Jg. 17: Micah: Priestly Fail

Judges 17:11 "So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man was to him like one of his sons."

Wow, did these people ever miss the point. We have another mention of 1100 shekels of silver (offered by the Philistines to Delilah to betray Samson), this time it was stolen by this dude Micah from his mom. Then he admits to the thievery, and she is so happy, she has it turned into idols.

Micah remembers something about an Ephod somewhere, and maybe a priest needing to be installed for some reason, so who better than a traveling youngster. (Bonus points for him being a Levite!) Micah installs him as priest and pays him. An ephod was meant to be a priestly garment (Ex. 28:6), not an object of worship (Jg. 8:27). So, some of the elements are right, in that they exist, but they are way out of their intended bounds.

Probably most pathetic about this whole deal is the joy Micah must have, evidenced in verse 13 "...And Micah said, 'Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.'" Was his heart in the right place? I...don't think so. He wanted to please the LORD, and to have the LORD pleased with him, but he made assumptions as to how that would work. The rules were clear, but he didn't know them, or was poorly taught. Coming to God in his own way was probably not likely to work.

As Israel was doing their own thing without a king or judge in place, they deviated far and wide from the set covenant, the priestly rules and ordinances, and generally how to obey God.

Ex. 39: The Priestal Haberdashery

I bet you've been wondering all along when the priestly garments were going to be discussed. Well friend, your wait is over. It is actually not as bad as before when I thought it was super boring. Taking a second look at things kind of gives you a fresh perspective, and may change your mind about something you've written off as pointless or boring.

The Ephod: Commanded Ex. 28:6-14, Completed Ex. 39:2-7

These people hammered gold into thin sheets and cut golden strands out of it to weave them into the yarn and linen. Not cavemen.

The Breastpiece: Commanded Ex. 28:15-30, Completed Ex. 39:8-21

Only note here is that the NLT reverses which row the topaz and chrysolite is in, when compared to the NIV and KJV.

Other Priestly Garments: Commanded Ex. 28:31-43, Completed Ex. 39:22-31

As commanded, except the order was reversed. I guess I bring up all these picky things to prove to myself that I have read it and know what it says, and that these picky things are no hill to die on for my faith.

One phrase appears pretty often throughout this completion section. "...as the LORD commanded." This wasn't just an arts and crafts display, this was a place for them to meet with God. This required exacting work, and the absolute best efforts of the absolute best people for the job. Everyone had their role, and focused solely on their role, because that was how best to serve God.

Moses Inspectigates the Tabernacle
So Moses went through and made sure that everything was done according to the way the LORD commanded it. They brought everything to him:

• Tabernacle, tent and furnishings; clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases
• The coverings; dyed ram skin, sea cow skin, the shielding curtain
• The ark, with its poles and atonement cover
• The table, with articles and bread
• The lampstand, with accessories and oil
• The altar, anointing oil, incense
• The entrance curtain
• The bronze altar; with grating, poles, and utensils
• The basin and stand
• Courtyard curtains, poles and bases, ropes and tent pegs
• The woven sacred garments

This was all good for Moses, so he blessed them.

Ex. 28: Priestly Garments - All the Info

Well, chapter 28 is more description of stuff. Not a lot going on. But evidently, what is written here is important enough for me to know. Or read.

Along with the tabernacle, there had to be a certain group of people in charge of it, called priests. Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar were these people. In order to give them dignity and honor, they needed to have sacred garments. I wonder why. Priests, servants of God required to wear something of honor. Was this to set them apart? Was this to signify something special?

The articles of clothing included a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash, and they were to be made of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of fine linen.

The Ephod
I don't really know what an ephod is, from the description in the Bible, it probably looks like some sort of apron? It has two shoulder "pieces" attached.

What is special here is that there is to be two onyx stones, each engraved with six of the 12 tribes, in order of their birth, as a memorial. These onyx stones will be mounted to gold filigree settings and fastened to the shoulder pieces. There were to be two braided chains of pure gold attached to the settings. Pretty slick.

The Breastpiece
The breastpiece was for "making decisions," as verse 15 says. The significance of this was so that Aaron could bear the names of the sons of Israel as he entered the Holy Place. They would essentially be written across his heart, as a continuing memorial before the LORD. Something called Urim and Thummim were to be put in the breastpiece as well, so they may be over Aaron's heart, so that he will be able to make the proper decisions for the Israelites before the LORD. Without lots of external research, I gather from this that Urim and Thummim were some sort of divinely ordered chance pieces, like dice, but used for good.

• Made of gold, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of twisted linen
• A 9" x 9" square folded in half
• Four rows of precious stones, mounted in gold filigree settings. Each was to be engraved with the name of one of the twelve tribes it represents:
  
• First Row: ruby, topaz and beryl
• Second Row: turquoise, sapphire and emerald
• Third row: jacinth, agate and amethyst
• Fourth row: chrysolite, onyx and jasper
• Attached via gold chains to the ephod, at the shoulders and waistband.

Other Priestly Garments

The Robe

• Entirely out of blue cloth
• Opening for a head...duh. With a woven edge to prevent tearing.
• Pomegranates and gold bells alternating around the hem of the robe. So Aaron won't die when he enters the Holy Place

The Plate

• Pure Gold
• Engraved: "Holy To The Lord"
• Attached to the front of the turban, on the forehead. Signifies the guilt involved in the gifts consecrated to God by the Israelites. Their sacrifices and offerings, I'm guessing.
  

The Tunic and the turban are to be made from fine linen, the sash embroidered. Tunics, sashes, and headbands were to be made for the sons of Aaron, so they will have dignity, and not die. After these garments are put on them, they are to be anointed and ordained. So, just being in Aaron's lineage doesn't make someone a priest automatically. There is a process and rules to follow. This, like oil for the lampstand, is another lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants.