The Color Blue
“Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens” (Psalms 89:2).
The color blue is a symbol of faithfulness. The very heavens cast this beautiful color into the eyes of all observers, while they reflect on the importance of their faithful law giver. “Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens” (Psalms 89:2), “To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night” (Psalms 92:2).
The word “blue” is used 50 times in the KJV and, surprisingly, every one of these occurrences is found in the Old Testament. In the book of Exodus the color blue is used symbolically and its use falls into four main categories: (1) Coverings for the furniture of the tabernacle, (2) The vestments of the high priest, (3) The curtains of the tabernacle, (4) The door, first veil and the second veil.
Blue cloth or thread was used for the lacers, crown, robe, breastplate, ephod, curious girdle, and the pomegranates.
Though blue is used as symbol in the Tabernacle, one needs to look elsewhere to elucidate its meaning. Respecting Israel and their arrangements, Paul said, “All these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [ages] are come” (1 Corinthians 10:11). The word translated “ensamples” means example, and also means figure, pattern, or type. Therefore it is reasonable to look for spiritual meaning in specifics such as the colors used in the Tabernacle.
IDENTIFIED BY SOURCE
Colors in the Old Testament are identified more with the source of the color than today. By examining the qualities of the sources of the color for the ancients we are more likely to gain an understanding of the meaning and symbolism of the color.
The word Hebrew translated “blue” is related to the name of the shell fish from which the blue dye was extracted. The shellfish had to die in order for the blue dye to be extracted. It seems that all of the major colors in the tabernacle required the death of an animal in order to secure the dye produced by them. This reminds us of Hebrews 9:22, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” This suggests that the qualities symbolized by the various colors are exhibited in the sacrifice and suffering of Christ.
The most ubiquitous source of the color blue was the heavens. The daytime heavens in the Middle East are particularly rich in blue. This requires the presence of the light of the sun. Specifically, the blue color occurs because the blue wavelengths contained in the white light of the sun are preferentially scattered off the molecules contained in our atmosphere, which we then see on earth. Thus blue is produced as a favorable reaction from the presence of the sun. So too the most favorable reaction a saint of God can give to the light and presence of the truth is faithfulness.
The blue sky is a colorful reminder of God’s faithfulness.
The heavens are unchanging. In this they are an appropriate symbol for the reliable, unchanging faithfulness of God, who expresses mercy, kindness, and love, toward humanity. “I have said, mercy shall be built up for ever; Thy faithfulness wilt thou establish in the very heavens. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Jehovah; Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones” (Psalms 89:2,5, ASV).
In the same psalm, verses 3 and 4 tell us of the “sure mercies of David.” These sure mercies refer to God’s unalterable promise that David’s royal lineage and his throne will be established forever. This will be fulfilled antitypically when Christ and his church class reign in the long-awaited kingdom of God.
The opportunity to sit on David’s throne with Jesus is expressed in Revelation 3:21, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” There is a condition — overcoming — but if this condition is met by us, God is unalterably committed to providing the blessing promised. This unalterable commitment is expressed in the psalm by referring to the heavens as testimony of the sureness and fixity of God’s purposes.
Psalms 89 also connects the surety of God’s promises to the durability and regularity of the heavens. “His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah” (Psalms 89:29, 35-37).
God also uses the permanence of the firmament to express the firmness of his promise to Israel. “Thus saith Jehovah, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever” (Jeremiah 31:35, 36).
Our faith is also important. Faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 6:1). It is vital for us to express faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please him … he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Our faith is intimately related to God’s faithfulness — for our faith is in Him, His purposes, the stability of His character, and His fidelity to His promises.
When we look up at the heavens we see not only an evidence of His glory and creative power, but also His faithfulness. This has relevance to the present time. We now see the signs of the presence of the son of man. Therefore we can lift up our heads, knowing that our deliverance draweth nigh (Luke 21:28). When we lift up our heads we can see the blue heavens and are always reminded that he is faithful and that his promises are sure.
SAPPIR
Another important source of the color blue for the ancients was what the Hebrew text calls sappir. It is translated sappherios in the Septuagint and sapphire or sapphire stone in the KJV.
In ancient times lapis lazuli was known as sapphire, which is the name that is used today for the blue corundum variety of sapphire. Lapis lazuli is a deep blue stone with golden flecks of iron pyrites. “The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold” (Job 28:6). (The more modern sapphire, blue corundum, was scarcely known to the ancients.)
The ancient sapphire’s “dust of gold” identifies this as lapis lazuli, a gem quality stone and therefore precious. Importantly, it is transparent, else the flecks of iron pyrite would be difficult to see. This is similar to the sky. Towards the evening the heavenly bodies can be seen because of this transparency of the atmosphere. Lapis lazuli evokes images of the azure night sky bedecked with stars.
Lapis lazuli — precious, transparent, blue, with gold flecks — was one of stones used for the breastplate of judgment worn by the high priest. Each one of the stones had the name of one of the 12 tribes inscribed on it. Presently God is making up his Jewels. “They shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels” (Malachi 3:17).
Revelation 7 says that the 144,000 are selected from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Romans 9:6-8 says that not all Israelites are of the Israel of God. The promised seed of blessing will be those who demonstrate faith, as did Abraham. Therefore the jewels of the breastplate nicely picture spiritual Israel. Apparently all the jewels were made from common earth elements. This well pictures the selection of the church from ordinary mankind. Not many wise, mighty, or noble of this world have been called (1 Corinthians 1:26).
Lapis Lazuli, ancient sapphire,
transparent blue with gold flecks.
The underlying color of lapis lazuli is blue, symbolizing faithfulness. Faithfulness is a basic characteristic of all that seek to become part of the seed of blessing. The jewels represent qualities of Christian character that we need to have developed. A property of all the jewels in the High Priest’s breastplate was that they needed to be polished and cut to fit into their golden sockets (indicative of the new spiritual nature). This polishing and cutting occurs by an external agent. This would represent the guiding hand of God, shaping our characters according to the experiences He allows to befall us.
The breastplate of 12 jewels, spiritual Israel of 12 tribes, and the 12 apostles who sit on 12 thrones (Matthew 19:28), all relate to the various Christ-like qualities that are required of members of the body of Christ. The different qualities of the jewels, different characteristics of the 12 sons of Israel, and different characteristics of the Apostles, gives us an insight into these requisite qualities.
TRANSPARENCY
The transparency of lapis lazuli is an important feature of it beauty. Likewise, the transparency of Christ’s character is a vital quality. Jesus “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22), and we who follow him are to develop similarly transparent characters. “Even hereunto were ye called … that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:22).
Revelation 14:4,5 speaks of the pure characters of the Church. “These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
Purity and transparency of character is also shown by the transparent nature of many, if not all, of the other 11 breastplate stones.
Artist conception (relative dimensions are not natural)
The transparency of the blue sky is important to seeing the various heavenly bodies — and the purity of the disciples of Christ is important in allowing others to see precious things as well. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
The light of God can be reflected and refracted by the Christian character of its representatives, to provide beauty for all who see it.
God used the permanence of the firmament to represent the surety of his promises to David and to Israel. God emphasized His faithfulness when He established those promises. These promises are covenant obligations, even if they be unilateral, or one sided promises, such as was the Abrahamic covenant. The association of the firmament with ancient sapphire or lapis lazuli opens up other pictures involved with making and carrying out God’s covenants.
Exodus 24:9,10, recounts an episode from the giving of the Law Covenant. “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.”
Here God makes clear his faithfulness in keeping His part of the agreement. The vision of God standing on a pavement of lapis lazuli would have created the appropriate picture for them.
God not only wanted to impress upon them His faithfulness in keeping His side of the agreement, but that His intentions and motives were transparent. There was no hidden agenda on His part and therefore no deceit. In any agreement, transparency and honesty of intent is of paramount importance for the other part to rely upon it.
NEW JERUSALEM
Another picture involves Zion, New Jerusalem, which represents the Gospel Church in glory and kingdom power, spiritual and invisible to men. “Many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3).
Romans 11:25,26 says, “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” When the church is complete, then natural Israel who had previously been hardened, will be saved.
How appropriate that one of the foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem shall be lapis lazuli. “The foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald” (Revelation 21:19).
The faithfulness of the gospel church will then have been amply demonstrated. They would have walked the path of faith and been found faithful. The world of mankind will therefore have great confidence in this spiritual governing group.
BLUE CLOTH
From all of this, it becomes easier to see how fitting the use of blue as a symbol of faithfulness is in the typical tabernacle. Some items of furniture in the tabernacle were covered directly with seal skins, but not the brazen altar, table of shew bread, laver, or the ark of the covenant. The ark was first covered with the purple veil, then seal skins, and finally with a cloth of blue. Thus the external appearance of the ark was the blue covering, rather than the seal skins.
The ark represents Jesus and his Church, partakers of the divine nature, having passed beyond the vail into the heavenlies. Seal skins aptly symbolize the fleshly nature. How well, then, does the blue cloth that covers the seal skins show the victory of faith over the flesh. Also, though the world of mankind shall never again see the flesh of the saints, they will recognize the faithfulness of the saints (Psalms 87:5,6).
The Brazen altar was covered with purple, then seal skins, to show royal hopes of the church in the flesh. The table of shew bread was covered with a cloth of blue, then red or scarlet, then seal skins, and represents those who have been faithful (blue) unto death (red) during the time of their flesh (seal skins). They will be ultimately exalted. Such faithfulness unto death is not appreciated by the world, as they only see the seal skins covering our humanity (Numbers 4:5-15).
The laver was never covered. It represents God’s word — the truth — especially as this is centered in Jesus Christ. Israelites looking into this copper vessel by reason of highly polished surface would have seen therein a reflection of their own image, as contrasted with the perfections of Jesus Christ while he served in his perfect flesh (the polished copper). Thus the world may see their own imperfections and the need for cleansing. Thus we have a reason why this vessel, unlike the rest of the tabernacle furniture remained uncovered.
BLUE FRINGES
In Numbers 15:37-38, the children of Israel were instructed to wear blue fringes in the borders of their garments, “So that you may remember, and do all My commandments, and be holy to your God. I am Jehovah your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Jehovah your God” (Numbers 15: 40, 41).
SUMMARY
The color blue is used in the scriptures as a powerful symbol of faithfulness. We glean an understanding of its meaning through its associated sources in the ancient world. It is extensively used in the symbolism of the tabernacle, and also respecting God’s promises and covenants, to remind us that He is faithful to carry them out. When we look at the heavens we see the creative glory of God, but also a symbol that all his promises are true.
Let us therefore, with renewed vigor, lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily besets us, run with patience the race before us, and press onwards to the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:1).
— Br. Adam Kopczyk