What Did the Tassels in Numbers 15 Help Israel Remember?

The tassels on the corners of their garments served as a sign to help the Israelites remember and obey all the commands of the LORD. Numbers 15 records regulations concerning offerings and atonement, followed by the incident of a man gathering wood on the Sabbath. It then commands the people to look at the tassels and remember God’s commands. If they were to resist following the desires of their own hearts and eyes, they needed to keep the word of the LORD continually before them.

When They Entered the Land, They Were to Present Offerings According to the Prescribed Regulations

The LORD gave the Israelites regulations for the offerings they were to present after entering the land he would give them as their home. Whenever they offered cattle or sheep as a burnt offering, a vow offering, a freewill offering, or a festival offering, they were also to prepare a grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil and a drink offering of wine.

The required amounts differed depending on whether the offering was a lamb, a ram, or a young bull. As the size of the animal increased, so did the amounts of fine flour, oil, and wine offered with it. If several animals were prepared, the prescribed amount had to be provided for each one. Worshipers were not free to decide the quantities for themselves; they were to prepare everything according to the kind and number of animals being offered.

These regulations did not apply only to native-born Israelites. Foreigners living among Israel were to follow the same requirements when presenting an offering made by fire. The passage repeatedly speaks of “the same law” and “the same ordinance and regulation.” The standard for presenting offerings before the LORD was not different for native-born Israelites and foreigners.

They Also Gave the LORD the First of Their Food

When the Israelites entered the land to which the LORD was leading them and began eating its produce, they were to make bread from the first of their ground grain and present it as a contribution. This was not a one-time ceremony. The people were to present this offering from the first of their ground grain throughout the generations to come.

Eating the produce of the land and offering its first portion were placed within the same command. From the moment the people began enjoying the land’s food, they were to set apart a portion for the LORD. They had not yet entered the land, but the LORD was already giving them specific instructions for how they were to live once they arrived.

Unintentional and Defiant Sins Were Treated Differently

If the whole community unintentionally failed to keep a command, they were to offer a young bull with its grain and drink offerings as an offering made by fire, along with a male goat as a sin offering. When the priest made atonement for the entire community, both the Israelite congregation and the foreigners living among them were forgiven. When one person sinned unintentionally, that person was to offer a year-old female goat as a sin offering. The priest would make atonement on the person’s behalf, and the person would be forgiven.

Here again, the same law applied to native-born Israelites and foreigners. Anyone who sinned unintentionally was to follow the prescribed process for atonement.

Defiant sin, however, was treated differently. The passage says that such a person blasphemed the LORD, despised his word, and broke his command. That person was to be cut off from the people. A way of atonement was provided for sins committed unintentionally, but knowingly treating God’s word with contempt was not handled in the same way.

After the Sabbath Incident, God Gave Them a Visible Reminder

While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath. The people brought him before Moses, Aaron, and the whole assembly. Because they had not yet been told what should be done with him, they placed him in custody. After the LORD gave his command, the entire assembly took the man outside the camp and punished him as instructed.

Immediately afterward, the LORD commanded the Israelites to make tassels on the corners of their garments and attach a blue cord to each tassel. The passage states their purpose directly: whenever the people looked at the tassels, they were to remember and obey all the commands of the LORD instead of following the desires of their own hearts and eyes.

Numbers 15 does not stop at knowing God’s regulations. The people had to observe the prescribed quantities for every offering, set apart the first of their produce, and deal with sin according to the process God had established. Finally, they were given tassels that they would see in everyday life, reminding them to put God’s commands into practice. Remembering meant more than keeping God’s word in their minds. It had to lead them to resist their own desires and obey what he had commanded.

Today, read Numbers 15:38–40 in Bible Reading, and write the words “remember and obey” somewhere you will see them often. Just as the Israelites remembered God’s commands whenever they saw the tassels on their garments, a visible reminder can help you recognize the moments when it is time to put what you have read into practice.