Justin Houtz

Exodus 28, John 10

DateVersionReading Plan
March 19, 2025ESV (2016)OT/NT Plan 2025 – 2027

Exodus 28

Observation

Exod. 28:3 – God told Moses that he was to speak to the skillful whom the Lord had filled with a spirit of skill that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for priesthood. The FSB provides insight regarding the skill of the people:

the skilled of heart The Hebrew phrase used here, chakhmei-lev, means wise of heart. Israelites considered the heart to be the source of intelligence as well as emotions. Hence, to be wise of heart refers to giftedness in intellect and craftsmanship. This giftedness was also thought to be a divine gift (ruach chokhmah; “spirit of wisdom”).

Exod. 28:29 – Aaron was to bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he went into the Holy Place to bring them to regular remembrance before the LORD. “The high priest represented the Israelites, as symbolized by the double display of the names of each tribe on the two stones on the ephod (v. 11) and also by the name on each of the twelve stones on his breastpiece. Since the Lord’s “remembering” entailed his acting (2:24–25; 3:7–10), to ‘remind’ him is an expression of dependence, faith, and prayer.” (CSB Notes)

Exod. 28:35 – There was to be bells interspersed with pomegranates on the hem of Aaron’s garment that would make a sound when he went into the Holy Place and when he came out so that he did not die. “Since only the high priest could go into the most holy place to stand before the ark of the covenant (though only once a year; Lev 16:16–17), the sound of the bells (or lack thereof) would alert Yahweh to his approach and departure. The sound would also allow those outside to know if the priest was alive.” (FSB)

Exod. 28:42-43 – Linen undergarments were to be made for Aaron and his sons for when they go into the tent of meeting and when the come to the altar to minister in the Holy Place lest they bear guilt and die. “The Hebrew phrase used here [for undergarments], besar erwah, which is literally rendered “naked flesh,” is likely a euphemism. This suggests that the robe under the ephod (Exod 28:31) was short enough to risk a sighting of the priest’s genitalia.” (FSB)

Application

Reading the high level of detail regarding the priest’s garments fosters great appreciation for God’s ability to express His will at the micro level as much as at the macro. Everything was to be fashioned to His exact specification by those whom He had gifted with the proper skill. What a grace it is that He would give such instruction—and granting skill to make it manifest—in order that those whom He had appointed as priests could enter His presence to make intercession for His people. All the more, how wonderful it is to ponder that in Jesus we have our High Priest who is Himself the perfect atoning sacrifice.

John 10

Observation

John 10:3 – Jesus speaks of how He calls His own sheep by name and He leads them out. By this, a distinction is made “from other sheep that might be in the same fold. The point is that sheep follow the right shepherd.” (FSB)

John 10:5 – Jesus continued in His explanation of the sheep in saying that sheep will not follow a stranger but will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. “The same instinct that enables a sheep to recognize the voice of the true shepherd also prompts it to flee from a stranger. The strangers were the Pharisees and other leaders of the Jewish people who were only interested in the sheep for their own personal advantage. [Referencing the previous chapter] The man who received his sight illustrates this. He recognized the voice of the Lord Jesus but knew that the Pharisees were strangers. Therefore, he refused to obey them, even though it meant being excommunicated.”

John 10:33 – The Jews told Jesus that they were not going to stone Him because of His good deeds but for blasphemy, because though He is a man, He made Himself God. “They refused to admit that He was anything more than a man. Yet it was very evident to them that He made Himself God, as far as His claims were concerned. They would not tolerate this.” (BBC)

Application

There are vast riches in reading how Jesus is the Good Shepherd. His followers know His voice and He calls them by name but those not of His fold flee from Him because they do not know the voice of strangers. To have you name known by the Creator of all things is a wonder in itself but even more compounded in that we have been given ears attuned to His voice. What great joy this brings to the heart that our Shepherd actively calls to us and leads us along the path everlasting.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the favor You show Your people in giving them the gift of Your presence. Lord, by Your Spirit, guard my heart and help me to never forget that there is no more precious possession I could ever have. Thank You, Jesus, that You guide me and shepherd me through all the terrains of life all the while that I may look to You, the founder and perfecter of my faith.

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