“And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be, according to the twelve tribes.”—EXODUS xxviii. 21.
AARON was a real priest. He was called of God to his office. He was the priest of a typical dispensation, and his priesthood accordingly was typical. It presents points of contrast, however, as well as of resemblance. A type was something necessarily defective. However far it corresponded with its antitype, it was not identical with it. It corresponded so far and no further than this, that in certain points of marked resemblance the antitype was foreshown or foreshadowed in the type. The points of contrast should fall out of view, when we consider the relation of type and antitype, and we should be chary of endeavouring to strain minor resemblances as though they entered deeply into this relation.
Aaron was God’s priest in Israel in a shadowy dispensation. In Christ the substance of the shadows has come. Aaron’s priesthood had to do with the holy things and standing of the people; it could not, however, deal with sin. It was not an abiding priesthood. From father to son it passed, age after age. But these circumstances belonged to it, because it was but a type. It was but a type, and so imperfection is found cleaving to it; but it was a type, and as such it is full of instruction as relates to Christ the Antitype, in His call, His consecration, and His execution of the office.
Israel was a kingdom of priests, yet once the Aaronic priesthood was instituted none could fulfil priestly functions but those who belonged to the priestly family. In this respect the new dispensation differs from the old, for it knows nothing of a special priesthood apart from that of the high priest, except the common priesthood of the called of God, who are a royal priesthood and a peculiar people. Within the priestly family, however, there was a distinction. There was but one high priest. He differed in rank and he differed in privilege from all the rest. When the annual round of services was consummated on the Day of Atonement, he alone could enter into the holiest; only then could even he enter, and he alone could enter then. That one should be an ordinary priest availed no more than that one should be an ordinary Israelite, to give one a share in the service of atonement and intercession of that day. The annual observances
were now crowned; they came to a head, and when they did, the distinction between the high priest and all Israel besides came out clearly. He alone made atonement, and he alone bore the guilt of the holy things of the people, and made intercession for them within the vail. As his position was thus unique and so distinct in Israel, so was his raiment. And the details given us in this chapter are not meaningless when they tell us with such minuteness how the high priest was clothed for glory and for beauty. The other priests had their priestly garments, but the breastplate attached to the ephod they had no right to; it was the high priest’s. On the great day that marked out his distinct position in the nation, these garments would be worn. A priestly robe belonged to the other priests, but they had not the ephod. It marked out the high priest, and where it was, there was the breastplate, for they were not to be sundered.
There is such a thing as priestly intercession on the part of the children of God. They do not, however, atone either for themselves or for one another; that is exclusively the work of their High Priest. They bear one another’s burdens; they pray for one another, but all their burden bearing is in the strength and in the name of their High Priest. All their intercession is for His sake, and is presented and offered, not for their own merits, but for His; it is all presented through Him; it is all presented by Him. Just as in Israel there was priestly activity and service through the year, yet it was all summed up on the Day of Atonement, so is it with the priestly service of God’s royal priesthood. They are active in service, but all this service is presented in Christ, and is accepted in Christ, and He represents thus each one. As the ephod with the plate marked out the high priest, so does Christ’s sole prerogative of atonement and efficacious intercession mark Him off from the spiritual Israel, whose High Priest He is. The ephod spoke of the distinction and perfection of the high priest’s office, and it was inseparable from the function of bearing the names of the people, as a memorial, upon his heart. As surely as the high priest was clothed with the ephod, so surely did he bear the names of Israel on his shoulders and on his bosom. The onyx stones were in the shoulder pieces of the ephod, and the plate was so attached that it was not to be parted from the ephod. These two things belong to the distinct and perfect high priesthood of the Son of God, namely, that He bore His people’s burdens on His shoulders, and bears their names upon His heart.
Aaron was Israel’s priest, and Christ has an Israel to represent too. His Israel are chosen of God; they are the seed of Abraham and Sarah; they are fore-known and predestinated. They bear in this world a character of their own; one and all of them bear this character, and He represents them all. They only are Israelites who have this character; they only enjoy the shelter of His high priestly intercession; they only can claim Him as
their own. They are circumcised in heart, and because of this they worship God in the spirit, they rejoice in Christ Jesus, and they have no confidence in the flesh. These are the spiritual Israel. Christ is their priest; He bore their burden, and He now bears their names before His Father. By their character are the true Israel known, and may they know themselves. Another aspect under which the Israel Christ represents may be viewed is this: they have been given by the Father, and whether they have all come or not, it is sure that none given shall be finally wanting, for all given before the world was are drawn in time. Then do they become Abraham’s seed indeed when they become Christ’s. Till then they are of their father, the devil; they are aliens; but their sins were laid on Him, and He has them brought to Him. As their High Priest this distinguishes Him, that He alone atoned for them and He alone effectually intercedes for them. As Aaron’s priesthood extended to the twelve tribes, so does Christ’s to all the heirs of the promise.
But it may be asked, What is this breastplate of which our text speaks? It was made of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, after the making of the ephod. It was doubled and square, and rested on the bosom of the ephod below the shoulders and above the girdle. How was it kept in position? There were, from the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, golden chains depending, and they were attached to rings on the breastplate, between it and the ephod, at the upper edge of the breastplate. There was a chain from each shoulder, and thus the plate was kept in position above. Again, at the lower end of the plate, there were rings, probably on the concealed side of it, and on the ephod there were corresponding rings. By these rings the ephod and the breastplate were attached with a blue lace. They were so attached that the breastplate was kept in its own place in front of the ephod.
Now, all these things were not purposeless or without meaning. Let us consider some of the meaning. Was there any special connection between the shoulder-pieces and the breastplate? There was, and it was this, that the breastplate depended for support on the shoulder-pieces. In these shoulder-pieces we read that there were two onyx stones, and on each of them six names of the tribes of Israel were engraved, so that the two shoulders bore the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The high priest bore the burden of Israel’s priesthood. The burden of the priesthood rested on his shoulders, and it rested on his shoulders because he was high priest. The onyx stones were set in the shoulder-pieces of the ephod. This distinguished him from all the rest of Israel, that he bore the burden of their holy things. The burden of their priesthood brought with it the burden of their guilt. This burden had to be borne, and none shared with him in the bearing of this burden. The burden of their guilt was borne by him, in order to bear it away. He bore their guilt in order to atone for it. This was no light burden; one shoulder
alone could not bear it; the two must be under it. The actual guilt of the true Israel was no light burden; it needed a person to bear it that could do so. Christ bore it, but it was such a burden that it pressed him down to the dust of death. He was crucified in weakness. Both his shoulders came under the burden. A divine Saviour was required and nothing else. The Lord provided this; “a chosen one out of the folk.” He came under the burden, and it is His sole prerogative to atone for sin. This is His province, and none can meddle with it; but there was a close connection between His burden-bearing and His intercession.
His intercession is grounded on His finishing the work given Him to do. The Lord laid on Him “the iniquities of us all,” “The chastisement of our peace was upon him.” He makes intercession for transgressors, and that because He poured out His soul unto death. He grounds His petition on His performance. “I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work thou gavest me to do. Now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory that I had with thee before the world was.” His priesthood included His propitiatory work, but quite as surely it includes His intercessory work. Not more surely the one than the other. He finished the work of propitiation. He secured the title to eternal life, but He now lives to plead His own merits. He died that He might live; He lives to intercede. It is true that He by death destroyed death, but it is at the same time true that it was for Him to ask that He might receive. “Ask of me, and for heritage the heathen I’ll make thine.” He asked life, and He got it, even length of days for ever and ever. He is expressly said to be an all-powerful Saviour in virtue of His intercession; able to save to the uttermost, because He lives for ever to make intercession for the guilty. He intercedes for all that come to God through Him. As surely as the breastplate could not be taken away from the ephod, so surely is Christ’s intercession involved in His high priestly office. But as surely as the breastplate and the ephod were inseparable, so surely were the ephod and the onyx stones on its shoulder-pieces; and so the propitiatory work of Him who bore the burden of the priesthood is inseparable from His priesthood. They were alike inseparable from Christ’s priesthood, the propitiation and the intercession, but though alike essential they were inter-connected. The intercession rests on and depends on the propitiation. It is only because He poured out His soul unto death that He effectually intercedes for transgressors.
Aaron bore the names of Israel on his shoulder, and the same names again on his breast. In the two functions of atonement and intercession he acted on behalf of the same clients. So it is with Christ; His intercession covers the same ground with His atonement. He bore the sins of those whose names He bears before the Father. And in considering this we may look at John xvii. for a moment or two. For whom did Christ there pray?
Not for the world, but for them that were given to Him. Who were they? They were such as kept the Father’s word; they were such as believed that He came forth from God. They were given Him by the Father in effectual calling. For those also, He prayed, that should believe on Him through their word. None personally have a title to Christ’s priestly remembrance but those that have received Him as their priest. They have a right to His intercession, a right that is rooted in the righteousness made over to them in justification.
There is a distinction, however, between Christ having power to intercede, and sinners having a right to Christ’s intercession. Those that are children of wrath have no right to anything save the wrath and curse of God. Till the children of God are called by grace they are children of wrath. Christ has a right to intercede for them, and in His own right He prays and is answered. He asks and receives the heathen for His possession, and the uttermost parts of the earth as His heritage. He asks and He receives. In virtue of His thus asking they are effectually called. He has died for them, and He is to see of the travail of His soul. He asks for His reward, and He receives it. In due time those for whom He has died and purchased redemption are united to Him, and are no longer children of wrath. They are now heirs of God; they now share in the shelter of His enjoyed intercession with those that have passed to before the throne. He prays for them and not for the world, that they be kept, that they finally be with Him where He is, to behold His glory. He prays for them, and His prayer obtains an answer. It is not offered in vain; its efficaciousness secures their salvation. He lives to intercede, and by interceding to save to the uttermost. Christ bore on His shoulders the burden of all that believe in His name, and He bears their names on his heart. All those whose burden He once bore are still remembered by Him, and none of them shall be lost. For if atonement is as extensive as intercession, intercession is as extensive as atonement, and as intercession depends on atonement, or, as it were, draws on the fountain of its merit and efficacy, so the merit and efficacy of the atonement flow forth in the channel of intercession. He has atoned for all for whom He intercedes; His intercession covers all for whom He has atoned. Of these there are some that already enjoy the covert of this intercession through faith in His blood; of the rest it is true that they yet shall enjoy it, and His power will bring them to submit to the righteousness which is of God by faith. None can warrantably flatter himself with being within Christ’s intercession without faith in His name; only through faith in this Christ as our surety and righteousness are we warranted to hope that the shield of His intercession covers us. Thus, as the breastplate depended on the shoulder-pieces, so does Christ’s effectual intercession stand related to the burden that He bore when the Lord caused to meet on Him “the iniquities of us all.”
But where was this breastplate borne? Just over the heart. On the great Day of Atonement, when the high priest went into the holiest of all on behalf of his people, Israel, these names were borne upon his bosom. They were between his heart and the place of the Most High’s dwelling. He stood before the cherubim that shaded the ark and the mercy seat. There dwelt the God of Israel. Before Him came the high priest, transacting on behalf of the people. Their names he bore on his heart. The name of one tribe was not more surely there than the name of another, for they were all there; none of them was forgotten. Was this a pattern of the heavenly things? Christ enters into the holiest of all; He has entered in; He bears the names of His spiritual Israel in intercession upon His bosom. Where could they be safer? Their abiding place is between the heart of the Father and the Son. Could a warmer, could a safer place be theirs? He intercedes for His Israel; for those given from eternity, and not yet brought in, His intercession avails. It secures that they shall not die impenitent; it secures that they shall hear His voice and follow Him. He gives to His sheep eternal life. There is the security that those He died to redeem shall be effectually called. He died and He lives, and His living love is not less than His dying love. If He poured out His soul to death for them, He will pour out His Spirit upon them and draw them with the cords of love and with the bands of a man. He intercedes within the vail for His Israel, but who are they, and how shall they be known, or how shall they know themselves? They are those that come to God through Him. Thus are they to be known, and thus may they know themselves. He intercedes for them; He is their shield; and God looks on the face of His anointed; in Him He beholds them, and beholding them is well satisfied with them for His righteousness’ sake.
His intercession is incessant, and it is prevalent. Nothing can withstand it. It is their salvation. If it is such, what does it do for them? Why, this: all they have need of in time is secured to them. Meat, drink, raiment, are provided. What will bring them through this world will be theirs; they “shall not want.” To this end their character conspires, for what the Lord has purposed them for, He brings them to. He calls upon them to be fervent in spirit, and not slothful in business. He inclines them to such activity as that this character is theirs, and He blesses their activity while they can exercise it, for providing them with what they need for their journey on to Jordan. When the days of health and strength are past He still upholds them. Even unto hoar hairs He is their God; He is their guide even unto death. The intercession of Christ secures this for them, for He bears all their names and cases on His bosom.
What more does this intercession secure? Why, this: that their faith shall not fail them. They are kept ever; they are kept by the power of God unto salvation, through faith. And as it is
through faith that they shall come to salvation, they are upheld in faith, for they are predestinated unto salvation. No one plucks the sheep out of the good Shepherd’s hand. None can pluck them out of the Father’s hand. In the effectual intercession of Christ they are kept unto salvation, as He bears their names before the Father. Their security is between the loving intercession of the Beloved and the Father of mercies, to whom this intercession is made. At the sight of the waves Peter began to sink, but he was not lost. Sion may say that the Lord has forsaken her, that her God has forgotten her. But no! her name is on the palms of His hands, her walls are continually before Him. Is it only on His hands her name is engraved? No, no. It is also on His heart; just as Aaron bore the plate on his bosom, so bears Christ His people’s names on His heart. They are ever remembered by Him. When they remember Him He remembers them, but what is more wonderful still, even when they forget Him He still remembers them, and because He remembers them He secures that His seed shall remain in them. They shall not fall from the faith, but are upheld in it. Is this all His intercession brings with it? This is not a bare upholding; it is a positive victory. “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” He upholds them to victory. The fact of their being alive to God is the fruit of His victory for them, so that this upholding is a continual victory over the league of darkness; and the intercession that secures this upholding, secures it to the end, and so it issues in final victory.
What, however, it may be asked about this life of faith? Is it a life of sinless perfection? By no means. While the Israel of God are left here, they sin and come short of God’s glory. “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Sin is theirs, and yet it is not laid to their charge. What secures this? We may say, the intercession of Christ, the fact that He bears their names upon His bosom. “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” He makes intercession for the transgressors; His intercession, as it were, comes between them and their sins. Their persons are accepted, and their sins are forgiven. This is so, because He intercedes for them; their sins are not laid to their charge. This, indeed, is the standing of the justified—”Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” These things are secured by the intercession. They shall not come into condemnation; there is no more condemnation for them. Should not this leave the High Priest’s breast-plate precious in their eyes?
But how long does this intercession avail? It avails for ever. Christ is a priest for ever. His salvation is for ever; it is through His priesthood; and thus the intercession of Christ in its results
has no end. It is summed up in this—”Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.” They shall not weary in beholding it, and their everlasting beholding of the glory of Christ is but the effect of his abiding priesthood and its accompanying intercession. A death of victory, an abundant entrance into the kingdom, a glorious resurrection, a public acknowledgment in judgment, and eternal glory, all belong to those that Christ represents within the vail. Little wonder then that His intercession should be prized. Never can it be prized enough.
Two questions now remain to be considered with regard to this intercession. Who actually enjoy it? This is one question. The other is—How can those, that have it not, come to have its shelter? We have incidentally touched on the first of these questions once and again in our remarks, and we need not now enlarge on the subject. Those only can claim a right to what Christ’s intercession brings with it who are in Christ, and have Christ formed in them the hope of glory. Those who are in Christ are born again; they live a new life. They live, yet not they, but Christ lives in them. The life they live is one of faith in the Son of God, who loved them and gave Himself for them. Without distinction, all believers have the covert of their Saviour’s intercession. They one and all are sheltered, the weakest as surely as the strongest. The strongest need it as much as the weakest, and the weakest enjoys it as surely as the strongest. Some of them may be tempted at times to think that Christ will reject them, will have nothing further to do with them. But Christ deals with His poor people, not according to their doubts, but according to their faith. They commit themselves to Him, and He does not refuse them. Tried, tempted, footsore, weary, they may be, yet their hope is in Him, to Him do they look, and they look not in vain. But how can those who have not the shelter of this intercession come to have it? How can we obtain a right to the intercession of the Lord Jesus? There is but one way, and that is, that as sinners we should come to Him and embrace Him as our Saviour, to be our prophet, our priest, and our king. When, and only when, a union is thus effected between us poor sinners and Christ, the mighty to save, shall we have the covert of His intercession, or can we be warranted to cherish hope with regard to our latter end. Christ is held forth in the gospel to the chief of sinners, and they are welcome to have Him. Those who will not have Himself, need not wish to have the benefit of His mediation.
This, then, is the testing and turning point. “He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” There are but these two classes among men. There are but two ways, the way of life and the way of death. In the Christ that is held out to us in the gospel, there is a full and irreversible title to eternal glory. But we must ever remember, the title is in Him.
Only by being in Him can we get it. He is held forth to us as freely as the air. He is not more free to one than to another. And every one who would see life and glory must submit to Christ, who is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Say not “He will not hear me, He has given me no answer in peace.” If you have indeed called, if you have indeed come, then He has answered. He has received you, and tossed though you may be by fears and unbelief, yet the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but His kindness and the covenant of His peace will not be removed. He ever liveth to make intercession, and in His intercession He remembers each and all of his people. Their names are on His breast-plate, not one of them is forgotten.