caps made from the same materials as the high priest’s garments. But their caps were shaped differently from his turban. Their clothing, like his, was meant to be for glory and beauty (Exodus 28:40), so they would look worthy in their work. Yet all that outward glory was far less than the glory of grace, and that beauty was nothing compared with the beauty of holiness, which these holy garments pointed to.

The priests were also told to wear linen undergarments while serving (Exodus 28:42). This teaches modesty and proper behavior in dress and posture at all times, especially in public worship. In worship, a covering is fitting (1 Corinthians 11:5, 1 Corinthians 11:6, 1 Corinthians 11:10). It also reminds us that our souls need covering when we come before God, so the shame of our nakedness will not be seen.

There is also a general rule for both the high priest and the lower priests. Their garments were to be put on them when they were first consecrated, that is, set apart for holy service, as a sign that they were being given their office (Exodus 28:41). After that, they were to wear them whenever they served, but not at other times (Exodus 28:43), and they were warned that disobedience could cost them their lives. Even sins of neglect, not only open acts of disobedience, make a person guilty. If the priests carried out the service without the appointed garments, the Jewish teachers said it was as if a stranger had done it, and the stranger who came near was to be put to death.

God would not overlook even a small act of disrespect from those he allowed to draw nearest to him. If Aaron himself treated God’s command lightly, he would bear guilt and die. For us, these garments point to the righteousness of Christ. If we do not appear before God clothed in that righteousness, we will bear guilt and die. What right do we have to come to the wedding feast without a wedding garment, or to God’s altar without the proper clothing of his priests (Matthew 22:12, Matthew 22:13)?

They also point to the armor of God, the protection God gives his people for spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:13). If we go out without that armor, our spiritual enemies will destroy our souls, and the guilt will be ours alone. Blessed is the one who stays alert and keeps his garments clean (Revelation 16:15). This command is called a lasting statute, meaning it was to remain as long as the priesthood itself remained. But its true lasting value is found in the reality these signs were pointing to.