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Following Our Banner


                Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
            Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.” Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them. 
             And the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’ ” (Joshua 3:1-8)    

            Have you ever wondered why armies carry flags? Or why medieval families developed heraldic crests? Or why some armies dressed in specific colors? There were a couple reasons. The first was so the army knew which way to go. The second was so that the soldiers could identify who it was they were supposed to be killing. In this passage. the ark of the covenant is being used as a banner. The Israelites were to follow its lead. Given that it was gold, it was probably pretty visible. That visibility seems strange to me because I tend to think of the ark as being hidden under coverings or in the Holy of Holies, not visible to others. I am beginning to suspect I'm wrong about that. 
            The other noteworthy thing about this passage is that the priests were to stand in the river. God divided the Red Sea when Moses stood on the bank, but these priests had to go stand in the river. Of course, Moses was also told to throw dust into the air. God sometimes tells us to do things that just do not make sense. Sometimes, they are props. Sometimes they are demonstrations, or parables. Sometimes, they are demonstrations of our faith or God's power (or both.) 
            Sometimes, our lives don't make sense. The keys are simple. Are we following our Banner? Are we doing what He commands? If the answer is "yes," then maybe our lives don't have to make sense to us. That's comforting, because my life often doesn't make sense.

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