Working On The Flag

“Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.” (Ps 60:3-4 AV)

David is speaking of the hardships of Israel while in Egypt.  Bu inference, he is also including all of Israel’s enemies that have inflicted trouble upon them.  The hard things that the LORD has shown Israel are the hard lessons learned along the way.  They learned that the pagan gods of Egypt were nothing.  Jehovah God dispensed with them all.  For 40 years, they learned to trust the LORD for everything.  By taking the land promised to Abraham filled with heathen squatters, they learned that you have to fight for that which God gives.  They learned that God’s people and those who hate God might be decent neighbors, but they can never be your family.  Throughout the book of Judges, they learned that trying to assimilate with their heathen neighbors only resulted in hardship and loss of material goods.  They learned all these lessons so that the star of David could fly over the palace at Jerusalem.

If you have ever been involved in scouting, you know what merit badges are.  If you have ever been involved in AWANA, you know what patches are all about.  In scouting, there were dozens of merit badges one could earn.  If you were working toward Eagle Scout, there were mandatory badges and there were elective badges.  The scout had to complete all mandatory badges and then supplement the rest until he reached a certain number.  Along with a service project, the merit badges earned him the honor of the rank of Eagle Scout.  Few boys attained it.  There was a day when having that accomplishment listed on a resume meant something.  The Eagle Scout could wear his sash filled with merit badges and adorn his uniform with the Eagle Scout patch.  All the hard work paid off.  He was not recognized as a scout above all others.  The decoration could not be bought.  The honor could not be stolen.  It was hard work and dedication that resulted in the day that an honored judge, politician, or important man of the community bestowed on that scout the honor of Eagle Scout.

Israel went through deep waters.  They endured much more than any other nation on Earth.  Israel has the record for the longest people group continuously enslaved.  They suffered near extinction more than once.  Even today, they are hated, attacked, and suffer significant loss for no other reason but their heritage.  The saint endures similar trials of life.  Some because us need victory over sin.  There are lessons to learn about God that can come no other way.  Then there is the persecution inflicted on the believer.  We, too, will have a banner.  Our banner is the white robe of righteousness adorned by the precious jewels, silver, and gold given to us at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  We will be rewarded with five crowns to be cast at the feet of the One who died for us.  We can hear the voice of the Father say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”  There is a banner for our troubles.  This banner is in the making.  There are always manifestations of the trouble we suffer.  Some in the life.  Most in the next.  When our eyes are on our troubles, it might be a better idea to place them on the banner.  That banner flies high.  That banner flies gloriously.  That banner cannot be destroyed nor lost.  That banner is evidence of a life that surrendered to the hand of God.