“37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 ‘Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at each corner. 39 These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord’s commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes. 40 This way you will remember and obey all My commands and be holy to your God. 41 I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am Yahweh your God.'”
Numbers 15:37-41
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God understands our need for tangibles. He understands that we need reminders in different ways at different times. For the Israelites, there were appointed festivals during the year to commemorate the goodness of God, His provision and the deliverance that He worked out for Israel. There was a physical Tabernacle that they built at His command, and later the Temple in Jerusalem as a set place for worship. Things to eat and not to eat, things that were okay to touch and not okay to touch. And here we see yet another tangible given to them as a reminder of the desires of God for their lives.

All day, every day, no matter what they were doing, if they looked down, they would see these tassles, the bright blue standing in stark contrast to the ground, reminding them that they were to be different, that there was an expectation for their life beyond what the flesh would desire. And these simple blue tassels would be be a point of conversation when they met other people’s for trade & commerce. Questions would be asked, “Why do you all wear these blue tassels?” and the reply would point their minds toward God.

The old WWJD bracelets get made fun of a little today because they were a fad that swept through and people didn’t take them seriously since they were a fashion trend for many rather than a tool of devotion and reminder for discipline. That was their intended use from the beginning, to serve as a reminder at hand, but they just became something to wear and the desired effect gave way to sinful inclinations. Oddly enough, these tassels would be misused by the religious leaders in Jesus’ day because they made theirs extra-long and showy so people could see just how religious they were. It became a fashion accessory to draw the eye and inflate the ego, and God’s intended desire for them was lost on humanity because of our pride and sin.

But Jesus came to fix all that. No longer did we need to have a physical marker indicating that we belonged to God, but the marker would be our life itself. We have been redeemed by the blood of heaven’s perfect Lamb, Jesus, and the mark of His blood and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit stands today as the marker of our allegiance to Him. Not a tassel, not a bracelet, but the marker of our life, commissioned as it has been sanctified, to take on the appearance of the life of our Master & Redeemer, Jesus. Not that we could ever become Him, but that we would walk as He walked, more than just imitating, but desiring to talk and serve and live humbly as He did, putting others first. Jesus came to serve and not be served. We must do liekwise, because it’s never about us, not for a moment. It’s not about people seeing what we do and praising us or thinking better of us, but it is about God’s will replacing our pride and our lives becoming a testimony to His goodness, grace and mercy.

So, live like you’re covered in tassels, but do it for God as your offering of thanksgiving and love.