His Righteousness My Defense

As I was enjoying my coffee and God time today, I happened upon something that made me literally jubilant in my heart. First of all, I think it is the greatest thing when people take the Old Testament and then show how the Old Testament law was fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament. (Matt 5:17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am come not to destroy, but to fulfil.) I cannot say that I have ever had the opportunity myself to understand where there was a parallel from the Old Testament to the New before. But today, the Lord showed me something that impacted me so deeply. I want to share it with you and I truly pray that whether you have seen or heard it before, or if this is completely new to you, that you will receive as rich a blessing as I did when the Lord gave it to me. So, here goes!

I was reading in Exodus chapter 28, and for the last couple chapters, the Lord has been instructing Moses how to construct the tabernacle. Now in chapter 28, the Lord begins to describe the wardrobe for the priests, particularly Aaron (Moses’ brother). I have to admit, I was kind of just speed reading through this, until I saw verse 15. “And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.”

Now, I was not really paying a lot of attention, but when I saw “the breastplate of judgment”, I thought, hang on a second, there is no “breastplate of judgment” in the Bible! There is only the breastplate of righteousness, and that is way later. But there it was right in front of me, plain as day. And then I continued to read about it, paying closer attention. The High Priest, Aaron, was to wear this breastplate of judgment all the time. Verses 29 & 30, “And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.”

Now, once a year, Aaron would go into the holy of holies, and offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. So, Aaron literally bore the judgment of the children of Israel. It was his responsibility to make the payment that would atone for their sins. Then I realized, Christ, who is the new High Priest also bore the judgment of our sins. But he did not bear them in the form of a breastplate. He bore the judgment for our sins in his own body.

1 Peter 2:24, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Hebrews 9:24-28, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Christ, being the new High Priest, rather than making offerings once a year from the blood of goats and bulls, offered himself as an eternal sacrifice for the atonement of every person. 

Hebrews 9:11-15, “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”

Christ, after his death on the cross, entered into the real holy of holies in heaven to stand before God as the offering for all of mankind. As he did, the veil of the earthly temple was torn signifying that no longer would we need a priest on earth to make sacrifices for us. Christ had become the High Priest and was now our only access to God the Father. 

Matthew 27:51, “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”

1 Timothy 2:5 & 6, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

Now, here is the exciting part. Jesus is now the High Priest. We now have direct access to God through Him. The breastplate of judgment is gone. There is no longer a need for a priestly robe, or an ephod or any of those things pertaining to the priesthood. Christ has given us a new covenant and with that, a new calling.

Ephesians 6:10- 14, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.”

First, He has called us to a relationship with Him. For, only through a relationship with him can we be strong in him. Secondly, he has called us to be warriors. Through our relationship with him, he has equipped us. One of the first pieces of the armour he gives us is a breastplate. This breastplate is not one of judgment, but of righteousness. It is the gift of his righteousness that we wear and call our own. It is this righteousness that gives us the boldness to defeat the power of darkness. It is this righteousness that allows us to call out to him, “Abba, Father!” It is by this righteousness that He calls us his sons and daughters.