Bring me an ephod -March 17th
Exodus 28
V3 Notice how the Holy Spirit empowers creative people to serve God in craftsmanship.
The ephod was a garment – in 1 Sam 30, David calls for the ephod as a garment of praise. Time to seek God!
It was a vest worn by the high priest, reaching to the thighs, when he ministered at the altar (Exodus 28:4-14; 39:2-7). Worn over a blue robe (Exodus 28:31-35), the ephod was made of fine linen interwoven with pure gold, blue, purple and scarlet threads. The ephod was fastened with a beautifully woven girdle (Exodus 28:27-28), and had shoulder straps set in two onyx stones, on which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes. Over the chest of the high priest was the breastplate, containing twelve stones engraved with the tribal names of Israel. Rings was used to attach the breastplate to the ephod. The Urim and Thummin were also joined to the breastplate.
Intrigued about the multi-coloured nature, I came across this.. Christ is our great High Priest (Hebrews 8:1-6). The ephod is symbolic of Him. The white linen speaks of His absolute righteousness. Scarlet (the color of blood) symbolizes His atoning work on the cross; purple, His royalty; gold, His divinity. Blue, the color of the sky, signifies Christ’s origin with God the Father in heaven.
As believers in Jesus, we are now clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
Proverbs 4
v23 “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life” – we have the Holy Spirit as a stream of living water bubbling up from within. Remember that today – ask Him to flow in and through you in your daily life!
John 7
Speaks of the living water bubbling within! v37-39
We are born of the Spirit when we become a Christian John 3:7-8. But we also need to be baptised by teh Spirit which was promised in John 1:33 and started in Acts 2.
Are you born again? See this post for how.
Have you been baptised in the Spirit? Baptise means to drench/dip with a change of identity occuring. So the baptism in the Spirit is being drenched by the Holy Spirit who will change you, empowering you to be more holy and a witness!
Gal 3
The Galatians started their Christian life with faith and grace and are now looking to the law for ongoing Christian walk. Duh! They have been bewitched! Going back to the law puts you under the only curse in the new Covenant – the curse of the law. If you are under the law, you are under the whole of it and cursed if you break any of it.
Enjoy grace! We have died to the law and live by grace and faith, walking in the Spirit, which will produce far greater fruit than the law could.