Wearing the Fringe

Numbers 15:38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. The Children of Israel were instructed to wear fringe on the hem of their garments. The fringe was to be worn in plain sight and the fringe would be seen several times each day. They may have been identified as ‘the ones who wore the fringe, you know, the Children of Israel’. The fringe was not a fashion statement. In fact it was more like a yellow caution sign along a highway. The fringe was to be a warning for each person who wore it. It was to be a constant reminder to do God’s commandments. God knows us so well. He knows our weaknesses. The fringe was not for God’s benefit. He didn’t need to brand or label the people who were His. God didn’t need to see the colored fringe in order to easily locate them whenever He looked down from heaven. Realistically, God doesn’t even need us to wear clothes. He doesn’t get embarrassed at our nakedness. He has no need to cover our nakedness. It is about what our sin does to us. Adam and Eve were embarrassed because of their sin. They reacted to the guilt of their sin by making clothes to cover themselves and hide from God. God hates sin. He cannot tolerate sin. He hates sin because He is holy. He hates sin because sin separates us from Him. Every generation was told to continue wearing the fringe on the borders of their garments. Every generation was to remember to do all of God’s commandments. What God required of them on the outside, their clothes, was only to be a sign to keep themselves for Him on the inside. Wearing the fringe would help them remember they were His children so they would not be whoring after other gods. The clothes represented holiness to themselves and to others. God still requires holiness, inside and out, but He provided a better way. He sent Jesus to pay for our sins, once and for all – on the cross. Now we can live holy lives. God, Holy Spirit, will come to live inside of us and help us resist what is unholy. With His Presence actually dwelling in us we can choose what is holy. We must make a choice to invite Him to live inside us. We must make choices to resist what is unholy and to live a holy life. We choose to live holy because we want to reflect Him who is holy. We choose to live holy so others can see Him. Similar to the same reason the Children of Israel wore fringe their clothes our clothes are just as important to our testimony. They help us make a statement to everyone who sees us about how we live for and love a holy God. What we wear can help to remind us that we are not our own. Scripture names those who have invited His presence to dwell in them the Bride of Christ. A bride in a white wedding dress is special. The color of the dress represents a purity she has reserved for her bridegroom. Once Christ has made us holy we are not our own. Scripture says the Bride, the church, will be given to Jesus Christ to dwell with Him forever in heaven. In the same way the fringe marked the Children of Israel, the wedding dress is the sign she is the bride of the wedding, and what we look like on the outside is the first impression or reflection of what is on the inside.