We are in chapter twenty-eight of Exodus with our word for today which is a phrase used for the first time in the Bible in our chapter. חֹ֤שֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט֙ breast-piece of judgment. It is used 3 times in the Old Testament, all 3 are in our chapter today. Exodus 28:15 You shall make a חֹ֤שֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט֙ breastpiece of judgment. Exodus 28:29-30 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel בְּחֹ֧שֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּ֛טin the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. And in חֹ֣שֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly. Yesterday we looked at the word for breastpiece and focused on the aspect of it being on the priest heart which reminded him that the people should be on his heart as he is serving God. Today our phrase helps us understand another aspect. Why would God want the priest reminded to have the people on his heart? I think it is because God has the people on his heart. This theme runs throughout the entire Bible. God loves us and wants us close to him, he is always working to bring people to his heart. This is why I think it is called the breastpiece of judgment. Because our sin is judged and must be punished as sin against God who is holy which makes sense of what Aaron is to do “bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the LORD.” This is the point of the sacrifices as we have seen that pushed the sins back until Christ could come and do away with sin once a for all. Hebrews 10:10-14 we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Christ work is described as being judged for us instead of us who really deserved it. We are guilty but God declares us not guilty because of Jesus. Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified (which means declared not guilty) through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So I think this breastpiece of judgment reminds the priest and us that God has us on his heart as he makes the judgment we deserve on to his only Son Jesus. I’ll close with this great reminder. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, 21 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself … that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them … For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
