I once met a young man who approached me in a very intense manner. He had grown up in a Christian home and had recently developed a strong interest in the Scriptures. Although he attended church nearly every week, he realized that he was not well grounded in the Bible.
He had heard me speak about the relationship between holiness and the commandments and remarked that he had been taught that the commandments of the Torah were an instrument of sin and death. Therefore, it was difficult for him to now hear that they were connected to holiness.
When we finally met in person, it became clear how important this issue was to him. It is good when people have a desire to understand the Scriptures. During our conversation, he expressed that he felt his pastor had misled him.
In reality, this is a matter of viewing only one side of the issue. Paul teaches that the law works in our flesh and brings about death, see Romans 7:5 and 7:9. However, this does not mean that the commandments of the Torah are evil or inherently related to sin and death. Rather, through the Torah one comes to understand that he is sinful and spiritually dead.
When one trusts in Messiah Yeshua’s redemptive work, he becomes a new creation. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it becomes possible for the believer to utilize the commandments in order to live in holiness.
This same individual asked about a connection between the holiness of G-d and the commandments found in the Old Testament. Although we discussed several matters, I would like to share in this article a connection drawn from this week’s Torah portion.
In Parashat Tetzaveh, the emphasis is placed upon the garments of the priests. One of these garments is the head plate, the ציץ. This was a strip of gold engraved with the words, “Holy to the L-RD.” It was commanded that this golden plate be fastened to the turban with cords of תכלת.
The word turquoise refers only to the color. The Hebrew word תכלת refers to the material itself, which was blue in color.
The question is why the Torah commands that the head plate be fastened with cords of תכלת. This same word appears at the end of Numbers chapter 15 in the passage concerning the fringes placed upon the four corners of one’s garment, where one of the cords is to be תכלת.
These fringes were intended to remind the people of what is written:
“Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they shall place upon the fringe of each corner a cord of תכלת. And you shall look at it and remember all the commandments of HaShem and do them.”
Numbers 15:38–39
Numeri 15 vers 38 tot 39
Therefore, one can see the connection between the commandments, to which תכלת relates, and the concept of holiness, to which the head plate relates.
Is it not significant that through redemption, HaShem transforms what once produced death into the very framework through which holiness is manifested in the life of a believer?
This is yet another example of the power of Messiah Yeshua’s redemptive work.
