In the Old Testament, why did God order holy garments to be made for Aaron and his sons when they were given the office of priest?

Exodus 28:2-3 “And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office.”

Why did God want them to have such extravagant garments?  Were they to be held in high regard and given honor by the Jewish people?

Sincerely,
Hemming And Hawing

Dear Hemming and Hawing,

The priesthood was to be held in high regard because, as Ex 28:3 says, they were ministering to God.  The priesthood had a holy job; they were the servants of Jehovah, and that set them apart (Ex 19:22).  Their clothing was to reflect that holiness (Ex 40:13).  The priests weren’t special because of their own worth, but because of their proximity to God.  Today, the church is called “the royal priesthood” (1 Pet 2:9).  The church is special because of its proximity to and blessing from God.  Christians are sinners, too (Rom 3:23), but we have been made holy by the cleansing blood of Christ (Rev 1:5).  We are special because our Savior is special.

(This question is a follow-up to “Blasphemous Preaching”)

Thank you so very much for the quick response.  I left church early tonight and felt very guilty even taking communion to my Holy Father because I had to excuse myself right after communion, so I could leave.  I just had to get out of there.  The Sunday night service was worse than the morning.  I am beginning to think that my pastor has serious mental problems, and I don’t know what to do about it.  I am teaching Sunday school, and I am able to teach one hour of truth, and I am able to sing worship songs to God.  But the preaching is making my nerves shaky.  He either tells news stories that he gets from the internet that are so far fetched it’s like something from the Globe or the Enquirer, or he reads history books, or he shows videos on a big screen.  This morning, when he said what he did about Jesus, it was about the worst!  But nobody seems to mind.  If they do, I don’t hear it.  I am wanting to get away and seek the Lord for wisdom as to whether or not to quit the church, but I am certain that the Lord has called me to work for Him.  I just don’t know what to do about this preacher.  I e-mailed him the Scripture that proves that Mary and Joseph were married before Jesus was born, but he won’t say anything about it.  Would you please pray that God will show me what His plan is and what His will is?  I need to sing, and I love teaching Sunday school.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Horrified

Dear Horrified,

We appreciate your dedication to your congregation and your righteous indignation over false teaching.  May we offer some thoughts on the issue?  You have written to us on numerous occasions because of the unscriptural things that are coming from your church’s pulpit.  You are trying to balance your desire to work for Christ and your desire to avoid false teaching.  Have you considered that by leaving and going somewhere faithful, you would be doing both?  God says that a faithful congregation should be “a pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15).  In your own words, the church you are currently a part of isn’t – and the membership doesn’t seem to care about changing that.  Your labors (which you intended to offer to the Lord) are being used to support false teaching and unscriptural practices.  Since it seems clear that the congregation is at peace with their preacher’s sermons and teachings… you are now in the vast minority and propping up a sinking ship.  Looking at the character and honesty your letters have conveyed – you simply aren’t with a like-minded group of people.  We know of faithful, biblically-sound churches all across America… churches you could feel comfortable in, grow from the teaching of, and use your zeal and energy to support.  Would you consider letting us recommend one to you?  If so, e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

Who is Judah?

Sincerely,
Identity Check

Dear Identity Check,

Judah was the fourth son born to Jacob (Gen 29:35).  Judah’s father, Jacob, was also known as Israel and was the father of the nation of Israel (Gen 32:28).  Judah later became the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel (Num 1:27).  The tribe of Judah bore several prominent figures of the Bible.  King David was of the tribe of Judah (1 Sam 17:12), and so were all the subsequent kings of Judah.  In fact, God prophesied that the greatest king would come from the tribe of Judah… and He did.  Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah (Heb 7:14) and is referred to as the “Lion of Judah” (Rev 5:5).

Is God real?

Sincerely,
Searching

Dear Searching,

Your question is one of the fundamental questions of life: “Does God Exist?”  It is important that everyone asks this question at some point in their life; it is a basic question that is worthy of an honest answer.

We will try to give you some key evidence that there is a Creator, but we will also point you in the direction of some resources that may help you in your quest for answers.  So here we go:

1. Look at a watch and ask yourself the question, “Is this designed?”  Of course, a watch is designed – just like a house, a car, a camera, and other modern technological marvels.  You know they are designed because they are complex, they have purpose, and they are organized in a meaningful way.  Now look at your eye, your hand, even a single follicle of hair.  Are they designed?  They are infinitely more complex than a watch.  They have very distinct purposes, and they are all organized in a meaningful way.  You were designed by God; you have a Designer.  If you believe in watchmakers, you can believe in God.
2. The most basic laws of science tell us that nothing ever comes from nothing (1^st Law of Thermodynamics).  Einstein made it clear that nothing can be destroyed; energy can turn into matter and matter into energy, but everything that is here has always been here.  That begs the question, “Where did it all come from?”  Scientists all agree that everything we see had to come from somewhere, but the only logical answer to that question is ‘God’.  God, a supernatural deity not bound by the laws of physics, created all that we see and enjoy in this universe.
3. God’s Word is also proof that God is.  The Bible is a book that only God could write.  It has prophecies that are fulfilled hundreds of years after they are spoken.  It has remained unchanged by tradition or persecution for thousands of years.  It makes statements about how our world works hundreds of years before scientists realized the concepts for themselves.  The Bible is a book composed by over forty different writers over thousands of years, and yet it has no contradictions within it.  The Bible could not have been written by anyone but Deity.

These are just three reasons to believe in God; there are many more that space prevents us from mentioning.  We also recommend you go back and read through the posts in our EVIDENCES category.  You will see that you aren’t the only one who has questions about God, and you will also see that there are answers to every question.  We also recommend reading Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel. Both books are well worth the read.

What is the New Testament role of a pastor in a local congregation?

Sincerely,
Sheep

Dear Sheep,

Elders are the superintendents of a local congregation, and they are always men. The word elder is one title to describe the leaders of a local church. Other titles include ‘overseer/bishop’ (depending on translation – 1 Tim 3:1) and ‘pastor’ (Eph 4:11). The title of the job explains their role. They have the oversight of God’s people. That oversight only extends to one congregation (1 Pet 5:2), the local congregation that they are among. Each congregation has elders appointed in it (Acts 14:23).

Elders must meet strict requirements before they are appointed. Those qualifications can be found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Elders are always referred to by the pronouns ‘he’ and ‘him’ – thus making them men. Also, one of the qualifications is that they be ‘a husband of one wife’ (Titus 1:6) which makes it pretty clear we are talking about men. Elders also never serve alone.  All the churches in the Bible had multiple elders. Elders serve an important role of protecting, leading, and guiding the direction of a congregation. They will give an account for every christian in their congregation (Heb 13:17). A congregation should never take lightly the responsibility of appointing only completely qualified elders.

Why should I wait for sex?

Sincerely,
Just Askin’

Dear Just Askin’,

There are two ways to answer your question.  One way to answer your question would be to list the thousands of statistics that describe how much healthier of a lifestyle monogamy is.  We could explain the risks of promiscuity and the increased failure rate of relationships that pursue intimacy before marriage.  There are studies far and wide that prove the healthiest, happiest, and most well-adjusted relationships are monogamous relationships that wait until marriage… but that isn’t the way we are going to answer your question because as compelling as secular studies are, they aren’t nearly as compelling as the Bible.

The other way to answer your question is to tell you that God says sex outside of marriage is a sin and that we should flee all fornication (1 Cor 6:18).  God designed that level of intimacy for marriage only (Eph 5:31).  Our Creator knows what is best for us, and His Bible says sex outside of marriage is a sin.  That is why you should wait.