3.4.8 "The Family Banner"

"The Family Banner"

Numbers 2:1-3:51
Mark 11:27-12:17
Psalm 47:1-9
Proverbs 10:24-25

"So, tell me about your family." What kind of things pop into your mind when someone asks you that? How do you describe your family? Tell me about your parents. Tell me about your home life. Tell me about the priority of following the Lord's commands in your home. Spend a moment thinking about that.

"Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses and Aaron: 'When the Israelites set up camp, each tribe will be assigned its own area. The tribal divisions will camp beneath their family banners on all four sides of the Tabernacle, but at some distance from it.'" (Numbers 2:1-2)

We've just finished the book of Leviticus in the One Year Bible, and now we're headed into Numbers. At the surface level this book has all the entertainment value of a financial report. But it's important that we remind ourselves that God's word gives us incredible insights into the nature and heart of God. We discover characteristics of God's personality and priority through every single page of scripture. This is a window into seeing who he is.

In today's reading, the Lord is giving directions for setting up camp. Each tribe is commanded to set up beneath their family banner. The Levites are the tribe that are commanded to take care of the set up and care of the tabernacle. The tribes of Judah, Issachar & Zebulun are the ones to lead the way whenever the Israelites travel to a new campsite. The list goes on. In some cases, their assignments are given due to something in their family history, a decision made by a leader in that family.

So what does this have to do with anything?

I was thinking of the importance the Lord places on the calling of a family. I was thinking of the impact of my decisions. As a father, I hold my families legacy in my hands. What will I do with it?

My Dad is a Pastor. At no time did he ever say, "Son, You are to be a pastor." And yet, the path the Lord laid out for our family was to follow in his footsteps. My brother is also a church leader. My dad's desire to follow the call of God placed in me that same desire to seek the will of God. My parents raised a Godly banner.

So am I saying that your children must follow the same career path? No. That's not the point. the point is, God places a priority on your family banner. Is your home a place that Glorifies God? Do you exhibit a commitment to connecting to the Body of Christ? Is it common for someone in your family to catch you reading your Bible? Do your kids know that the stewardship of God's resources are a priority? Does your family share the mission to impact the world?

As most kids are today, my daughter is quite technically savvy. She loves getting into my wife & my phones and changing the ringtones and other stuff. I have a "note pad' on my phone and she wrote: "Daddy is so fun. Awsome music riter. Daseling. Daddy so nice. You are wonderful." Now i'm glad she wrote that on a good day for the sake of this example, but the point is, she wrote down her impressions.

What does your family Banner look like? Does your family live the DREAM, or is it one where each one does what is right in their own mind? A generation from now, when someone asks your descendants, "tell me about your family..." What will they say?

You may be single and don't have a family, so you may not think this applies. Yet, as we've read in Genesis, & Exodus, Many of the decisions made by individuals when they were single directly impacted the legacy of their families.

Each one of us hold our family banner in our hand. Make it a banner of Godliness.

Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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