Did You Know God Likes Purple

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Exodus 28:5 (NIV1984) 

⁵ Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

Did you know that God likes purple?

I know seems like a funny topic for a post but I saw this purple vehicle sitting next to purple lilac bushes and my mind when off in a purple spin.  It just struck me as something that had blog fodder potential. 

God has the Israelites use purple in the Tabernacle and in the Priestly Vestments. It seems to me that God would use His favorite colors or ones that are significant in some way. I'm going to say that God likes purple and I've got to agree with God on this one - purple is a great color. To think that he set up a system of primary colors, red yellow and blue and from them all other colors can be mixed. Pretty amazing if you ask me. Add a bit of white or black and they all become even more interesting.  Maybe I am thinking about colors because of my current painting project. I have not gotten to using purple yet but the bridge in the planned picture is grey with shades of purple.  My favorite flower is the Iris, which by the way is generally purple.

"Purple, a colour obtained from the secretion of a species of shell-fish (the Murex trunculus) which was found in the Mediterranean, and particularly on the coasts of Phoenicia and Asia Minor. The colouring matter in each separate shell-fish amounted to only a single drop, and hence the great value of this dye. Robes of this colour were worn by kings (Judg. 8:26) and high officers (Esther 8:15). They were also worn by the wealthy and luxurious (Jer. 10:9; Ezek. 27:7; Luke 16:19; Rev. 17:4). With this colour was associated the idea of royalty and majesty (Judg. 8:26; Cant. 3:10; 7:5; Dan. 5:7, 16,29). ^{" Easton's Bible Dictionary}
  
So guess how legend says that purple die was discovered?  "Legend credits its discovery to Herakles, or rather to his dog, whose mouth was stained purple from chewing on snails along the Levantine coast. King Phoenix received a purple-dyed robe from Herakles and decreed the rulers of Phoenicia should wear this color as a royal symbol." Here's the link to where I found this quote http://pffc-online.com/mag/1348-paper-history-shellfish-royalty

So it seems to me that God was thinking ahead during creation when he decided to create the Murex trunculus snails. If he can think ahead about creating a creature and having it be discovered by a dog. Knowing the rich and powerful would think it was pretty special to the point of being willing to pay big sums for its production so they could dress better than their subjects. I think it tells me that what ever is a concern to you or I, that God has already thought about it and already has a plan.

Did you know that Paul's ministry was helped by the color purple?

Acts 16:13-15  (NIV1984)

¹³ On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵ When she and the members of her household were baptized,  she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Acts 16:40
After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.

 Prayer: Dear Lord, 
Help us to see the beauty of your creation. You could have given us a world without color but instead you gave us a world rich with colors. Forgive us for taking too lightly the amazing detail that you have built into the world. Thank you for giving us eyes that are able to see and enjoy the beauty all around us.