THE HIGH PRIEST
Friday – September 29, 2017
Wow, is this Bible Study of the Book of Hebrews something or not. God is so good to give us His Word. Let us be thankful to Him, give Him praise, and worship before Him.
Psalm 100:4-5 (KJV)
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
We can come to (address/speak to) the Throne of Grace boldly anytime, in fact we are already seated with Him on the Throne of Grace (Ephesians 2:6). We are SEATED with Him and in Him in the Heavenly! You and I dear brother and sister live everyday beyond the veil because Jesus has given us access to the Most Holy Place. The Most Holy One resides in and with us. Now let us return to our primary text.
Hebrews 5:1-4 (KJV)
1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
We see from our text a discussion of the first High Priest taken from among men, namely Aaron of the tribe of Levi (as was Moses his brother).
Exodus 28:1 (KJV)
1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
In the Scriptures Preceding Exodus 28:1 and following there is much said and much we can learn concerning the priesthood which would take weeks to months to cover in the detail it deserves. Instead, I am going to teach selected areas which will give us considerable light concerning this office of the High Priest and how it points to our High Priest. Before I move into this fully I want to remind you to read the teaching published Wednesday, September 27, 2017 concerning the, Feast of the Lord, Day of Atonement. Much about the priesthood and our high priest can be gleaned in that teaching. The High Priest of old was a type and shadow, a prophetic illustration of the great High Priest that was to follow, who is Jesus.
I will now spend a little time talking about the “Breastplate of Judgment” which is part of the apparel of the High Priests of old. There is a great deal more detail in Exodus chapter twenty-eight about this breastplate then we will cover today. The number twenty-eight (28) has to do with ‘eternal life’ and the number thirty (30) has to do with the ‘Blood of Christ’. Just from looking at the Biblical Numerology for the verse in question we learn much. By the way, the number two (2), Exodus is the second Book, can stand for Jesus, the Lamb of God. Now let’s examine the following text in some detail.
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.
Notice that God calls this breastplate the ‘breastplate of judgment”. The High Priests and other priests of old did not bear the judgment of sin, the innocent animal brought as a sacrifice bore the judgment of sin. However, that is not so for our High Priest, He bore the judgment of sin which was death, but now He is raised and restored (Hebrews chapter one) and presides over the New Blood Covenant. When Jesus was made sin in our stead He suffered the judgment of death, spiritual and physical. The judgment of Justice (the Father) was that Jesus shed innocent Blood and His Words were Truth, therefore Hell could not have Him. The sacrifice of innocent animals which could never take away sin is set aside for a far superior sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:9-14 (KJV)
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Now back to the Urim and the Thummim. The word Urim means light and Thummim represents complete Truth. Two things saved Jesus and two things save us and that is the Blood of the Lamb and the Words of our testimony. Christ Jesus is Light and He is Truth. This idea of the Breastplate of Judgment was on the mind of Christ Jesus when He went to the Cross for the joy set before Him. That joy was not just victory for Him with restoration as God but a restoration and more for mankind, the children of God. The judgment for sin was taken out of the way for all who will believe on the name of Jesus. We are also aware of the “breastplate of righteousness”. If it were not for the “breastplate of judgment” there could be no “breastplate of righteousness”. Christ Jesus is righteous and His work at Calvary and beyond makes us righteous (right standing with the Father) in Him.
Ephesians 6:14 (KJV)
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Until our next publication, I speak a blessing over you in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
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
CONTACT E-MAIL: pastordavidwood@gmail.com
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