The Red String

One of the charming features which our community of Punta Gorda is known for, is its murals. Many of those murals depict the historical events or natural beauty of our community. One of the mural painters by the name of Skip Dyrda has a special feature in each of his mural paintings called: the red string. Whenever you are scanning the beauty of one of Skip’s murals always look for the red string.

God paints for us the beauty of His revelation to man in the pages of the Bible. Running through the various books and chapters of scripture you will also find a “red string”. Or as it is more often described: “a scarlet cord”. This scarlet cord designation comes from the book of Joshua. The Israelites were about to destroy the city of Jericho. One woman named Rahab who was a harlot helped the spies who came into the city. She had heard about the God of Israel and believed in Him. She asked that they would spare her life. The spies told her to hang a scarlet cord from her window and the army of Israel would spare her and her family’s life.

The scarlet cord running through the pages of scripture is the blood that makes an atonement for man’s sin. In the Garden of Eden the animals that were killed by God began this scarlet cord as the nakedness of Adam and Eve was covered by their skins. God prepared a ram caught in the thickets to be the sacrifice instead of Abraham’s son Isaac. The Old Testament sacrificial system required countless offerings of animals and their blood to be shed to cover the sins of the people. Finally in the New Testament Jesus’ death on the cross and His blood showed the ultimate fulfillment of this scarlet cord of redemption. Even in the future glory Jesus is referred to as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).

Rahab’s faith in God symbolized in that scarlet cord, saved her from destruction. We too are saved from our sins when we place our faith in the blood of Jesus, God’s scarlet cord.