Ephod – A richly embroidered, apron-like vestment having two shoulder straps, a girdle, and ornamental attachments for securing the breastplate.
God used this word 52 times in Scripture, all to Israel in their Masoretic Text Old Testament.
There was only one ephod made as directed by God (Exodus 28). It was to be worn by the Chief Levitican Priest. When it was made, the Chief Levitican Priest was Aaron. God also instructed Israel to make a sanctuary, called a tabernacle, where the ephod was to be kept. After Solomon built the temple, the ephod was kept there; to be worn only by the Chief Levitican Priest.
In Judges 17 Israel abandoned God and invented their religion of Judaism. In so doing, for all intentional purposes, Israel caused the Levites to become homeless; no longer supporting them according to God’s instructions. Since only the chief Levitican Priest is authorized by God to wear His Ephod during Levitican service, Israel’s negating God’s institutions of Levitican service prevents them from doing anything with an ephod.
In Judges 18, Scripture records that 600 armed men of war, from the family of the Danites, went to mount Ephraim in Judah and discovered an ephod in the house of Micha, and an unnamed young Levite Priest. Micha had consigned for an ephod, as well as a teraphim, pagan graven images, and pagan molten images as items of worship; idols.
The 600-armed men of war of the family of the Danites gathered the idols (the ephod, teraphim, graven and molten images) and left. When they came upon a peaceful city named Laish, they murdered everyone and burned it to the ground. Then, they built their own city, calling it Dan, set-up their own house of gods, and continued the idol worship that Micha was doing.
The Danites then fired their Levite priest and installed men of the tribe of Ruben to be their priests: Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons, until the day of the captivity of the land. During that captivity, Micha’s idols, which were their idols (the ephod, teraphim, the molten and graven images) were kept in the house of God in Shiloh, serviced by a Levite priest: the Levite priest incorporated idol worship into the house of God.
Scripture also records the use of ephod replicas and linen ephods. Linen ephods don’t have the gold and precious stone adornments found on ephods and they can be worn by any Levite Priest.
- Gideon made an ephod and put it in his city of Ophrah, and all Israel went there to worship it, causing them to turn from God. God them subdued them before Israel.
- Micah built a house for his gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, along with his molten and graven images. Then he assigned one of his sons to be his priest. But when a homeless Levite happened by, Micha hired him to be the priest of his house of gods. In doing so, the Levite abandoned God and Levitican service to perform religious services; Judaism.
- David wore an ephod of linen.
- As a child, Samuel ministered before the LORD, girded with a linen ephod.
- Because they ministered to David, Saul ordered Doeg the Edomite to kill all of the Levite priests of Nob (a city of Levites), and destroy everyone in it (women, children, and livestock); and on that day, Doeg slew 85 priest that were wearing a linen ephod.
Today, in the Dispensation of Grace, there is no such thing as a ‘Holy Vestment’, no robes, miters, collars, or Challises. The use of these items is nothing more than religious nonsense.
See also Dispensation, Idol, Judaism Ouches, Sanctuary, Slew, Tabernacle, Teraphim, Vestment, Wreathen