“Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. . . It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually.” Exodus 28:36, 38
This portion of the High Priest’s attire has always interested me. What must it have been like for the High Priest to have something on his forehead that proclaimed to everyone that he was Holy to the LORD? Do you suppose that changed his behavior? Do you think he thought twice before yelling at the guy who cut him off with his camel? Or before showing his frustration with the line at the market stall? If everyone and their brother could see that this man was supposed to be holy to the Lord, do you think that put pressure on him to behave a certain way? It reminds me of a time many years ago when I got upset with another driver and made a rude gesture. I had a cross hanging from my rearview mirror and to see that gesture next to the cross was rather jolting for me. That cured me of that obnoxious behavior!
I would have two problems with the way Aaron was to wear this seal. One is that when wearing it, he couldn’t see it. I wonder if it ever became like the old adage: out of sight, out of mind. A coworker of mine has “Holy to the Lord” tattooed on his forearm where he’s able to see it all the time. That would certainly help, but it doesn’t change the second problem, which is that it was work continually. I would get so accustomed to having it there that I am afraid I would forget what it was supposed to mean.
The meaning of the fact that it was “as on a seal” may be lost to us. A seal was like a signet ring. Possessing the seal was either confirmation that you were the individual who owned the seal, or that you had been given permission by the owner to conduct business on his behalf. It was a little like a birthdate would be today. When we call a doctor’s office, they confirm our identity by asking our birthdate. So when I pick up medication for someone else, I need to be able to give that person’s birthdate. In the same way, the High Priest was conducting business on behalf of God. More specifically, it was the High Priest’s responsibility to assume the guilt for the nation of Israel and offer the required sacrifices on their behalf. That’s a pretty heavy burden to bear! But that’s the only way he was able to offer the forgiveness that can only come from God.
Here’s the scary part: we are God’s priests today. The Church, the body of Christ, is the royal priesthood. That means that each of us should be wearing something that says “Holy to the LORD.” I don’t mean that we literally have to have a gold plate or seal, or even have a tattoo. But we can each ask ourselves if we’re wearing something on our countenance that declares that for us. Or maybe there’s something in our actions, in our responses to what is thrown our way in this life, some difference in our demeanor that announced more clearly than any gold plate that we are set apart for God. We may not have it engraved in gold, but is it engraved on our hearts? There is much discussion about why this plate was to be worn on the forehead. I think it just may symbolize that our thoughts are to be holy. We are to think differently. Our thoughts are to be glorifying to God. If they are, we won’t have to worry about our actions, our emotions, our responses. All of those flow from our thoughts. Each one of us is holy, or set apart, for service to God. Each of us has a gold plate engraved just for us to wear. Is yours hidden? Is mine? Or is God’s holiness visible in us for the world to see?