Exodus 39:8  And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9  It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.
10  And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row.
11  And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
12  And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
13  And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings.
14  And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.
15  And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold.
16  And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate.
17  And they put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.
18  And the two ends of the two wreathen chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it.
19  And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward.
20  And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
21  And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.

The Old Testament priest was to be the mediator between God and man. He was to be a type of Christ and in that capacity, he was the one who would receive the offerings from the people and offer them to the Lord. He would be the one in charge of keeping the candlestick burning and the high priest alone could enter the holiest place once a year to make an atonement for the nation of Israel.
The priesthood was ordained of God and each priest was to be obedient to the Lord.
The breastplate was an important part of the priest’s garment. It was made of embroidered cloth with four rows of precious stones, three in each row. Each stone was engraved with a name of the tribe of Israel. This was a constant reminder of the purpose of the priesthood. They were to be the mediator of the entire nation before God.
The breastplate was about ten inches square. The two upper corners were fastened to the ephod by blue ribbons. The lower corners were fastened to the girdle of the priest. As the priest wore this important item, it would be a constant reminder of his purpose. It was not to be something put on for show. It had a specific function and needed to be worn with that in mind.
Over time, we find that the priesthood became corrupted. They still wore the items mentioned, but they ignored the significance of what they were wearing. They lost sight of Whom they were to be serving.
The stones in this breastplate are similar to the stones mentioned in the foundation of the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21. It was important for Aholiab and his crew to pay attention to the detail given in the making of the breastplate. It was not something of human imagination. It was designed by God and served a specific purpose. It reminded the priest of his service to God but also of his service to the people of Israel. He was not the ultimate person, but was to be a representative of God before the people.
Jesus Christ declared:

Matthew 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Jesus Christ would never lose sight of Who He was and why He came to this earth. However, the priests, being human beings could forget or ignore the importance of their place. The priests were not to be self-made men. They were to be chosen by God through the lineage of Aaron. They were responsible to God for their service. They were not to be people pleasers. They were not to be paraded as some kind of trophy. They were to walk in the fear of the Lord and serve Him in humility.
Everything about their garments was designed to remind them of their place. There was great responsibility attached to the priesthood.
Today, every true believer is a part of that royal priesthood of God. As such we are to serve Him with humility and with Godly fear. We need to be reminded of who we are and what we need to be in Christ. We are not toys of the world. We are servants of the true God. Our instructions come from God and our accountability is to God. We serve Him first of all and we serve our fellow man in the capacity that God gives us. Some will be called to be pastors, and others will be called to other avenues of service. None is more important than the other. All need to function for the glory of God.
As we look at the priestly garment, we see the gold and the special materials used to make this breastplate. It was to remind the priest of the holy position he had been given under God. It was also to remind the people of the special place the priest had and how important his duties were to the life of the nation.
There was much work put into the making of this breastplate. It would last for many years and it would not become tattered and worn out. It was made of high quality material, to depict the purity and holiness of Christ.
Twice God made reference to the breastplate in the New Testament.

Ephesians 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

I Thessalonians 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

As we have already noted, we, those who are saved, need to be equipped for service in this world. We need to be that light that can point people to the only place of hope and help. We need to be a light to the politicians and to the common people. We need to serve the Lord with our lives. Our lives need to be different than that of the world.
Oftentimes, the churches of today have no voice in the world. They are no different. They are houses of entertainment, rather than places where those in attendance are challenged to know the Lord and walk humbly with Him. Churches were never designed to be “pick me up” places. They are not designed to be places where people come for a pep talk. They are to:

II Timothy 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Going to church should not be for a “feel good” session. Those who are walking humbly and faithfully with God will be encouraged to grow stronger in the Lord. Those who are fighting against the truth will be challenged and rebuked for their sin. The church is there to help them to get right with God and to serve Him according to His Word.
Be sure you know the true God and you have that breastplate of righteousness on today. We need that breastplate of faith on and we need to be pointing others to the only place of hope. If we are truly saved we need that constant reminder of who we are and who we must be.
Pastor Bartel