Blue and Law Association 

            In the scriptures, there are associations between different bible colors and particular bible subjects.  For instance, the color blue is closely associated with the subject of "law" or "commandment." 

            Fifty times in the scriptures the word, "blue," appears.  The vast majority of times it is used as a color on some garment or fabric.  Most of the time it appears with other colors in the garment or fabric.  Those times will be addressed when we study color mixtures. 

            The association between the color blue and the subject of law or commandment is defined for us in Num. 15:37-40: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God." 

            The purpose of the blue ribband as a fringe on the border of the garments of the children of Israel was to call to their memory, when they looked upon the ribband of blue, the commandments of the Lord, that they may remember and do those commandments.  Thus, the color blue would be associated in the minds of all the people with the commandments of the Lord. 

            The fact that the word, blue, appears in the scriptures exactly fifty times, is no coincidence.  The number 50 is the number of new beginnings.  It is thru the keeping of the commandments of the law that Christ presented himself as a perfect sacrifice for the elect children of God and thus procured for them a new beginning in righteousness before God. 

            The ten linen curtains of the tabernacle were connected together by loops and taches.  The loops were of blue color: Ex. 26:5 "Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another. 6 And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle."  The tabernacle was one tabernacle made up of ten curtains couples by loops and taches.  Ten is the number associated with the law.  The color blue is associated with the law.  The color of linen is associated with righteousness.  The color gold is associated with kings and kingdoms.  All of this brought together speaks to us that Christ is the king (gold) who through his keeping of the commandments of God (blue) couples the keeping of the commandments of God (blue) with his imputed righteousness to the children of God. 

            Next, we notice that the robe of the ephod of the High Priest was all of blue: Ex. 28:31 "And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent."  There was to be no rent in this robe of the High Priest and it was to be all of blue.  Christ is our High Priest and there was no rent in his righteousness.  Christ told us in Matt. 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."  Christ kept the righteousness of the law perfectly.  He wore the law as a robe that had no rent and he kept his garment perfectly with the commandments of God. 

            In addition, we see that God designated the use of a blue lace to tie together the ephod and the breastplate of judgment as a part of the High Priests garments: Ex. 28:27 "And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod."  The breastplate of judgment was four-square indicating the covenant work of Christ under the covenant of redemption.  The colors and materials of the ephod show forth the work of the High Priest in redeeming his people from their sins. 

            Christ came down from heaven to save his people from their sins.  This work was a covenant work: Rom. 8:29, 30 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."  Gal. 4:4, 5 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."  Christ was made under the law to fulfill the law and thus become the perfect sacrifice to redeem his people from their sins.  Christ's keeping of the law was the coupling (blue) that tied together the covenant of redemption (breastplate of judgment) and the actual redemption of the elect from their sins (ephod of the High Priest).

            In addition, there was a blue lace upon the headpiece of the High Priest: Ex. 28:36 "And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 37 And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 38 And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD."  In this passage, the Lord's holiness (mitre) is closely tied to the keeping of the laws of God (blue lace).  In addition, the blue lace, (Christ's keeping of the commandments of the law) is the basis of our offerings and sacrifices being accepted by God.  Christ's keeping of the commandments of the law and his perfect sacrificial atonement on behalf of the elect is what enables us to offer the spiritual sacrifices to God and for us and those sacrifices to be accepted by God. 

            Furthermore, we find a cloth of blue was used to cover the holy things in the tabernacle: Num. 4:5 "And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 6 And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. 7 And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: 8 And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.

            9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: 10 And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it upon a bar. 11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the staves thereof: 12 And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar:"

            In the above passage, the following items were covered with a blue cloth:

                        1.  the ark of the testimony and the covering of badger's skin.

                        2.  the table of showbread and its vessels.

                        3.  the candlestick and its vessels.

                        4.  the golden altar

                        5.  the instruments of ministry.

            In all of the above, we see the essentiality of Christ's perfect keeping of the law (blue cloth) and that all that the above represent have their usefulness because Christ perfectly kept the law to a jot and a tittle and then made the perfect sacrifice for his people to redeem them from their sins.