³⁹ “You shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a weaver.

Aaron had a continual reminder that he was to be “holy to the Lord.” But God calls each of us to no less. What reminds you to keep yourself holy? What reminds you that you are sanctified/set apart? Nothing? Find something.

It’s interesting that it says here, “so that he will not die.” I’ve always heard it said that the bells were a signal to those outside. If the tinkling sound stopped, they would know that the priest had sin in their life, and could pull him out. Perhaps both are true, and the bells were set in place to be a reminder to the priest before he ever entered God’s presence. A reminder that he must be pure and holy to enter in to the holy of holies. And a reminder of the consequences. Thus, as soon as the priest put the garment with the bells on, he would be reminded to check his heart and life for any impurities, and have the chance to make atonement. So that he would not die. What reminds you to check your heart? We have communion once a month when we do that very thing, but one ought to have something done daily (or more) as a reminder. Keep your heart, mind, and body pure before God, as a pleasing and holy sacrifice to God.

The priest had yet another reminder of who he was representing before God. This time, there was an additional facet to the reminder. It was the breastplate of judgment. It was to remind him of God’s judgment and what would happen without the priest atoning for the Israelites. It is a somber reminder to us of what will happen to our loved ones if they don’t accept Christ as their Savior. Pray for them daily, or more.

When Aaron went before God, he didn’t just represent himself. He was representing the entire nation of Israel, and the two onyx stones were a reminder of that. While we don’t have priests go to God for us, we that know God should go before Him on behalf of our unsaved friends, family, and anyone else God lays on our heart. We may not have onyx stones as reminders, but keep your ears open for God’s prompting. You never know who He might have you pray for.

When Aaron came before God, he was to wear fine clothing, for ‘glory and beauty’. What does that mean to us? Does it mean we have to wear gold and scarlet and fine linen? Not necessarily. The women of Israel took it too far, and God used the prophets to tell them that all their fine garments and jewelry were as rags, because their hearts were not right. What it does mean, is that God expects us to honor Him in the way we dress. He doesn’t want us to be slobs when it comes to worshiping Him. However, the condition of your heart is still always more important to Him than your clothes.

²⁰ “You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. ²¹ “In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.

The lamp was another reminder. It was to remind them that God never sleeps or goes away. He is always present, and He is always active.

Sometimes, God gives us a goal, and just tells us to go get it. Other times, He is very specific about what He wants, as is the case in this passage. Make sure you are listening closely, so that you can tell the difference, and obey His voice.

³⁶ “You shall make a screen for the doorway of the tent of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver. ³⁷ “You shall make five pillars of acacia for the screen and overlay them with gold, their hooks also being of gold; and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.

God is so holy, that the main part of the tabernacle wasn’t holy enough for Him. He designated the holy of holies to be the place where He would meet the High Priest once a year. Yet, once Christ died, we are told to come boldly before the throne of God. The awesome privilege afforded us by Christ’s death should not be taken lightly. God is no less holy; we are simply covered by the sacrifice of the perfect lamb. We gain entrance to the new holy of holies by the blood of Jesus himself.

²⁶ “Then you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west. ²⁸ “The middle bar in the center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. ²⁹“You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ “Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain.

So much of the tabernacle was overlaid with gold. God didn’t want anything to be ordinary. He wanted the Israelites to make Him something special. He wanted their very best. So it still is with us. God doesn’t want just the mundane, middle of the road effort. He wants us to do something special for Him. Something befitting the God of the universe.

¹¹ “You shall make fifty clasps of ³bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it will be a unit. ¹² “The overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ “The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it. ¹⁴ “You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

One thing we can depend on is this: God is consistent, and He is faithful. He doesn’t waiver or change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Man will fail. Man will change. Society changes. But God remains true to His nature.