Best-selling author Chaim Potok began his novel The Chosen by describing a baseball game between two Jewish teams in New York City. Reuven Malter, the books main character, notices that the opposing players uniforms have a unique accessoryfour long ropelike tassels that extend below each teammates shirt. Reuven recognizes the tassels as a sign of strict obedience to Gods Old Testament laws.
The history of these fringesknown as tzitzitbegan with a message from God. Through Moses, God told His people to create tassels containing some strands of blue thread and attach them to the four corners of their top garments (Num. 15:38). God said, You may look upon [the tassels] and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them (v. 39).
Gods memory device for the ancient Israelites has a parallel for us today. We can look at Christ who consistently kept the whole law in our place and obeyed His heavenly Father (John 8:29). Having received His work on our behalf, we now put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Rom. 13:14). Keeping our eyes on Gods Son helps us to honor our heavenly Father.
The book of Numbers is part of the opening segment of the Old Testament Scriptures. It is book four of the five-book Pentateuch, referred to in Judaism as the Torah (the Law). These books were written by Moses as a record not only of the beginning of time and life (Genesis), but also the beginning of the nation of Israel (Exodus through Deuteronomy). This book received its name because of Moses order to number the population of the tribes. Jewish names for the book of Numbers include and the Lord spoke and in the wilderness (both names coming from Num. 1:1).