Exodus 39:7 describes the moment when the craftsmen fastened the onyx stones onto the high priest’s ephod — each stone engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. It’s a small detail in a long chapter of tabernacle instructions, yet it carries a profound truth: the people of God never stood before Him in their own strength. They were carried — literally — on the shoulders of their mediator.
Whenever God looked upon the high priest, He “saw” the entire nation. Their identity, their failures, their needs, their hopes — all represented in the one man who stood in their place. The high priest bore their names not as decoration but as intercession. He carried them into the presence of God because they could not carry themselves.
This is the heart of priesthood. A mediator stands between two realities:
Toward God: he represents the people — their sins, their burdens, their cries for mercy.
Toward the people: he represents God — His holiness, His truth, His call to live set apart.
And while Israel’s high priest was limited, fragile, and sinful, we now have One who is not. We do not have a High Priest who is untouched by the feeling of our weaknesses. Jesus carries us not on stones but on His very heart, and He brings us before the Father with perfect understanding and perfect righteousness.
But the story doesn’t end there. Because of Christ, you now belong to a royal priesthood. We stand in the world as someone who carries others before God — not in our own strength, but in His.
Every time we pray for our family, our neighbors, our coworkers, or even the stranger we meet in the Walmart aisle, we are doing priestly work. We are lifting their names onto your shoulders and bringing them into the presence of the One who sees, knows, and acts. We are also carrying God’s holiness back toward them — His compassion, His truth, His character — through the way we live and love.
The high priest bore Israel’s names in precious stones. We bear the names of your community in prayer. And Christ, our perfect Mediator, carries us all.
Reflection Question
Whose name has God placed on your shoulders in this season — and how might we carry them before Him with renewed faith and compassion?