A Historical and Spiritual Look at Banners (continued from page 1)
Family / Tribe Identification
The first commanded use of banners in the Bible is in the book of
Numbers, Chapter 1. God instructed Moses in the desert to have each tribe
set up camp under its own banner. “The Israelites are to set up their tents by
divisions each man in his own camp under his own standard [1:52].”
Banners helped keep order among the people as they traveled to the
Promised Land. A man who became separated from his tribe could find his
way back by searching above the throngs of people for the banner that
carried his tribe’s symbol.
Research has revealed that banners in the Old Testament did not
always look like the ones displayed today. Although some may have been
made from heavily adorned materials, others were simply long wooden poles
topped with carved ornaments, such as suns or serpents.
In either case, banners frequently were used simply to identify a
people or their purpose. A combination of these traditions has emerged and
is in practice today through “tribal banners” that are called international
flags. Every nation in the world has a unique flag dedicated to its own country, and frequently presents the flag on a long wooden pole with a
special ornament on top. These flags have come to be symbolic of each
nation’s heritage and are a source of unity and pride, including here in the
U.S.A.
As believers in Christ, we carry praise and worship banners that
identify us as God’s people. They point to the One we represent and declare
that He alone is worthy of our praise and adoration. “Let them praise the
Name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the
earth and the heavens [Psalm 148:13].”