Connect Exodus 28:12 with other scriptures about intercession and remembrance. Shoulder Stones: Carried Before the LORD • “Fasten both stones onto the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear their names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.” (Exodus 28:12) • Two onyx stones, six tribal names on each, rest on the high priest’s shoulders—the place of strength. • “Memorial” (Hebrew zikkārôn) points to lasting remembrance; “bear” speaks of representation and intercession. • Every time Aaron steps into the sanctuary, the whole nation is borne before God’s face. Other Mosaic Memorials of Intercession • Exodus 28:29 – “So whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder before the LORD.” – Shoulder stones (strength) pair with the breastpiece (love): head-to-heart coverage for the people. • Leviticus 24:7 – “You shall put pure frankincense on each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, an offering made by fire to the LORD.” – Even the bread of the Presence embodied Israel’s continual remembrance before God. • Numbers 16:46-48 – Aaron runs with the censer and “made atonement for the people,” standing between the living and the dead—an acted-out intercession. Prophetic Pictures of Divine Remembrance • Isaiah 49:16 – “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.” – God’s own hands carry His people’s names—a permanent, personal memorial. • Malachi 3:16 – “A scroll of remembrance was written before Him concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name.” – Heaven keeps records; faithful lives are never forgotten. • Zechariah 3:1-5 – Joshua the high priest is clothed anew while Satan accuses; God’s grace overrides the charge, prefiguring a greater Mediator. Christ, the Fulfillment of the Memorial Stones • Hebrews 7:24-25 – “Because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.” • Hebrews 9:24 – “Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary... He entered heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” • Romans 8:34 – “Christ Jesus... is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.” • 1 Timothy 2:5 – “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” • Revelation 5:8 – Golden bowls of incense are “the prayers of the saints”; our petitions reach God through the Lamb. Connecting Exodus 28:12 to Today • The shoulder stones foreshadow Jesus shouldering our names all the way to the cross and into heaven’s throne room. • Because He “always lives,” our remembrance before God is unbroken; no name ever slips from His shoulders or His heart. • Intercession flows both ways: Christ represents us to the Father, and He invites us to carry others in prayer, “bearing one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). Living in the Light of Divine Remembrance • Rest—your name is engraved on the Savior’s strong shoulders. • Worship—the High Priest’s ministry is ongoing; praise Him for constant representation. • Intercede—follow His pattern by lifting family, church, and nation before the LORD, confident He hears. |
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