Miss 6 has to dress up as a “Town Person” for the Pre Primary nativity play… remembering my trusty Jewish Prayer shawl tucked away under the bed (I mean – who doesn’t have one?) I decided she could wear this for her costume. (Certainly beats having to figure out a camel!!)
So for the second time since the wonderful Auntie Jennie gave it to me, I fished it out to look at properly. Now I know the thing is absolutely LOADED with symbolism… it’s not that the complete item was required by OT law, but every bit of it represents different portions of Scripture and/or belief. Utterly fascinating.
Mainly I wanted to check out the Hebrew lettering along the top band, but once I found that, was waylaid by the symbol pictured below. Now I knew this was ancient… not just some recent graphic artists merging of symbols, but what surprised me tonight was to instead of see this symbol as three separate emblems (Menorah [7 branch candlestick], Star of David and Ichthus [fish]) was to see it as only TWO merged symbols, so forming the third.
The menorah with it’s triangular base, and the Fish with its triangular tail – together forming the Star of David! The origins of the Star are apparently not known… yet this symbol has been found on items as old as nearly 2000 years.
The article I read spoke of the Menorah being distinctly Jewish and the Ichthus fish) being distinctly gentile (Greek in fact)… so these two symbols coming together can be seen as not just tacking Christianity onto Judaism, but as representing the merge of the two…
A different way of representing Romans 11:13-24.
A couple of years ago when I was just beginning to discover the depth of the ‘Hebrewness’ of our faith, I went to a Messianic church a few times. (Jewish believers in Jesus/Yeshua as Messiah). At the end of the service, my sister and I were invited to hand around the bread and wine throughout the people standing to receive it. I remember being moved to tears at the welcome we found as gentiles within a Jewish congregation… of the forgiveness at gentile treatment of Jews… as believers joined together by Messiah Jesus… my first and possibly deepest ever understanding of having been grafted in.
If you Google image search “grafted in” this is the symbol that most arises.
Awesome.
Ro 11: 13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved