In this section God is giving the Israelites some laws after having been defeated in battle and pursued by the Amalekites and the Canaanites. Tassels? Why laws about tassels? In most of the ancient world, nobles and other high-class people wore tassels. In contrast, all Israelites wore tassels to mark of their status and duties as God’s chosen people. These tassels were a reminder of God’s commandments, a reminder that they were to NOT FOLLOW AFTER THEIR OWN HEARTS, and to be HOLY—that is, SET APART FOR GOD.
This is antithetical to the culture we find ourselves in today. The “pursuit of happiness” has been replaced by a perceived “right to happiness.” It’s kind of an extreme form of “following after your own heart.” This is the opposite of holiness—setting yourself apart for God. This means being set apart from being “of” the general culture. Israel was to put God first and follow His commandments. This is the same today for Christians as it was then for Israel.
I was listening to a Tony Evans sermon a week ago and he spoke about what happens when you take God out of your life. He said the result is chaos. I don’t remember what verse he was preaching on, but he said that is why we are seeing the chaos we do today in our country. I think he is spot-on. The US certainly is not a holy nation—that is, set apart for God. Maybe we never were, but the US was founded on religious liberty. Now, we are erasing or cancelling the notion of just simply a creator out of everything—public or private. Why? The “American” church is not being the salt and light that it’s supposed to. The “American” church is doing what’s right in its own eyes instead.
How does this change? It changes first with each of us coming back to God and sharing His Gospel. Set yourself apart for God and do not follow after your own heart.
Numbers 15:37-41
37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. 41 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.”
[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?
+ What are the Israelites to do with their tassels”? [v39]
+ What are Israelites not to do? [v39]
+ What does it meant to be “holy to your God”? [v40]
[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?
+ Is there a sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ How can you make your day (today), a holy—that is, set apart for God?
[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?
+ What is my next step?
+ Who can you share the Gospel with today?
STUDY GUIDE [ WWW.ESV.ORG ]
Num 13:1–19:22 Forty Years near Kadesh. The central section of the book of Numbers spans 40 years. During this time the Israelites lived in or near Kadesh (later called Kadesh-barnea; 32:8), a large oasis about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Beersheba. It marked the southern limit of the land of Canaan, according to 34:4. As a result of the rebellion after the spies’ negative reports, God punished the people by making them wait 40 years to enter the land.
Num. 15:1–41 At each place where Israel encamped for a long time, laws were given: at Sinai (Exodus 20–Numbers 9), Kadesh (Numbers 15), and the plains of Moab (Numbers 28–36). The Kadesh laws are the briefest and are mainly clarifications of the Sinai laws.
Why did the Israelites sew tassels on their garments? In the ancient world, tassels were worn by nobles and other high-class people. In Israel they were worn by everyone as a mark of their special status and responsibilities as God’s chosen people (22:12; Num. 15:37–41).