Exodus 28:6–14 (ESV)

“And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for remembrance. You shall make settings of gold filigree, and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.”

An ephod is like an apron.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ephod

It’s the golden apron here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PLATE4DX.jpg

The ephod is impressive enough, as befits this holy uniform, but the onyx stones are the key. When a priest enters the tabernacle, he’s not doing this for himself; he’s entering on behalf of the whole nation of Israel. This is symbolized by the names of the twelve tribes inscribed on the onyx stones.

One of the key concepts of Christianity is the priesthood of all believers. We effectively enter the tabernacle when we pray. That’s why it’s important for us to pray for others.

Of all the people you should pray for, your teachers probably need it most. Every teacher should be intimidated by the prospect of impacting the faith of others. I know I am.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. — James 3:1 (ESV)

Pray especially for the teachers and youth leaders in your church. Their importance cannot be overstated. Ask them what their prayer requests are. I’ll bet they give you more details than you expected.

You can pray for me too (and all the other writers at Ailbe). I get stuck a lot trying to figure out what a passage is teaching. The amazing thing is, the more stuck I get at first, the better the devotional ends up.

Thank God I get unstuck.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.