52 The T abmiacle tics may seek to rob Hirn of His deity, but only to their own shame and eternal doom; they can not alter the truth of God. If Jesus was not God, then His miracles were a stupendous fraud-another blasphemous thought! If He was not God, then His death was less noble than that of the courageous martyrs of all the centuries-yet another blasphemous thought! Jesus of Nazareth was "God ... manifest in the flesh" (I Tiro. 3:16). The two precious onyx stones upon the shoulders of the ephod were ei:i-graved with the names of ~he twe~ve tribes of Israel: six names on each shoulder, accordmg to their birth" (Exod. 28: 10). The names engraved upon the breastplate, which Aaron wore upon his heart, were "according to the twelve tribes," as they were encamped around the tabernacle, and as they journeyed on the march. The shoulder is the place of strength; the heart, the seat of the affections. Aaron literally carried his people upon his shoulders and bore them upon his heart, minister- ing for them as their representative before Jehovah. This is a beautiful picture of how the Lord Jesus carries us and all our burdens, as it were, upon His omnipotent shoulders; and of how He loves us with an everlasting love. (See Isaiah 40:11; 63:9; Psalm 55:22; I Peter 5:7.) If we could but take Him at His Word, "casting all" our "care upon him," knowing that He careth for us! 5. The Breastplate. The breastplate, which was the crowning glory to the ephod, was "foursquare ... being doubled," a span in length and a span in breadth. Some think it was a kind of bag or pouch, into which were placed the "Urim and the Thummim" (Exod. 28:30). Others hold that the "Urim and the Thummirn" are a "collective name for the stones of the breastplate." Of this we shall have more to say a bit later. In any case, this
53 The Tabernacle costly breastplate was securely fastened to the shoulder pieces of the ephod by golden chains, and to the ephod also just "above the curious girdle of the ephod," by a lace of blue passed through rings of gold, "that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod." Can you imagine, my friend, the costly price and the brilliant radiance of this most costly of all the garments "for glory and for beauty"? Each precious stone was large enough for the name of a tribe to be engraved upon it- four rows of stones, with three jewels in each row! They were the sardius, the topaz, and the carbuncle in the first row; an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond in the second row; a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst in the third row; a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper in the fourth row. All these were set in gold. Nothing else in all the tabernacle was so costly. These were Aaron's treasures! God tells us that we are His "jewels" (Mal. 3: 17). We are very precious to Hirn, so precious that He paid a very costly price for our redemption, the price of the blood of His beloved Son! Every beam of light that fell upon Aaron fell also upon the names of his people; and the Father's smile upon His beloved Son, the heavenly Bride- groom, falls also upon His bride; for we have been "ac- cepted in the beloved." He sees us identified with Christ, crucified with Him, risen with Him, and seated with Him in heavenly places! (Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:1-4; Eph. 1:3). The onyx stones upon Aaron's shoulders were alike; but the costly stones upon his heart differed one from another in their glory. We have seen that the names worn upon the shoulders were engraved "according to their birth"; those upon the heart, "according to the twelve tribes;" Even so all the redeemed of God are His by virtue of the new birth in Christ Jesus; but all ar.e not learning
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