Bells & Pomegranates

On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.  And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the LORD… (Exodus 28:33-35)

The priest was to have a robe with a cloth pomegranate and a golden bell alternating—a golden bell & a pomegranate, a golden bell & a pomegranate—all the way around the hem.

The ring of the bells had to be heard as the priest ministered to the Lord and to the people. A bunch of bells clanging together, however, would be a noisy, ugly sound. So, there had to be balance. A fruit, made out of soft material, would act as a buffer between the bells.

It’s this way with the gifts of the Spirit. Given through us—the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)—to build the church and impact the world, these manifestations are beautiful and necessary for ministry. Without the fruit of the spirit, however, they project a noisy, ugly sound. Kind of like a resounding gong or perhaps a clanging cymbal.

So, there has to be balance. In fact, a good rule of thumb would be that there should be at least as much fruit growing in an individual’s life as there are gifts operating. If we are to be people who, as Paul encourages us in 1 Corinthians 14:1, “eagerly desire spiritual gifts”, let’s be sure to also “follow the way of love”—Love being the first in the famous list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.