Exodus 28:15-30
The Breastplate (Exodus 39:8–21)
15 “You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. 16 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. 17 And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; 18 the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. 21 And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.
22 “You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. 23 And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; 25 and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.
26 “You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. 27 And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the intricately woven band of the ephod. 28 They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.
29 “So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the LORD continually. 30 And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.
The high priest always went before the LORD with this breastplate of judgment over his heart in order to bear the judgment of the people of God who deserved to be held accountable for their sins. It is a shadow of the judgment that our great High Priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:14-15), took upon Himself to minister the perfect Passover Lamb of Himself (1 Corinthians 5:7) to bear our judgment (Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:1-2, 4:10) from the love of the Father’s heart (John 3:16) for us. In the time of the old priesthood, the families of Israel were symbolized on the breastplate over the heart with precious jewels; we now are His precious stones (1 Peter 2:5) of His choosing whom Jesus constantly mediates over (Hebrews 9:12, 15, 10:12, 14) as our High Priest with this undying love of His heart for us! He bears our names before the Father in the Lamb’s Book of Life in the holy place where He loves forever and has invited us to live in His righteousness (Titus 3:5, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 3:9) alone. Our great High Priest bears our judgment because He loved and died to purchase our salvation from sin’s due consequence of eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46, 1 John 4:18-19) by that love executed for we His adopted sons and daughters. We are in a sense then the stones on His breastplate of salvation on His heart as our Priest and Mediator.
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