I received a very special item today, that I ordered a while ago: a PRAYER SHAWL, made in Israel, with the names of God on it! I am so excited about it!
I have recently resumed a little project that I started a while ago: compiling a little illustrated prayer booklet, printed on sepcial paper, and bound by hand, to give as gifts. I was busy with the pages of praising God for all his wonderful characteristics revealed through his names in the Bible, when this lovely shawl arrived. God's timing is always PERFECT!
But the real reason why it is special, is because of the rich, wonderful symbolism hidden in it. God commanded the Israelites in Num 15:38 and Deut 22:12 to pu fringes (tsi-tsi), containing blue threads, on thei garments, to remind them to keep his commandments. This fringed garment (called a Tallit), is still used by Jews today, to cover themselves when they pray. It serves as a sort of mini-"tent" , to separate oneself from the outside world. The two ends of the garment are called the "wings" of the garment. (When you wear the garment, and lift up your arms, they form "wings")
This meaning is also found in, "hide me under the shadow of your wings" (Ps 17:4), as well as in, "... and under his wings you will find refuge" in Ps 91:4). Isn't that Awonderful: God hiding us under the "wings" of his garment, shielding us from the world? At the same time, it means that the tassels in the fringe of his garment - the everlasting laws and commandments of God - are there for our protection.
Now, in Mal 4:2 God gave this promise: "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings." Here, again, "wings" can refer to the wings of a garment. The woman with theissue of blood, in Matthew 9:20-22, knew this promise. She knew that the Messiah would have "healing in his wings" - that is: healing in the wings (tassels) of his garment. That is why she touched the hem of his garment!!! Jesus commended her for her faith, because her action proved that she believed that he was the Messiah promised in Mal 4:2! Aren't the wonders of God's word absolutely amazing!
This is not the end yet! Jesus was on his way to the daughter of Jairus, when the woman touched him. He touches her and says, "Talitha Cumi!" - Little girl, rise! Even though Talitha here is a Greek word, it audibly links with the Jewish word, Tallit, referring to the fringed garment! It is also related to two Chaldeen words, Taleh, and Telah, which mean "covering" and "lamb" respectively. Here we have a covering (Tallit) again, and at the same time it reminds us that Jesus, the Lamb of Gog, brought us healing: of sin and of sickness.
When God shows us wonders like this in his Word, I just want to join Paul in praise:
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! . . Who has known the mind of God? . . . for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever, Amen!" (Rom 11:33-36)
I gleaned most of the above when John Francis gave a teaching about it on TV. He also wrote a book, which is available on several bookshops on the Web. If you Google, "Prayer Shawl John Francis", you will find several of them.At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tallit you can read about the modern day Tallit.
A very helpful tool in Bible Study is the E-SWORD, which can be downloaded FOR FREE. It contains the complete Strong's Concordance, as well as several other tools, like commentaries, maps, etc. I urge you to go and have a look!
