NOTES for Exo 28:1-43
Special garments for priests are an old tradition, rooted in prehistory. It can seem like some kind of excess, at least when we are speaking about the One. It is still possible to understand when a person tries to observe some ceremonial form and follow propriety in the case of pagan gods or spirits: they are not omniscient, and the very people who worshiped them believed that something could be hidden from them, that they could even sometimes be deceived in some way, or appeased, for example, by sacrifices, in order to get what one wanted.
In that case the desire to dress properly for meeting a god or spirit was entirely understandable: clothing, in a certain sense, could play the same role there that it plays when meeting another person, and in such a meeting it is sometimes possible to achieve something by appearance in general and clothing in particular.
At least, for example, to make the desired first impression. With the One, however, all such techniques are meaningless by definition: He knows everything, He sees every person to the very depths, and neither appearance in general nor clothing in particular can deceive Him. So why do His servants need splendid vestments, or any special clothing at all? It would be more honest to stand before Him as we are, especially if we really want to serve Him with a pure heart. For a human being, however, clothing matters, and this is not always about hiding something.
Indeed, when we dress beautifully for close and dear friends whom we are expecting as guests, we certainly do not mean to deceive them. We simply want beauty and joy in the process of communicating with those we love, and clothing can become one of the elements of which this beauty consists. Of course, the main thing is not the clothing, and anyone who is not spiritually dull understands that.
The main thing in every friendship is the relationship, and this applies to God even more than to a human being. And yes, God, of course, knows us as we are; clothing cannot deceive Him. What matters is not the clothing, but the intentions with which the person who is preparing to stand before God puts it on. Under one and the same garment, intentions can sometimes be directly opposite: one person wants to cover up his true spiritual condition or his true intentions with the prescribed vestment, while another seeks to express them with the help of that same vestment. The result in each case will differ substantially, but the clothing will certainly not be to blame.