Letters #008: Of Priestly Dressing...
This content is based on a conversation with a friend on my discovery of the Lord's involvement with the priest's dressing in the old testament.
I once had a conversation about dressing with a close friend. We talked about how we’re all going crazy and I was not sure what good dressing or modesty is anymore and how to define it.
It’s something that’s always been on my mind.
I was reading Exodus 28 recently and it was all about God being specific to the last detail of what a priest’s dressing should be like. He even gave wisdom to people to make the clothes. It was a big deal! What stood out to me includes:
how God highlighted that the clothes should be for honour and beauty, for sanctification and setting apart
how He talked about covering the nakedness of the priests (their undergarments).
how He specified that bells should be added to the hem of the garments.
the part on giving wisdom for how the clothes should be made. I know God gives wisdom but the specificity of this just had me in awe.
how the priest should wear the people on his shoulders and his heart.
God was specific to the very last bit. This shows how dressing as priests meant so much to Him.
Thinking of how in these times, we are God’s priests, His representatives drawing the world near to Him, reading this made me realize that there’s a manner in which God would have His priests dress. There’s really nothing that God doesn’t have insight into or thoughts about. And there’s no part of us God doesn’t want to be involved in.
I have to be asking, “God, how do I dress in a manner befitting of your priests?” A manner that speaks of honour and beauty. “How do I wear your people on my shoulders and my heart? How do I present myself as set apart with my dressing?”
And you know, in those days, the priests wore the garments when they entered into the tabernacle to perform their priestly duties. They had on and off moments in that they weren’t always carrying the presence of God.
In our time, we’re constantly with and in the presence of the father. Of course, our garments are not necessarily to be like theirs physically, but I think the gravity of how a priest is to be dressed is not lost with them and the gravity of being a priest is even stronger in our time. The temple is no longer just a place. It’s now us. Living, breathing, moving temples. There’s no on and off. Where they put on the garments to go into the temple for service, we are constantly in the temple, so our dressing should be fit at all times.
I’ve been trying to find specific guidance for dressing in scripture so all of these was exciting to me cos God finally answered my question 😄 or at least has started me on the path.
It is important as God’s people that our stance on anything stems from God’s words and not “our truth” or “society’s truth”. The word of God is our source of truth. This is a topic I’m keen on exploring so I’d like to hear from you, what have you learned about dressing from scriptures? What would you like to learn?