Seventh-Day Adventist Church

June 19, 2021

THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEK – 14

Codified Love #2

To the right and to the left of the breastplate were two stones of greater brilliance than the twelve gems, called the Urim and the Thummim. The word Urim starts with aleph. This is the first letter of Hebrew alphabet. In Greek the first letter is alpha. Thummim starts with tau. This the last in the Hebrew alphabet and corresponds with the Greek last letter omega. The Urim and the Thummim represent the aleph and the tau. If you were depicting this idea in Greek, you would say alpha and omega or the beginning and the end.

We can express every thought within the compass of the 26 letters of our alphabet. So, the aleph to the tau; the alpha and omega; the A to Z represents the vehicle for expressing each human thought. Jesus says, “I am the alpha and the omega.” Within the compass of Jesus Christ, the Father expresses every thought that He wishes for mankind, Jesus is the Word. He is God’s thought made audible, made visible, made tangible, made apprehensible, made incarnate.

Have you ever bought some gadget at the store and gone home and opened the package to read the directions?  Have you ever become more confused as to how to work it than you were before reading the directions? But, then, you get someone who has worked the device and he shows you how to do it. He puts those directions into practice. Now you can work the gadget, too! That is what Jesus did with God’s directions for right living. He took all the rules that man needs in order to get out of this world alive and sit on God’s throne, and He put them into practice. He is the Word incarnate, the Word made human. The theoretical directions are in the Bible. Jesus took all those directions and lived them as our example. He is the alpha and the omega, He is the A to the Z, He is the aleph to the tau. The Urim and the Thummim were vehicles through which God revealed His will to Israel of old.

 

June 12, 2021

THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEK—13

Codified Love #1

The blue represents the ten commandments, the character of God – love. The ten commandments are codified love. The law shows what the truly loving will do in every circumstance. When God’s character, expressed in Jesus, came down and combined with human flesh, our great High Priest resulted. Paul says, “Forasmuch as children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise partook of the same.” (Hebrews 2:14) Why? That He might become a faithful high priest. The ephod is made of blue, purple, scarlet, and gold – as are the veils of the temple – representing the humanity of Jesus Christ. The girdle of the ephod was made of the same material as the ephod. Our high priest’s heart is girded with the feeling of humanity. And on the ephod the breastplate made of the same substance was bound.

On the breastplate the high priest carried the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. And on his shoulders, upon the onyx stones, he also bore the names of the twelve tribes. What do you do with your shoulders? Carry burdens? When a father picks up his son and puts him on his shoulders, that little fellow can go through all dangers! So, the high priest bears upon his shoulders the children of Israel. Now, what do you do with your heart? You feel, you sympathize, you understand. And the high priest bears the children of Israel on his heart. He gives them all the sympathy they need, he gives them all the power that they need. He carries them on his shoulders and upon his heart right into the presence of God. That is what He intends to do with each one of us.

 

June 5, 2021 

THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEK—12

Words and Works

Over the white garments Aaron wore a robe wholly of blue representing God’s law, and teaching that only on a basis of Christ’s righteousness is obedience to the law possible. Around the hem of this blue robe were bells and pomegranates. Bells give sound and pomegranates are fruit. So are illustrated witnessing as well as obedience to the law of God; that, in turn, is based on a foundation of perfect purity – white under blue.

Over the blue robe was worn the ephod. In the ephod there are complicated ideas. The gold represents faith and love. This develops spasmodically, but the Great Craftsperson can make its growth continuous. He can join together our joyous experiences by little dark passages which might be represented by the solder. Then there is blue. This also represents the law of God. There is scarlet – the symbol of flesh, of humanity and there is blending of the scarlet and blue into the purple. Campbell Morgan, some years ago, preached a sermon on a text in 1 Peter 1:6 about “manifold temptations.” He coupled with it

1 Peter 4:10 which deals with “manifold grace.” “Manifold” means many-colored. Look at some hanging drapes sometime. They be of one color yet, because of the folds there will be a different hue of color, perhaps streaks that are darker. The folds in drapes make many shades. There are manifold temptations and there are manifold graces. Morgan used an illustration from his boyhood. He had been given a box of colors and delighted himself in taking different pigments and mixing them

together. Take blue and mix it with yellow and you get green. So, Morgan recommended that when you are

feeling very blue mix it with the sunshine of the glory of God, yellow as gold, and you will find yourself in the green pastures of the Good Shepherd! Take blue and

mingle it with scarlet, and purple will result. This is the color of priesthood, and speaks of Christ.

 

May 29, 2021

THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEK-11

Symbolism of Color #3

 

What does gold symbolize? “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold…,” (Revelation 3:18) the True Witness tells Laodicea. We find that gold represents faith and love – with love taking the precedence. Gold is yellow. Gold is used throughout the sanctuary weaving. Do you remember the story of how they made the gold wire? Bezaleel took gold pieces and beat them into flat plates. Gold can be beaten very, very thin It can also be drawn through

succeeding smaller dyes. They knew how to draw gold in Egypt. But that was not the way Bezaleel had to make the wire, though it is the simplest method. He was told to beat the gold into plates and then cut them into strips with shears. These narrow strips he was to solder end to end, and so make a wire. Now, why did he do that? Gold

represents faith. Does faith develop consistently without a break? No, it does not! Mine does not! It grows a little while more and there is another break. That is what Bezaleel was taught. The

development by faith is progressive and

spasmodic, and linked by dark experiences.

 

May 21, 2021 

THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEK—10

Symbolism of Color #2

Have you ever seen a rainbow the color of an emerald? John did in Revelation 4. The Lord takes out all the other colors of the rainbow and concentrates on one that should speak hope (see last week’s blog) to our hearts when He describes the judgment scene in Revelation 4 and 5. How many have ever seen a rainbow that is a

complete circle? They are rare. Most of them are

semicircular. The rainbow around the throne of judgment completely encircles it with hope.

 

There is another color of predominance in the sanctuary – blue. The children of Israel were told to put ribbons of blue on the hems of their garments and around their sleeves. What was that ribbon of blue to teach them? Faithfulness! Do you remember the statements made in the Bible or from Ellen G. White’s writings? What were God’s people to remember when they saw the ribbons of blue?  That they were God’s people, that they were

keeping His commandments. (Numbers 15: 38-40; 

Testimonies, Vol 1, p. 524) The Jews tell us that the two tables of stone given to Moses were of sapphire – blue.

 

This blue ribbon around the sleeves and around the hems of their garments was to remind Israel of the law of God. If I had a blue ribbon around by sleeves to remind me of the commandments of God, do you think I could cheat with my hands? There in nothing I could do with my hands that would be wrong if I looked at the ribbon of blue and remembered the law of God. I would have a fence around my feet so I could never take a step outside that ribbon of blue, outside the law of God. Bearing this in mind, I could not possibly  go far wrong.

 

May 15, 2021

Robes of Righteousness #4

All these garments are deeply symbolical. “Everything worn by the priest was to be whole and without blemish. These beautiful official robes represented the character of the great Antitype. Nothing but perfection in dress and attitude, word and spirit could be acceptable to God. Christ’s glory and perfection were represented by the earthly services and priestly ceremonies. Finite man might rend his own heart by showing a contrite and humble spirit. This God could discern. But no rent must be made in the priestly robes, for this would mar the representation of heavenly things. Aaron’s robes were symbolic. In all costly materials and beautiful workmanship, befitting his exalted station.”  Desire of Ages, p 709

 

Symbolism of Color

Now, how shall we discover this symbolism? A starting point is given in Ezekiel 1:16 – “The appearance of the wheels and their work like unto the color of a beryl…” This is a key test. Their work, the function they performed, was represented by color. On one occasion Ellen White had a dream where a green cord was handed down to her. When the dream was over she understood that the green cord had spoken hope to her heart. The message green has always given us hope.

May 8, 2021

On his heart the high priest carried a breastplate made of the same materials as the ephod. It was two spans long and one span wide. Folded double it was a square span. Reinforced around its sides with gold, it was held to his shoulders with chains of gold and tied to the ephod by ribbons of blue. Upon his shoulders were two onyx stones. Chains connected the breastplate with these onyx stones. On the breastplate itself were twelve stones arranged in rows of three. These gems were engraved with the names of twelve tribes of Israel. At the right and the left of these precious jewels were the Urim and the Thummim. Through these two gems God gave judgments and made decisions. Upon the four corners of the breastplate were four rings of gold through which ribbons were passed and tied at the back to hold the breastplate in position above the heart of the high priest.

Upon the shoulder onyx stones the names of the children of Israel were engraved, not according to the order of the tribes around the tabernacle as was the case in the twelve stones, but according to their ages. The six oldest were on the onyx stone to the right, and the six younger on the onyx stone to the left. Around the high priest’s turban was a gold plate on which were inscribed the two words, “Kodesh Ladonai” or “Holiness to the Lord.” Thus, there were nine pieces to the high priest’s garments – four white ones, then the blue robe, the ephod, the breastplate, the girdle, and the plaque of gold on his turban.

May 1, 2021

Over the four white garments, the high priest had other garments that were for “glory and beauty.” First was a robe of blue wool, woven in one piece, reaching from his shoulders to below his knees. It was without sleeves. On the hem of this robe of blue were arranged golden bells and pomegranates. These pomegranates made of blue, purple, and scarlet wool in the shape of pompoms.

Over the blue robe Aaron was to wear a double apron made of the same material as the veils, -- blue, purple, and scarlet wool, gold wire woven on a warp of fine linen. This was joined at the waist and on the shoulders, and was called the ephod. The ephod was embroidered with lilies. It was bound around his chest with a sash of the same material, blue, purple, scarlet and gold. The high priest was girded round his loins and round his heart. Bear this in mind when you read the promise of Christ’s being doubly girded with righteousness and truth

April 24, 2021

Let us think about the laver. Of what was it made? Brass. Where did the brass come from? Yes, women who worshiped! What did they contribute? Looking glasses (mirrors). Now, looking glasses are symbols of the law, according to James 1:24,25. But can the law ever cleanse? Never! And so, the Lord put in the laver the cleansing agency, the water of His Word. They went to the laver, and Moses washed Aaron. Then he dressed him with four special robes. They were each woven of fine linen. Aaron was to put on shorts from his waist to just above his knees. Over these shorts he was to wear a white robe that came just above his ankles, with sleeves to his wrists. Around his waist he bound a white belt or sash, or girdle, as our Bible terms it. On his head he placed a turban wrapped round and round, with an end hanging down his back. This is called a miter. These were the four garments. Incidentally, they were also worn by the ordinary priest. Only once a year the high priest ministered in them. It was on the Day of Atonement that Aaron, clad in the garments of an ordinary priest, functioned on behalf of all the people in the Most Holy Place as a climax to the year’s services.

Now these four garments, all of fine linen, represented Christ’s righteousness. (Revelation 19:8) This foundation of the character of heaven was placed upon Aaron. He did not possess it inherently. He did not buy those robes. They were provided by God. He did nothing to obtain them. When he had been cleansed, he was dressed in them. They are emblems of righteousness that we do not earn that results through our rebellion and sin.

April 17, 2021

In the fifth chapter of Hebrews, Paul tells us that no man took this office to himself but those who like Aaron were called by God. So, the first point about this priesthood is that God calls. For the divine call to be effective, there must be a hearing and obeying ear on the part of Aaron and those who are called as he was. God invites us to enter His service. We sing the hymn, “Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of this life’s wild restless sea.” Jesus calls us all! When He had called Aaron, He told Moses, “Bring Aaron to the door of the tabernacle.” How old was Moses when he was thus instructed? Eighty! His brother was two years older. We see those two brothers, walking step by step toward the east gate of the tabernacle. They left the veil and entered the court., making their way to the laver. The Mishnah tells us that the Levites had built a little enclosure to make the next part of the ceremony private. This ceremony is described in the eighth chapter of Leviticus. Having brought Aaron into this small pavilion by the laver, the Lord told Moses to take off his clothes and bathe him. Now, Aaron must have washed himself many times, but this washing he could not do for himself. It is a cleansing that only God can perform for mankind.