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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Blue, Scarlet and Purple, part 4 in this series

Why did God instruct Moses to use blue, scarlet and purple yarn on the cherubim in the wilderness tent of meeting? Why not red, yellow and blue? Were these just random choices or were they symbolic of something more significant the Lord wanted to convey to His people. Knowing that God never does anything randomly, I did some research and prayed for understanding from the Holy Spirit. I asked an artist friend of mine to provide me with any insight she had about these three assigned colors.

'Gardenia' sent me a link to an internet article entitled, “D'var Torah: The Color Purple...and Blue...and Red”, February 22, 2009 written by Rabbi Irwin A. Zeplowitz. He quoted another 12th century rabbi named Shmuel ben Meir who connected,

blue to the sea, sky, and"heavenly throne" (Babylonian Talmud, M'nachot 43b). Also commenting on Exodus 25:4, Rabbi Meir sees crimson as a reminder of how sin can be forgiven (alluded to by Isaiah 1:18). And in ancient days, purple as well as crimson, was a sign of nobility, no doubt because of how expensive the dye was to produce (see Lamentations 4:5 and Benno Jacob, Exodus.”(http://blogs.rj.org/reform/2009/02/dvar-torah-the-color-purple-an.html).

Then one delightfully cool, October morning recently I was walking through Catawba Meadows Park. The sun was shining brilliantly and there was a beautiful, Carolina blue canopy overhead. The trees are turning colors now and I surveyed the wonderful shades of yellow, red and orange. As I walked along the path enjoying the presence of the Holy Spirit, the understanding began to come that the color blue in the tabernacle curtains did indeed represent the magnificence of God's heavenly realms, the place where He is enthroned above the earth; the whole solar system and universe which He created for our earthly home. God's great blue atmosphere surrounding our planet is the source of all life; our sunlight, water and oxygen and also protects us like a filter from receiving too much of the sun's deadly rays. God created the perfect atmosphere for life on this great, blue marble called Earth.

The scarlet or crimson yarn used in the tabernacle was a reminder of God's past blood covenants and a prophetic indicator of covenants to come. In the Garden of Eden, God provided a blood covenant or covering for Adam and Eve's sin when He slew an animal and “made garments of skin and clothed them.” With Abraham 2,000 years later, God provided a blood covenant of circumcision which would last a thousand generations. Then God sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth 2,000 years after that point in time to shed His blood on the Cross as an atonement for our sins. He was the sacrificial lamb that was slain-- once and for all. Nothing but the crimson blood of Jesus can cleanse us from our fallen, sinful state and bring us back into God's presence. From Adam to Jesus, the scarlet yarn was symbolic of God's plan for redemption through out the history of man on earth

North Carolina amethyst crystals
Finally, the royal color of purple which is a combination of blue and scarlet, represented the Holy Spirit who came at Pentecost to tabernacle within God's people. Born-again, Spirit-filled Christians are meant to be the new tabernacle of the living God, the temple of the Holy Spirit. He is the resurrection power who comes to empower us to overcome sin, Satan and the world. Purple is the color of royalty symbolic of power, dominion and authority. Purple represented a fulfillment of the royal mandate and divine benediction given in the garden 6,000* years ago to be “fruitful, increase in number, fill the earth, subdue it and have dominion over all living creatures.” 
 
The Holy Spirit is the divine deposit given to us until the day we receive our resurrection body at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the life of God residing in us, a combination of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ, another prophetic indicator of things yet to come. If the Holy Spirit is truly Lord of our personality and character, then we are the manifest sons and daughters of God who will rule and reign one day with the Messiah. We will exchange this temporary, earthly tabernacle for our eternal, heavenly one. Therefore, I am no longer just a 'wretched sinner saved by grace', but a royal daughter of the King of Glory! Dressed in a radiant,white bridal gown, I will be present at the marriage supper of the Lamb! Glory Hallelujah!
                                          
Therefore, the divinely chosen colors of blue, scarlet and purple were a prophetic representation of our triune God- the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who have come to live and move and have their being in us. How awesome is our God! How truly magnificent is His plan through out all of history! The very specific structure, materials, images, furnishings and even the specific colors of the wilderness tabernacle revealed God's plan of redemption for mankind on earth. From Genesis to Revelation, from creation to the second coming, God's Word is truth and life everlasting! Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the Word of God is eternal.

2 comments:

  1. I enjoy the way you put words together, Pat, and appreciate the time-consuming research it must take to prepare a blog. God bless you and Tommy, who have made such an impact upon me and Mike! Love you!

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  2. Thank you, Debbie. You guys are precious to us and we appreciate you. Thank you for taking the time to read it and please tell others about it.

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