Good Morning.
Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them. (Numbers 15:38-39)
Most everyone is familiar with the story of the woman who, having suffered with a serious sickness for years, pressed through the crowd to touch the hem of Messiah’s garment. In reality, what she was hoping to do was take hold of the fringes that were on the corner of His garment. In Hebrew these fringes are called ציצית tzitzit, a term which stems from a word that means “to peer at something intently.” That is, in fact, the purpose of the tzitzit — to cause one to look upon it and remember the commands and do them.
In Judaism, the concept attached to the tzitzit is, without them to serve as reminders, Israel may forget “who and what” they are. In other words, the tzitzit are an insignia of sorts to identify them as God’s people. Yet more than being a sign to others, it is intended to be a sign to us so that we will be continually provoked to continue behaving as His people, regardless of who is around. In a similar vein of thought, James encouraged all believers to be doers of the Word and not just hearers saying, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” (James 1:23-24)
Therefore, the tzitzit were intended to serve as a reminder to God’s people that we are His and, consequently, we should conduct ourselves accordingly. They were an outward sign but with a message that speaks to the heart — “Never lose sight of who you are and to whom you belong.” That is an important message for all of us to press toward and take hold of.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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