Three weeks ago a neighborhood Bible study asked me to model the garments of a High Priest. They were studying Exodus 28 which gives details of what the Jewish high priests were commanded to wear when performing their sacred duties. Moses was told, “Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor”. (Exodus 28:2) The rest of the chapter details what the high priest was to wear when he led worship in the temple.
One of the women in the Bible study had taken hours to sew precisely the elaborate apparel God prescribed for the designated mediator between God and man. That’s me, in the photo, complete with a fake beard, wearing all the accessories of a high priest. Prior to the lesson I was reading in a side room and forgot to take off my “cheater” glasses. So my version of the high priest wasn’t quite as authentic as we had hoped.
But I stood for nearly an hour as the teacher, Joanne Ridge, read Exodus 28 and pointed out every required thread, stone, bell and tassel and its purpose. I was very much impressed with the time and effort the teacher and the seamstress had poured into that single lesson for her ten students.
As I reread the passage, (which we usually skim over like we do the genealogies), I was reminded that on this occasion, dress really mattered to God. Elsewhere in the Old Testament we’re taught that while man focuses on the outward appearance, God focuses on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) And the New Testament reminds us our main concern shouldn’t be outward adornment but the “inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle, quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight”. (1 Peter 3:4)
So, why was the garment of the high priest who led in worship in Old Testament days so important? Respected Jewish scholar Dennis Prager has some interesting thoughts on Exodus 28 in his commentary The Rational Bible: Exodus. Prager uses this verse to outline several profound, rational lessons about human nature, dignity, and holiness. Most of what follows is from that chapter.
1. Clothing Distinguishes Humans from Animals
Dennis Prager makes the case that clothing is one of the building blocks of civilization. As he puts it, “Clothing is a distinctive sign of being human; it sets people apart from animals. Animals walk around unclothed, people should not.” Genesis records that God’s first gift to Adam and Eve was clothing: “And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them”. (Genesis 3:21)
Nature clothes animals naturally with fur, feathers, or scales. They have no concept of modesty or nakedness. We’re the only creatures who have to decide what to put on. As Prager puts it, “The single greatest argument against public nudity may not even be about sex per se, but about holiness.” Getting dressed is a small, daily admission that we’re not animals. We’re made in the image of God, and we cover ourselves accordingly.
2. Proper Clothing Communicates Dignity and Honor
Prager makes the point: “It was not left up to the priests to decide what they would wear.” Their dress code came from God Himself. Their distinctive apparel was to communicate the sacredness of worship and give the priest dignity and honor. In so doing, God set the priests apart from the rest of Israel for holy service.
When the priest put on those garments, he felt the weight of what he was about to do. You don’t horse around in clothes like that. The garments themselves reminded him where he was standing.
The word “Honor” is also translated “Adornment”. That second word matters. God cares about beauty. Beautiful surroundings lift the soul, and worship in a beautiful place stays with you.
Prager writes, “When worshippers entered the Tabernacle and saw the priest dressed in strikingly beautiful garments, they were undoubtedly impressed.” This was no ordinary place. It was a distinctive, holy place where they entered the presence of Almighty God. So the priest dressed in a way that matched the solemnity of the occasion. God’s name was to be hallowed.
3. Clothing Shows Respect for the Occasion and the People Present
Prager continues, “Clothes are a sign of the respect or lack of respect we have for the activities in which we are engaged and for the people around us. It would be a sign of great disrespect to attend a wedding wearing a t-shirt and shorts.”
He goes on, “The effect and importance of clothing have not changed. Clothes affect how people are viewed by others. People dressed conservatively—meaning, essentially, with ‘dignity’—are consistently judged as more reliable. That is why people going for a job interview are almost always advised to dress conservatively. Whether conservative or not, they are told they should ‘dress to impress.’ The fact is we are assessed by how we dress. How could it not be? Other than our faces, almost all one sees of us is what we wear, and how we choose to dress makes a statement about our attitude toward whatever it is we are doing.”
4. Clothing Is a Sign of Self-Respect and Indirectly Determines Behavior
Prager reports, “Studies consistently show that when a school requires its students to wear school uniforms, or even just has a dress code, grades rise and violence declines.” He concludes, “The fact that a chapter of the Bible is devoted to priestly garments is testimony to the immense significance the Torah attaches to dress.”
This blog is not an appeal to preachers to once again wear robes or even suits and ties. The New Testament teaches the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). We can each go directly into the throne room of God through Jesus our high priest. (1 Tim. 2:5) Therefore the local minister is just another member of the congregation gifted to preach and lead.
Instead, I want us to consider that since we are all priests we should dress with dignity and honor when we worship the God of the universe. Obviously styles change and what is appropriate apparel in one era is not appropriate in another era or a different culture. But the Lord clearly wants us to take clothing seriously. That was true three thousand years ago and it is still true today. External behavior and appearance heavily dictate our internal state.
