The meaning of an Ephod
An Ephod is simply an apron-like garment made of fine twined linen that is worn in ancient Hebrew rites. It is usually like a robe or gown for the High Priests. This is more than an ordinary linen or garment. It is a spiritual channel of connection to God.
Any priest that does not have the curious girdle of the ephod is not part of the high priest but an ordinary priest. The best description of Ephod is given in Exodus chapter 28 where God gave Moses instructions on how Aaron should prepare for the priestly ordinances and what to be worn in preparations.
The ephod was part of the sacred garment that Aaron was told to put on and the principal garment. Other garments mentioned are a breastplate, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash.
According to that scripture, the gifted artisans filled with knowledge and the spirit of wisdom were to make the Ephod of gold, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen with two shoulder straps joined at its two edges.
They were to also make intricately woven bands on the ephod, with the same gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen that the main garment is made of.
God instructed Moses to take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, representing the names of the children of Israel in order of their birth.
Two stones that bear the names of all the twelve tribes of Israel were to be attached on the shoulder pieces of the ephod with settings of gold, two chains of pure gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the settings.
These were to be used as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel. The oracular purposes of the memorial stones symbolize the people of Israel or what we can cite as ancient Israel.
I am not surprised about the meticulous instruction above, putting on an Ephod in the early days is a major preparation the Priests must do to sanctify themselves to communicate with God efficiently and effectively.
We have had three dispensations of how God relates to His people to date. The first one is in the old testament where God speaks to the people through His prophets.
When Jesus came in the new testament, He became the voice of God on earth.
In John 12 verses 49 to 50, Jesus says,
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
As Jesus ascended to heaven, He knew the people are used to direct communication with heaven and they will need a replacement, so Jesus gave them the promise of the Holy Spirit. He specifically told His disciples, I am handing over to the Holy Spirit.
I will send you the Holy Spirit, the Spirit Of Truth who will guide you into all truth that will not also speak of His own authority but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. This is the present dispensation we are in today.
The ephod is a vital material the prophets in the Old Testament use to access God. Anytime the people want to inquire from God, they will consult the prophets who will do that on their behalf using holy items such as Ephod which in most cases is referred to as a garment and forms a major part of the official dress of the high priest.
Let us deep dive into the context of Ephod in the bible.
What is the origin of Ephod?
Ephod was first recorded in 1350 – 1400 from a historic period Latin from Hebrew Ephōd, which means “idol” in some texts. The historical books of some bible Researchers attribute the description of the Ephod in Exodus to a later date other than when mentioned.
A lot of modern scholars believe in the existence of Ephod over time in a highly ceremonial form from the more primitive beginnings of the linen described in the book of Exodus.
That is why some people did not see Ephod just as the simple linen outer garment or any other form of clothing but as an item of function, sacred importance, something like an idol or other special material to be displayed.
An example of this is seen in the book of Judges chapter 8.
The children of Israel asked Gideon and his descendants to continue to rule over them since he has delivered them from the hand of Midianites. Gideon made requested their golden rings and golden earrings.
They laid down a garment and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder until they achieve great weight. The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks.
Gideon made all these into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. and all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and his house and was worshipped by all the people.
Another example is seen in the same book of Judges where Micah also made an ephod and household idols of molten image; and consecrated one of his sons, to become the Priest.
This ephod is the engraved image and a graven image that was made from two hundred shekels of silver out of the eleven hundred shekels given to her by Micah. ( Judges 17 verse 5).
Other places where Ephod was mentioned in the bible?
Ephod was not just mentioned in the book of Exodus and Judges only. It was also mentioned in other parts of the bible. The group of passages below shows some of the other places where ephod is mentioned in the bible.
In the book of Leviticus chapter 8, Moses prepared and decorated Aaron and his sons with priestly garments according to God’s commandments.
“Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. And he put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him. Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate. And he put the turban on his head. Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses.” ( Leviticus chapter 8 verses 6 to 9)
We also see this in the book of 1 Samuel 2. Samuel served God as a little child. This text described him wearing an ephod of linen.
“But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.” ( 1 Samuel 2 verses 18 to 19)
1 Samuel 21 talks about David and Ahimelech engaging the power of ephod. Priests always have ephod readily available with them. When David went to consult Ahimelech in Nob, there was an urgent need for him to deal with a servant of Saul who was detained in that place.
The sword given to David to use as a weapon was kept in a holy place in the house of Ahimelech, right by the side of the ephod.
“And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.”And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.” ( 1 Samuel chapter 21 verses 8 to 9 )
The biblical text in 2 Samuel 6 also mentions David wearing a linen ephod when he celebrated the ark of God that he took from the house of Obed Edom to the city of David.
“Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. Then David danced[g] before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.” ( 2 Samuel chapter 6 verses 12 to 14 )
Do We Need an Ephod to Talk to God Today?
The answer is No No No! We do not need Ephod to talk to God today. Ephod is a thing of the old. As mentioned above, we are in a new dispensation of communication with God. Everyone now has direct communication with God. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
When He came, He broke every barrier blocking our access to heaven, and when He left, He did not leave us alone but gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit who is now the intermediary between us and God.
God said in Jeremiah 33 and verse 3,
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
The hand of God is not short that it cannot save; neither His ears heavy that it cannot ear. It is our sins that have hidden His face from us and have separated us that He will not hear. God is always willing, He is ever ready and ever able to attend to His children.
The Ephod of today is our sanctification and adoration of God. In the same way, the Priests wear the physical ephod, believers are expected to wear their clothes of holiness as we appear in the presence of God to serve and worship him.
The scripture says in 2 Timothy 2 verses 19 to 21,
“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”
God is holy and will always be holy. The prayer of a sinner is an abomination to him. The Bible admonishes us to pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
What was the spiritual purpose of Ephod in the Bible?
The initial purpose of Ephod in the bible was for it to be worn by the High Priest whenever they wanted to interact with God. It was a sacred vestment or what can be referred to as holy garments used as objects of worship.
The use of ephod signifies the preparation and readiness to communicate with God. The ephod itself symbolized the righteousness and power of God over His people. Among other ceremonial garments, the ephod is vital. that is why a lot of time and effort was involved in making it. Any priest who cannot wear the ephod means he is not fit to talk to God.
The materials used in preparing it were cautiously selected by God (gold, blue, purple, finely twisted linen with scarlet yarn). God also gave exact measurements and details of each of the items. This simply reveals God’s perfection.
It was also intended to serve as a constant reminder of God’s specific desires for believers.
Conclusion
The application of the subject of Ephod in modern-day Christianity is holiness. There is a call for constant sanctification for all believers. God warned us to come out and be separated from every filthiness. To stay away from every unclean thing.
God does not just want us to be holy but to remain holy, purifying ourselves from everything that can contaminate our body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. The gold fastenings in the ephod also symbolize holiness.
When Jesus died for us, we became free from sin and became slaves of God, the benefit we reap from that led to holiness, and the result attained is eternal life.
Let us, therefore, offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is the true and proper worship that is acceptable to Him.
How do I achieve this? Make yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, says “takes away from us that old sense of hopelessness which we have known and felt because of the terrible power of sin. I can say to myself that not only am I no longer under the dominion of sin, but I am under the dominion of another power that nothing can frustrate.”
Sin is a barrier to our access to God. The prayer of sinners is a mere noise to God. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous is what produces results. Secure the presence of God around your life today. Lay off every filthy garment today and put on a new garment of holiness.
We don’t need to look around for ephod or look for priests in the present day. The Bible says Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.