BREECHES, URIM, AND THUMMIM
Monday – May 1, 2017
Greeting from Patti and me at The Three Minute Word publication. God is so good. Notice: Our snail mail address has changed to: 3 Rosswood Green Lane, Unit Two, Oakland, Maine 04963. We are delighted that you are either joining for the first time or rejoining our Bible Study from the Book of Ephesians. We spent quite a bit of time reviewing at least in part the ‘wiles of the devil’ and now we are plunging into the ‘whole armour of God’ starting with our ‘loins girt about with truth’ and ‘having on the breastplate of righteousness. This is the very same armour that God Himself is clothed with and as His dear children we have exactly (not like but exactly) the same protections and weapons as our Father and our God.
Ephesians 6:13-18 (KJV)
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
The armour of God does not just magically appear upon us at the new birth, it is our responsibility to learn about it and to take it. We take it by faith, which is to believe that if God said it, it is Truth, and if He said take it, we take it. We take it by the confession of our mouth and the renewing of our minds to the spiritual reality in which we exist and walk. We must not only believe that God is but that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Taking the armour is our responsibility and it is not rude, God’s arms are extended to us, God is way more eager for us to take the armour then we ourselves for He knows the agony of sin. Not to take the armour and not to utilize it, is sin. Taking the whole armour of God and utilizing it are two different things. Without the armour we cannot stand in the time of temptation, we have no defensive or offensive weapons to defeat the ones who work night and day to destroy us.
Down through time from the Garden to now God has always announced His will for the future and in the case of the armour given types and shadows in the Old Covenant. We get glimpses and see shadows of the armour of God in some of the garments of the Priests starting with Aaron (high priest) and his sons (those who serve under or are subject to the High Priest). Aaron was a foreshadowing of Jesus our High Priest and the sons of Aaron were a foreshadowing of us the sons of God with Jesus (High Priest) as our example and head. God gave Moses very exact instructions for the garments of the priests. Let’s take a look at some of the garments God commanded for the priests of the Old covenant as part of our study of the whole armour of God. Remember Jesus is wearing these priestly garments and this armour today and we are wearing them by faith. With regard to the armour of God; what priestly garments would correspond to the girting of the loins and the breastplate of righteousness? As a side note, kings wear the very same garments (whole armour) as priests, and we know that because there is no command for us to change clothing or armaments depending on our role at the moment whether it be of a king or a priest. At least a part of the reason for that is that once our faith is released the Power of God with the approval of the Father is the One who works. Okay, first to the girting of our loins.
Exodus 28:42-43 (KJV)
42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
43 And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.
Remember in the Garden of Eden, when The Woman, then The Man sinned, the living soul given of God died immediately and later the sin corrupted body made from the earth died. Adam and Eve were pure and became corrupted by sin (choosing a new god) and so they no longer had standing before God. In His mercy God partially restored standing in part by the exercise of faith and the sacrifice of innocent animals until Christ could come. When Jesus a sinless man went to the Cross and took our sins He also died first spiritually and then shortly thereafter He gave up the ghost dying physically. The linen breeches God prescribed for the priests are a shadow of the girting of the loins with Truth. This part of the armour of God (Truth) when taken, received, and utilized empowers us to eliminate waste and be productive for the Kingdom of God.
When the High Priest would come into the Most Holy Place once a year to place the blood of sacrifice upon the Mercy Seat for His own sins and those of the people they wore breeches to cover the private parts, a foreshadowing of the loins being girt with the Truth. The High Priests of old could not bear the iniquity of the people (Exodus 28:43) but One was coming who would bear our sin forever. These priests were sinful men and therefore unable to bear the sin of the people in a meaningful way as Jesus would at His coming. Jesus is the Truth. Each year when the High priest would come into the Most Holy Place, God the Father would see God the Son and justice was delayed. The word ‘seed’ in Exodus 28:43 is masculine in gender and singular in number, therefore talking of one, our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was naked upon the Cross and therefore He bore our iniquity and died in our stead. Tomorrow I will look at the Breastplate of judgment and the Breastplate of righteousness.
Exodus 28:30 (KJV)
30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.
I will conclude for today and pick-up right here tomorrow. Please meditate these wonderful Scriptures from Exodus for you and I can and hopefully are walking in the perfection of these today.
Please receive and never let go of the Blessing by faith.
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
