Exodus 28:1-5: a reflection

1“Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office: Aaron, with Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 2You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3You shall speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. 4These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a fitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. 5They shall use the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.

When God gives instructions for the priestly garments Aaron will wear to minister, he specifies a striking purpose: You shall make holy garments for Aaron, for glory and for beauty. The garments were to be crafted by skilled, Spirit-filled artisans, of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, beautiful and glorious, fitting for one who would serve in God's presence. God wanted the garments of his service to be not merely functional, but beautiful.

Notice the reason given: for glory and for beauty. God did not want plain, purely functional garments for his priest; he wanted them beautiful, glorious, crafted with skill and care. Beauty, in God's design, had a place in his worship and service; it was fitting that what was offered to God and worn in his presence should be beautiful. God, the source of all beauty, delights in beauty offered to him.

That gives beauty a place in our devotion to God. We can be tempted to think that only the practical and functional matters, that beauty is a luxury or a distraction. But God himself asked for beauty in his service, garments for glory and beauty. There is a place for beauty in worship, in what we offer God, in how we serve him, beauty that honors the God who is himself glorious and beautiful. And these glorious garments pointed forward to Christ, our great High Priest, clothed in glory, who ministers for us in the presence of God. Do not despise beauty in the service of God; offer him not only the functional but the beautiful, for the God who made all beauty is worthy of it.

Lord, when you called Aaron to serve as priest, you had his garments made for glory and for beauty, crafted with skill and care, wanting what was worn in your presence to be beautiful. Give beauty a place in my devotion to you. Keep me from thinking that only the practical and functional matters, that beauty is a luxury or distraction. You yourself asked for beauty in your service, and you are the source of all beauty. Help me offer you not only the functional but the beautiful, in worship and in service, honoring the God who is glorious and beautiful. And thank you that these garments pointed to Christ, my great High Priest, clothed in glory, who ministers for me before you. Let me offer you beauty, for you are worthy of it.