Have you ever seen the tassels or fringes that Orthodox Jewish males wear on their clothes? In the book of Numbers we find the reason why they wear them, but we also find some wise instruction for the church as well.
Note that the color of the thread in the tassels is blue, blue being the color reminiscent of heaven. Thus, this is a reminder to us that we are not at home on this earth. We are citizens of a heavenly Kingdom. The Christian is aware of the brevity of life down here.
On this earth and in this unredeemed body, there is a continuous battle. Sometimes it is with myself, and at other times it is with the world. There are also times when I must battle against the powers of darkness themselves. In the heat of battle our emotions start churning and our minds can begin to get amnesia. We might question, ‘What is going on?’
Whenever Israel was in that position they were to look to that blue fringe and remember the commandments of the Lord and do them. In that act of faith, they were reminded not to follow their own heart or eyes, which had only led them astray in the past. We too have an exhortation to ‘make no provision for the flesh’.
We need to remember what Jesus did for us, is doing for us, and will do for us. The fringe reminded the Israelites that they were redeemed out of Egypt, which is a type of this fallen world system. It also reminded them that the LORD was to be their God, and their lives were no longer their own to do with as they pleased. They were to live for His pleasure.
As we walk with Jesus today and every day, may we have a ‘fringe’ of some sort that reminds us that we are servants of Jesus, who do not owe our flesh one single thought. We are new creatures, compelled by God’s love to live for Him, remembering His incredible love for us.
