Our Banner

“The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.” (Numbers 2:1–2, ESV)

There was a time in my life when I was keenly interested in my family name and heritage. I guess that I had some friends where they had a picture of their family crest or coat of arms. This seemed important and it graphically and specifically displayed something about the identity of the family. I imagined that the crest would be embroidered on a piece of fabric as a banner.

Here in this passage of Numbers, we read that each tribe of the nation of Israel had their own banner. It was a distinguishing mark that identified the people of a particular tribe in the nation of Israel.

What is the standard or banner of the local church? What is the distinguishing mark of the church? What is the distinguishing mark of the believer in Jesus? In Exodus chapter 17, verse 15 we read that after the defeat of Amalek, Moses set up an altar and named it “Jehovah-Nissi,” which translates as “The Lord Is My Banner.” The Lord Jesus is our banner. He is the distinguishing mark of the church. Since the church is the ekklesia, the called-out people of God, the Lord Jesus must be the banner of every believer, every home, and every church. The question we must ask ourselves is this, “Do people see our banner?” Does the Lord Jesus boldly identify us as the banners that the tribes of Israel were to raise?

This is to be more than a man-made symbol that we are to hang up in the church. It is to be more than a religious symbol such as a cross, a steeple, a stained-glass window, or a display of the Ten Commandments. While there is nothing wrong with displaying such things in our homes and churches, the banner that we are to raise is much more profound than these things. The banner that we are to display is the life of Jesus manifested in the heart of us as individuals, as homes and as churches. This banner is to be seen in our words and works. This banner is the manifestation of our Lord Jesus in our lives, in our homes, and in our churches.

So, the big question again is this. Does Jesus clearly and boldly identify our church, our lives, and our homes? Every believer, family leader, and church leader ought to prayerfully ponder this question.