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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
In the Old Testament, the ephod has two meanings. In one group of passages, it signifies a garment; in another, very probably an image. As a garment the ephod is referred to in the priestly ordina...
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Blessing Bisong
In addition to brother Mark's beautiful explanation of the ephod, I just want to add that the scriptures both old and new testaments have physical and spiritual connotations. The spiritual is what produces the life and character of God in us. The physical does not of course produce life -just knowledge. The ephod as seen in Exodus is part of the garment that must be worn by Moses and his sons in order to qualify to minister to The Lord. When we become born again, we are priest unto God, therefore we must be clothed properly with all of those pieces of clothing in Exodus 28: 4 to be able to minister to God in prayers, worship and ministration of the word. The breastplate speaks of guarding our hearts and our walk in righteousness before The Lord - put on the breastplate of righteousness so that you can withstand the wiles of the enemy, guarding our hearts from pollution such as evil thoughts that defile us. We must have the breastplate on at all times by speaking God's words upon our hearts. Ephod: speaks of ministry, we must be properly clothed to minister unto God and to the brethren. The ephod had two stones- the Urim and Thummim. Symbolically means lights and perfection. The priest must have lights of the word of God, and also the spirit of discernment. Robe- usually a long tunic that covers properly. The Lord clothes us with his nature, character, garments of salvation and robes of righteousness. Isaiah 61:10. As priests we must allow The Lord to cover us at all times as we minister to him. Remember these were physical clothing for the priest, but in our worship today, they symbolize spiritual clothing in our spiritual worship. Mitre-usually placed on the forehead- speaks of cleansing on our minds, thought patterns, wills and emotions. Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. Phil 2:5. Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewal of your mind. Rom. 12:2 Girdle : usually placed around the waist- this speaks of ability to reproduce, not barren in spiritual things. The life of Christ that we have should help us birth children into God's kingdom. We must reach out to the dying world. Our spiritual calling is beautiful if we understand the scriptures. We do not need to go to any bible school to learn how to interpret scriptures. As we stay in the presence of The Lord, and delight in him daily, the Holy Spirit will teach us, and the scriptures will open up to us and give us light and life. The letter kills but the spirit gives life. Amen
Jack Gutknecht
The ephod was a sleeveless garment of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, held together by a jeweled clasp on each shoulder (Exodus 28:6-8; 39:1-5; Lev. 8:7). The ephod was that part of the high priest’s official garments in which the Urim and Thummim were kept (Ex. 28:6-30). They were used to determine the will of God. It was a jeweled breastplate, held in place on the ephod by golden chains attached to the shoulder clasps (Ex 28:9-30; 39:8-21). The high priest wasn’t in the tabernacle to display his beautiful robes or to exalt his special position but to represent the people before the Lord and carry them on his shoulders. He had been called, not to serve himself but to serve his people. Maybe the high priest used the ephod to determine God’s direction (1 Sam. 23:6, 9; 30:7-8). Gideon, you remember, also seems to have assumed priestly duties for he made his own ephod and probably consulted it on behalf of the people. Too, Saul asked the priest to bring him the ark of the Lord and probably also the ephod. He was probably planning to take the ark to the battlefield with the army, a foolish tactic that had brought judgment in Eli’s day (1 Sam 4), and the priest could use the ephod to determine God’s will in the matter. WW At the reference in the New Testament epistle of Philippians 1:9-11, Wiersbe states, "The high priest in the Old Testament wore a special garment, the ephod, over his heart. On it were 12 stones with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel engraved on them, a jewel for each tribe (Ex. 28:15-29). He carried the people over his heart in love, and so did Paul. Perhaps the deepest Christian fellowship and joy we can experience in this life is at the throne of grace, praying with and for one another." WW We don't need the ephod today for guidance because Christians have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us. I call upon Him all the time, and He guides me! Psalm 31:3 "Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me." What are believers to ask for? -- a continuous leading, filling, or anointing with the Holy Spirit. We should be continually asking Him to guide us. When we do this, then the Lord will answer our prayer.
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