We are in chapter thirty-nine of Exodus with our word for today. אַרְגָּמָן wool dyed with red purple. It is used 38 times in the Old Testament, 7 times in our chapter. Our word is used only seven times in the sense of fabric that has been dyed purple. Esther 8:15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen וְאַרְגָּמָ֑ן and purple. The overwhelming way our word is used with 29 uses referring to setting up the tabernacle worship. All but a couple of these references use our word as wool yarn that has been dyed purple (Exodus 35:23, 25). This is how our word is used 7 times in our chapter to describe the color of the yarn used to make the priests garments. Exodus 39:1-3 From the blue וְהָֽאַרְגָּמָן֙ and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments, for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron. He made the ephod of gold, blue וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and הָֽאַרְגָּמָ֔ן purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design. It is also identified specifically as part of the shirt or ephod. Exodus 39:4-5 They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges. And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses. And another reference as part of the breastpiece. Exodus 39:8 He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. We also see it used as the color of the hem of the robe. Exodus 39:24 On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue וְאַרְגָּמָ֖ן and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. And our word is used to describe the color of the sash of the coats for the priests. Exodus 39:27, 29 They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons … and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework. Our word has always been associated with royalty. As we saw earlier with Mordecai when the king wanted to honor him he put him in purple. By using this color God is pointing to how valuable and important for people to connect with him in worship. So this was part of the tabernacle worship to show the people how important this was. What is interesting is that Jesus who is God who became man was mocked with this color. Those who beat him and crucified him made fun of him by dressing him as a king while they were torturing him. Mark 15:16-20 They clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. The irony is that Jesus really is the true king worthy of purple and every honor that a king deserves. But he left the riches of heaven to become human and endure the punishment of sin that we all deserve. He did all of this because connecting people back to God is the most valuable thing there is. I’ll close with this great reminder. Revelation 1:5-7 Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.
