Tzitzit

Numbers 15:37-41  -  The Lord said to Moses:  Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations and to put a blue cord on the fringe at each corner.  You have the fringe so that, when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and not follow the lust of your own heart and your own eyes.  So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and you shall be holy to your God.  I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.

 

God told them to put a simple knotted tassel on the hem of their garments.  It was to remind them of the Holy God they served. It was to remind them to follow the rules he had given Moses.  It’s presence on their garment a constant reminder that God was in charge of their lives…not the human heart that wanted to make decisions that would only satisfy the lust of the body.

 

It was a simple concept…even the number of knots represented the number of rules God gave them to follow. The blue cord represented the blue of the sky…the Heavens where God resided…and watched over them as they went about the routines of life. Fastened at the hem of the outer robe they wore…it could be seen constantly…especially as they dressed each morning…or prepared for bed each night.

 

I am not so sure it has to be a tassel anymore…but God still wants us to have a visual reminder of his Holy presence in our lives. God’s gift of a savior…that baby boy he gave to the world to save our sins...still beckons us to find a way to remind ourselves to follow those commandments he gave us to live pure holy lives. Satan throws enough visual reminders at us to tempt our lustful hearts to disobey…even justify some of our actions as good…that a visual reminder of God’s presence in our daily routine can’t do anything but strengthen our resolve to try harder.

 

I hadn’t really thought about them as a “tzitzit”….that’s the Hebrew word for those tassels they wore…. but I already have a few things I can transfer that concept too....like my new Bonnie Joy Kelly painting of Jesus holding a fawn…or my Emmaus cross hanging on the rearview mirror in my car…or the Bible I keep on the shelf next to my desk at school. Even my turtle figurines…that remind me to slow down and wait on God’s timing…and not chase after every idea that crosses my mind…are a present day tassel placed purposefully to help me follow God’s way instead of the way my lustful human heart wants to go instead.

 

We need to be careful though…that the objects we choose to be our tassels are not there just for show. Matthew records Jesus’ words to those that miss the point on this one in chapter 23…verses 5-7…. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;  they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;  they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”

 

Father…help me to use the simple objects I see each day to remind me of how much you love me. Let them be visual cues for me to stop and thank you…and request your help in all that I do. Remind me each moment of each day that you are Holy and you want me to be pure and Holy too. Help me father to follow all the rules you gave Moses…and never fall prey to Satan’s tricks …that try to convince my weak human heart that your rules have changed. Keep my tzitzit ever visible to my heart…to keep me thinking more about you than I do the lusts of the world. Amen.