Pomegranates & Bells?

The other day I was reading about the priest's garments in Exodus. At the hem of the robe were to be alternating pomegranates and bells. The pomegranates were to be of blue, purple and scarlet material and the bells were to be of gold. This was to be worn by Aaron and the tinkling of the bells was heard when he entered and left the holy place, "so that he will not die."

I began to think about my life. Was it one of bells or pomegranates or, hopefully, a balance of both. I think that a life of just bells is one of "all talk and no action". Like heat lightning, all flash and no production. No fruit! A life of all action misses the point of mentioning who we do it for. The assumption is made that "he's just a great guy." Is that why I do good things. So others will say, what a nice guy", or is it to bring attention to my Master. No bells, just pomegranates. In a balanced life, the bells still tinkle, but they are subdued by the fruit in between.

Have you ever seen a pomegranate? Most fruit only has a seed or just a few. You could plant a whole forest of pomegranate trees from one fruit. Do my actions plant any seeds, at all? Make me wonder if the point is the sweetness of the fruit or the planting of seeds.

And then there's the whole issue of the colors of the pomegranates. Every pomegranate I've ever seen was a crimson color. Well, except the one we left rotting in the bottom of the fridge one time. It was brown with this green fuzzy stuff...well, you get the picture. I guess fruit wasn't meant to be left in the fridge, and in the dark.

Yeah, back to the colors. The pomegranates on the priest's hem were to be blue, purple and scarlet. Blue usually speaks of heavenly things, purple of royal, and scarlet speaks of blood or redemption. And remember that these bells and fruit were on the hem, not the collar. Sounds like where we walk. Gosh, do I walk the talk. Is my walk redeemed. Do I walk like I have been bought with a price. Is my walk royal. Do I walk like I'm a king. Yup, He made us Kings and Priests. Is my walk heavenly. I don't mean "so heavenly minded that I'm no earthly good". No, I mean the kind of walk where I know where I a citizen of and so getting down and dirty with people should be no problem. When was the last time I sat with a friend under a bridge or slept on a porch with the dogs and fleas and lots of "image bearers" of God? Or just served a bowl of hot soup to a hungry friend on a cold day. Maybe even sat down and shared it with him.

Speaking of priesthood, my fav priest was Melchizedek...or should I say is, as he has no beginning and no end. "...priest of the Most High God" and what does he do for Abram? He serves him and blesses him. I'd love to be that kind of priest. And Melchizedek's name means King of Righteousness and King of Peace. Am I known for bringing justice and peace wherever I go? But that's part of what it means to walk in the footsteps of my Master.

What kind of footprints are you leaving? Or are you just a ding-a-ling?