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The Tabernacle humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2: 6-8). In the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed that His Father's will be done, fulfilling yet another marvelous prophecy which we have read earlier in this lesson, found in Psalm 40:6-8 and quoted in Heb. 10:5-8. Then He died in obedience to His Father's will, bearing the penalty of sin for His guilty creatures. Before He died, did He not "gird himself" and wash His disciples' feet, teaching them that "the servant is not greater than his Lord"? Did He not, in this act, also leave us an example, that we should serve one another for His sake, confessing our wrongs, forgiving and restoring one another? (See John 13 :2-17.) Did He not teach us in this beautiful lesson the need for the daily, constant cleans- ing from the defilement of sin by the "washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26)? Is He not even now the girded One, serving us without ceasing before the "throne of grace," forgiving, interceding, presenting our prayers to the Father? Yea; He "ever liveth to make intercession" for His own (Heb. 7:25). 3. The Blue Robe of the Ephod. The description of the beautiful blue robe of the ephod is found in Exod. 28: 31-3 5. It was called "the robe of the ephod" because it was worn just under the ephod, and was held in place by the same girdle, called "the curious (i.e., 'skilfully made') girdle of the ephod" (Exod. 28:8). This robe was made of one piece, with a "hole in the top thereof," through which the head was passed, and with "a binding of woven work round about the hole of it ... that it be not rent." It was "all of blue," the heavenly color, which reminds us of the heavenly character of our Lord. The robe is a symbol of Christ's position, office, and
The Tabernacle 44 Our Lord Himself said that He always did those things that pleased His Father in heaven. He declared over and over again that He was eternal God, one with the Father, sent down from heaven, the great "I AM." It would be blasphemy to say that He did not speak the truth! His miracles evidenced the fact that He was God; for none other than the eternal God could have done His mighty works. one other than the all-wise God could have spoken His words of "grace and truth." We who love Hirn know that He always was and al- ways will be the sinless, mighty, eternal God-pure and righteous in His very Being. And of this holiness the em- broidered linen robe of Aaron spoke. We dare not say that Aaron, in his ministry, was not a type of Christ-not after reading the Epistle to the Hebrews! Then why should Aaron's garments not suggest the glories of the Greater than Aaron, our living High Priest? 2. The Girdle. The "girdle of needlework" was a symbol of service and a symbol of strength for service. (See Luke 17:8; Isa. 22:21.) It was put upon Aaron; Christ was, in Himself, the Strong One who came, "not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Seven-hundred years before He was born in Bethlehem, Isaiah had foretold the coming into the world of the faith- ful Servant of Jehovah (Isaiah 42: 1) . Then "when the fulness of the time was come," He was born into the ·world, " born of a woman," born to do His Father's will. Although, from all eternity, He had been "in the form of God," yet He "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the like- ness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he
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