God instructs Israel to make special garments for the priests. They are to be adorned for beauty and glory. The priests are to be fully covered, exposing none of their shame—in line with the imagery of nakedness in Genesis 3. The garments of the priests were meant to depict two truths. First God is holy. People cannot approach God in His essence. That is why God has already shown that He comes to people and desires to make His dwelling place among His people rather than forcing people to try to get to Him. His goodness is the result of His holiness. He still hates the shame of sin. Second, the priest were to be adorned with precious jewels, gold, and fine linen because they are a picture of what God is doing for His people—preparing, adorning, and purifying them like a bride.
So, because God is holy and we are unable to approach Him, He not only comes to us but also prepares us for Himself, perfectly covering our shame. The garments of the priest are themselves a foreshadowing of our being clothed in the righteousness of Christ. When Christ saves us, we are clothed in His glorious righteousness. It is imputed to us. In John’s Revelation, when He describes the church of Jesus Christ, He does so using all the imagery from these priestly garments, even down to the precious stones and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel being written on it (cf. Revelation 21:10-27). God literally clothes us in His holiness and glory for His kingdom. He alone establishes us because we lack the ability to establish ourselves. God is good.
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