Wesley Corpus

He pitcheth upon the persons who should be his servants, ver. 1. He appoints their livery; their work was holy, and so must their garments be, and answerable to the glory of the house which was now to be erected, ver. 2 - 5. He appoints the garments of his head - servant, the high - priest, An ephod and girdle, ver. 6 - 14. A breast - plate of judgement, ver. 16 - 29. in which must be put the Urim and Thummim, ver. 30. The robe of the ephod, ver. 31 - 35. The mitre, ver. 36 - 39. (2.) The garments of the inferior priests, ver. 40 - 43 Aaron and his sons - Hitherto every master of a family was priest to his own family. But now the families of Israel began to be incorporated into a nation, and a tabernacle of the congregation was to be erected, as a visible centre of their unity, it was requisite there should be a publick priesthood instituted. Moses, who had hitherto officiated, and is therefore reckoned among the priests of the Lord, Psa 99:6, had enough to do as their prophet, to consult the oracle for them, and as their prince, to judge among them. Nor was he desirous to ingross all the honours to himself, or to entail that of the priesthood, which alone was hereditary, upon his own family; but was very well pleased to see his brother Aaron invested with this office, and his sons after him; while (how great soever he was) his sons after him would be but common Levites. It is an instance of the humility of that great man, and an evidence of his sincere regard to the glory of God, that he had so little regard to the preferment of his own family. Aaron, that had humbly served as a prophet to his younger brother Moses, and did not decline the office, is now advanced to be a priest to God.