Temple Imagery and the High Priest's Dress

The clothing of the high priest in ancient Israel was described as having two functions. They were so arrayed "for glory and for beauty" (Exodus 28:2). Before I continue, let me clarify that this was an Aaronic Priesthood ordination and not Melchizedek Priesthood. It would not equate to the office of High Priest in the Church today.

To be a presiding high priest of the Aaronic order you had to be a direct descendant of Aaron. Aaron and his sons had to wear "holy garments" to be consecrated in. The priestly garments included "a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre (a cap), and a girdle" (or sash; see Exodus 28:4). Attached to the breastplate of judgement was a Urim and Thummim, which the priest would wear "upon (his) heart" (v. 30). The hem of the robe was decorated with pomegranates and golden bells, which would make a sound when the priest would enter the temple so he would not be consumed by the glory of the Lord.

Moses was commanded to "make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord" (vv. 36-38). The blue lace symbolized the color of heaven and the forehead symbolized loyalty, and thus the priest was supposed to be loyal to God and heavenly things. The words "Holiness to the Lord" appear also on the bells of the horses and upon the bowls used on the altars of the temple (see Zechariah 14:20). These words appear today on the exteriors of our temples.

The pomegranates would serve a similar purpose to the fig leaf aprons worn by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Fig trees would produce fruit before the leaves appeared, and thus, when you see fig leaves you should see fruitfulness also. Jesus cursed a fig tree because there was no fruit, but leaves only (Matthew 21:19). Pomegranates are a seedy fruit and this would recall the Abrahamic covenant of having "seed as the stars of heaven" (Genesis 22:17).

It is significant that the ephod, worn by the priest, consisted of the same materials and was patterned after the veil in the tabernacle. Moses was commanded concerning the veil:

"And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made" (Exodus 26:31).

Moses was also commanded concerning the ephod:

"And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work" (Exodus 28:6).

Upon the shoulders of the ephod were two onyx stones engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The onyx stone first appears in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:12). On the front of the ephod were four rows of gemstones:

"The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.

And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.

And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.

And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings" (Exodus 28:17-20).

These stones match up well with the stones described in Eden, the Garden of God in Ezekiel.

"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created" (Ezekiel 28:13).

These stones in the ephod also match up well with the heavenly city of celestial glory described in Revelation.

"And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst" (Revelation 21:19-20).

As Aaron (and his sons) would bear the names of the children of Israel on onyx stones on his shoulders he becomes a type of Christ as the Great High Priest (Jesus Christ) bore the weight of the pains, sins, and sufferings of all Israel and the entire world upon His shoulders.