Tassels

Something caught my eye recently, as I was reading Numbers chapter 15. The Lord tells Moses,

Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God. (15:38-40)

Now, I immediately tune out most of the Old Testament commands that have to do with clothing. If you want to lose Nance, just start talking about every little detail of a priest’s garments (Ex 28), what to do when a skin disease shows up on your clothes (Lev 13:47), or prohibitions of wearing blended fabrics (Lev 19:19).

But this time was different. It wasn’t the tassels themselves or the blue thread that stuck out to me, though. It was the reasoning behind all that: “When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord… The tassels will help you remember that you must… be holy to your God.” (15: 39, 40) Everywhere they went, those tassels were a visible reminder to all of Israel of their call to obedience and holiness. The tassels kept the people aware, throughout the day, of who they were and whose they were. (Many modern Jews still use these – they’re called tzitzit. You can see some in the image above.)

I think the Lord commanded Israel to don those tassels because God knows that we need continual reminders. We serve an invisible King (1 Tim 1:17) who lives in a place you can’t find on a map. We’re up to our ears in busyness and distractions. Not to mention, we’re constantly tempted to reject obedience and holiness. And so, the Lord came up with tassels, to redirect the people’s attention and remind them of their covenant commitments.

Do you have any “tassels” of your own? Something that serves to remind you of who you are and whose you are?

Years ago, for a lot of Christians, a W.W.J.D. bracelet was that tassel. Those white letters reminded you, throughout the day, to give thought to your choices and to recall Christ’s example.

But a tassel doesn’t have to be worn. It’s anything that nudges you to live, this moment, into the person God’s created you to be. An alarm on your phone encouraging you to pray. A sticky note on your mirror where you jotted down a challenging verse from scripture. A Bible you sat on top of your smart phone before bed, to start your morning off on the right foot. A cross tattooed on your wrist.   

I think there’s a lot of wisdom in sewing some tassels onto our days, and if you don’t have any regular reminders that can interrupt and redirect you towards Christ, I hope you’ll find some that work for you. Don’t let the busyness, distractions, and temptations carry you off, away from God’s presence. Stick some holy roadblocks in your life, that force you to stop and remember, that call you to obedience and holiness.

You can listen to this week's devotional here!