The details of the construction of the tabernacle and the
worship connected with it are symbolic of spiritual truths and
realities which are unfolded in Christianity. Yet, the symbolism
of the bells and pomegranates attached to the robe of the High
Priest seems to have been by-passed by commentators, probably
because they considered them to be of little importance.
However, a little digging will reward us with some precious
nuggets of truth and cause us to ponder over the exquisitely
detailed plan of God's redemption and his marvelous portrayal
of it in earthly symbols. One intriguing question concerning the
bell and pomegranate is: "Why did God associate in
such a fashion two things which seem so dissimilar in nature?"
The word translated bell in these passages (Ex. 28:31-35,
39:22-26) is used nowhere else in the O.T., - a fact which
handicaps us in our search for its symbolic meaning. We must
therefore turn to the derivation of the word in order to
ascertain its meaning as a symbol. It is the Hebrew word
paamon, and comes from the verb paam, to strike, to tread.
Paamon signifies, therefore, footsteps, goings, order, rank. It is
also used in an adverbial sense to denote now.
The word bell, then, to those acquainted with Hebrew,
suggested the idea of a person's walk, or his goings. Since the
word also denoted regularity, order, rank, arrangement, etc.; it
would seem to suggest an orderly walk. Furthermore, since the
word also has the temporal sense of now, the suggestion
appears to be that the time to take heed to one's walk is now;
or to put it another way, that we should take one step at a time.
The past cannot be retraced, the future still lies ahead, but we
can now pay heed to the step we are taking.
If it seems improbable that bells could have any
connection with one's walk, let it be remembered that these
bells were so placed on the robe of the High Priest that they
jingled when he walked. The truth is that a person's walk
speaks louder than his words as to what he believes. As
Emerson said, "Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear
what you are saying." It is for this reason that so-called
testimony meetings are so worthless. Oral testimony is very
important, but it should be delivered to the lost, not to the
saints, and should be reinforced by the testimony of a Christian
walk. Actually, every Christian is in a testimony meeting every
waking hour of his life. His walk or way of life is testifying to
the world his faith in Christ far more eloquently than mere
words could ever do. The testimony of the golden bells of a
Christ-centered walk will do more to call sinners to the services
of the church than the finest bell ever cast in the foundries of
this world.
continued at top of next column
Unlike the bell, the pomegranate is mentioned a number
of times in the O.T., so that its symbolic meaning is fairly clear.
When the spies returned from their search of the land of
Canaan, as recorded in Numbers 13:23, they brought of the fruit
of the land, consisting of grapes, pomegranates and figs.
Obviously, then, the pomegranate is symbolic of fruitfulness -
especially potential fruitfulness, since the pomegranate's pulp
consists entirely of a great number of seeds, so that one
pomegranate has the capacity for reproducing itself a
hundred-fold.
Now we begin to understand why the bell and
pomegranate, dissimilar as they are, are associated on
the robe of the High Priest. The bell symbolized our walk and
the pomegranate our fruitfulness, and these two things are
related to each other exactly as suggested by their arrangement
on the robe of the High Priest. That is, a Christ-centered walk
produces fruitfulness, and fruitfulness is conducive to a proper
walk, and so the one acts upon the other is a circular pattern.
We should not overlook another aspect of the
pomegranate, that of its beauty and pleasant taste. Twice in the
Song of Solomon the bride's temples are compared by the
bridegroom to a piece of pomegranate, and this same fruit is
described as pleasant, i.e., delightful, most acceptable. The
Encyclopedia Britannica says that the hot dry climate of the
Near East, where pomegranates abound, makes the fruit
particularly refreshing to the people. Does this not teach that
when our walk is such that it can be symbolized by the golden
bells, that our fruit is well-pleasing to God?
The bells and pomegranates were placed in alternate
order on the hem of the robe of the ephod worn by the High
Priest. When the High Priest offered incense in the Holy place,
he was doing so as the representative of the people, who of
course were not permitted to do so on their own behalf.
Therefore, when he went into the Holy Place to burn incense
the High Priest wore the robe with the bells and pomegranates,
so that in his person, the bells of the people (that is, their walk)
and their pomegranates (fruitfulness) were being displayed
before the Lord. However, on the Day of Atonement, the High
Priest did not wear the robe with the bells and pomegranates
into the Holy of Holies, because he was not so much
representing the people on that occasion as he was Christ.
The relationship of the people to the High Priest as their
representative reminds us that, as they had no bells to ring and
no fruit to display except in the person of their High Priest, so
it is with us. Unless our walk is centered in the Lord Jesus
Christ, we will bring forth no pleasant fruits. As Jesus himself
taught in John 15, unless we abide in him we will bring forth
no fruit.
Those who are familiar with the pomegranate as a fruit
may recall that it has a blossom shaped like a bell, and even
after the fruit develops, a portion of the blossom remains as a
bell-shaped appendage on the blossom end of the fruit. Of
course, in Biblical times, bells were not made in their present
day shape, which is the result of centuries of experimentation.
How interesting that it was finally found that the best shape for
a bell is that of a pomegranate blossom!
John H Mattox