46

TheRoyalArchBanners,TheTwelveTribesByJohnCavanagh-15minutesJohn’sentertaining takeonexplaining theoriginof thebannersand thecharacteristicsofthetribesisagainappropriatetobepresentedbyanumberofCompanions.4. BannersandTribes

a) TheTribeofJudahb) TheTribeofNaphtalic) TheTribeofAsher

d) TheTribeofDane) TheTribeofBenjaminf) The Tribe of

Manasseh

g) TheTribeofIssacharh) TheTribeofZebuloni) TheTribeofReuben

j) TheTribeofSimeonk) TheTribeofGadl) TheTribeofEphraim

47

TheTribeofJudahThetribeofJudahwasunwillingtoassistinthebattlebetweenIsraelitesandtheirenemy.Simply;it’snotthatwedon’tenjoyagoodbattle,butthesouthernkingdomisjusttoofarawayandit’sonlyaninsignificantruralbackwater,abitlike_localtown_there’snomeritorHonour in fighting for them. The tribe of Judahwas the leading tribe of the Kingdom ofJudah. King David and King Solomon; the Royal line; belonged to the tribe and the linecontinuedafterthefalloftheKingdomofJudah.ThetraditionalJewishbeliefwasthattheMessiah would be of the Davidic line and from our Tribe, Indeed the Prophet Jesus ofNazarethwasfromthetribeofJudah.

Many important Jewish leaders have belonged to the tribe of Judah. For example theliteraryprophetsIsaiahandZechariah,belongedtothetribe,aswellasthelatercharactersofZerubbabelthePrinceandNehemiahtherebuilderofJerusalem.

WhenCyrus theGreat allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem, Jewishhistory from thattimeforwardispredominantlythehistoryofthetribeofJudah.

48

TheTribeofNaphtaliNowJacobhadbeenatitagainwiththemaidservantofhissecondwifeRachelandhegotherinthefamilywayagainandthisyoungerofthetwosonsborntohiswife’sservantsgavehis name to the tribe ofNaphtali. After Joshua, (not our Joshua, because you come longmuchlaterandyournameisactuallyJeshua,butthatanotherstory),ledthepeopleofIsraelintothePromisedLand.TheTribeofNaphtaliwasallocatedaregionnorthwestoftheSeaofGalilee.AfterthedeathofKingSolomonthe10northerntribesestablishedanindependentKingdomof Israel. But sadly in 734BC theNaphtaliteswere conqueredby theAssyrian’swho by 721 BC gained control over the entire northern kingdom. Israelites who weredeportedintoslaveryandthosewhoremainedbehindweregraduallyassimilatedbyotherpeoplesandneverreturned.ThetribeofNaphtalithuslostitsidentityandbecameknowninJewishlegendasoneoftheTenLostTribesofIsraelHiram,thefamousworkerinbrasswhomSolomonbrought fromTyre,was thesonofawomanof thetribeofNaphtali.Thesymbolof the tribe is a gazelle-a veryquickanimal. ThepeopleofNaphtaliwere like thegazelle,freetoroam,afreespiritedpeople

49

TheTribeofAsherWellIhavenoideawhereweare,Iamlost.AreweintheNorthortheSouth,ortheEastandWest. You see I am from the tribeofAsher andour land is scatteredover the tribalregions. It’smore a collection of settlements in other people’s land, “seems nothing haschanged much today then”. We eventually settled among the Phoenicians in the upperregion of Palestine. Throughout our history we have been fairly disconnected from theothertribesofIsrael.OurBannerbaresaflourishingTreeorCup,andourTribewerefruitfulandprolific,weweregreat farmers,whereverweendedupandweusedthe landwellandproducedabundantfruitstosellandtrade.

50

TheTribeofDanEayup,we’refromtheNorth;(inabroadnorthernaccent)thelandstothenorthofGalilee,andwestoftheRiverJordan.ThetribeofDanisthesecondlargestIsraelitetribeandourmaintradewasseafaring.It’sabitchaotichereaswehavenocentralgovernmentbutwedohaveleadersknownasJudges.We;asapeople;areconcernedwiththegrowthofthethreatfromPhilistines,sotocounterthiswearegoingtoformastrongcentralisedmonarchywiththeothernortherntribestomeetthisthreat,andwethinkSaulwillbeournewking,thefirstKingofIsrael.Willhebeagoodchoice,onlytimewilltell?OurmostfamousDanitewasSamson;youmighthaveheardofhim,strongladwashe,buthecouldhavedonewithahaircut.TheemblemoftheScalesof justiceonourBanner;representsDanandtheJudge’srulingoverourpeople.

51

TheTribeofBenjaminTheTribeofBenjaminwasdesignatedbyagreenBanneremblazonedwithaWolfbecauseitwaseverawarlikeandcruelTribe.

BenjaminwasagreatfavouritewithhisFatherJacobashewashisyoungestson.

Jacob described him as the father of a fierce and warlike people and this is what theybecame.Theymadewarsingle-handedagainstalltheotherTribes,andovercametheminbattleSaul,whoalsosprangfromthistribe,possessedgreatmilitarytalents.Hiswholelifewasspentinwar;andatlengthhe,aswellashissons,wasslaininbattle.

Some modern interpretations of the Banner consider the ravenous wolf to refer to theTemple's altar, in regard to the vast fire which consumed vast numbers of sacrificialofferingsmadethere.

BenjaminitesinthesouthernkingdomofJudahwereassimilatedbythemorepowerfultribeofJudahandgraduallylosttheiridentity,thiswasaftertheyrefusedtojoinwiththeothertentribesintheNortherncountryofIsraelandhadalliedthemselveswiththeJudeantribe,and so of all the twelve tribes only those of Judah and the descendants of the tribe ofBenjaminremaintothisday.

StPaultheApostlewasofthetribeofBenjamin.

52

TheTribeOfManassarWellwhatcanItellyouaboutthetribeofManassar?WellinallthebooksthathavebeenwrittenaboutthetwelvetribesofIsraelthroughoutalltheagesandofallthegreatstudiesovermanyyearsandthemillionsofpagesontheWorldWideWeb.ShallItellyouwhatthey’vediscovered?Notanlot!

53

TheTribeOfIssacharLookingforstaffsir,IcandoanythingIssacharnameliterallymeansmanofhire,TheBannerof Issacharwassky-blue,withastrongAsscouchingbeneath its load.TheAss isapatientanimalandapropersymboloflabour,manyfarmersusedthemforallthedonkeyworkinthosetimes (Team“naynotDonkeys”).Andaccordingly Issacharworkedquietlyupontheland allotted to them, and cultivated it with diligence and assiduity creating the bestproduceintheland.

We didn’t want to get involved with war or commerce; we were lovers of peace andquietness.TheimageoftheAsscouchingbeneathitsloadwasanappropriatesymbolofthecharacterofourTribe,TheAssisahardworkingbeastamildtemperamentbutsometimestubborn.Thetribeof Issacharwouldpreferasubmissiontoeveryspeciesoftyrannyandoppression,ratherthanfightinginbattle.

Issacharwas one of the 10 northern tribes that established the independent KingdomofIsraelthatsurviveduntiltheAssyrianconquestof721BC.

54

TheTribeofZebbulonThe People of Zebulon were seafarers and fishermen. Not only that, but with our landbesidethesea,wejusthappenedtobeinaplacetoseetheshipsastheycameintoport.Wehadaclearviewfromourvantagepointonthecliffsabovethesea.Knowingtheshipswerecomingandseeingthecrippledshipsmaketheirwaytosafety,thepeopleofZebulonwouldprepare for theoncomingdutiesof repairing these ships.And sowewould fix thesailsandrepairthetimbers.Sowewereearlyshipbuildersandrecyclersaswekeptwhatwereplacedforuseonothershipsthatcameacalling.Wewerenot;assomehaveclaimed;scoundrelswho litbeaconsontheshoreawayfromrocks,toenticeshipstoflounderandthenstriptheircargoforourselves.We’renotpirateswe’re good hardworking shipwrights. That’s just vicious slanderous rumours from otherjealoustribes.Naturallybecauseofourmaritimehistory,ourBannercarriesanemblemofasailingvessel.

55

TheTribeofReuben(Wearingfarmershatandcarryingcrookstaff)

Ohah,Ohah,Ohah,

I am from the tribe of Reuben andwewere big Farmerswith vast lands in the east,weownedalargenumberofcattleandranourlandsasasortofworkerscooperative,perhapsanearlyformofcommunism?

Wehavegoodgrazinglandidealforlivestocksuitableforpasture.Whichwasagoodjobastheysacrificedahellofalotofanimalsinthosedays?

We take things easy here and we declined to take part in the war against Sisera,conscientiousobjectorsyoumightsay,wejustcarriedonslowlyworkingawaytendingtheflocks,mypeopleweren’tinterestedinwarandfightingwejustidlyrestedamongtheflocksasifitwereatimeofpeace.WeweresettledeastoftheDeadSeainthesamegeneralareaoccupied by the tribe of Gad and played a secondary role in the history of the Jewishpeople;Thisledtousfallingdownthepeckingorderofthetribes.

Sowaterfeaturesonourbannerandwearelikenedtowaterasitalwaysslowlyflowstothelowestpoint.

56

TheTribeofSimeonBigissue,BigIssue.Anychangeplease,sparesomechangesir.IamfromthetribeofSimeonandwearehomeless.Thisisbecauseoftheevilandwickedwaymyfamilyhavetreatedthe“Sheshemites. This is afterwehadpromised themcourtesyandkindness, and thenwentback on our promise, metaphorically stabbed them in the back Henceforth we werestrippedofallourpossessionsandtoldtowanderthroughthelandsofJudah.OurPatriarchsaid 'Cursedbetheiranger, for itwasfierce;andtheirwrath,for itwascruel. Iwilldividethem,andscattertheminIsrael”.Sowe have no fixed abode. The emblemon our banner is a dagger to remind us of ourviolentpast,butyouhavenothingtofearfrommethisevening,andIwasjustwonderingifyouhadanySparechangesir,anysparechange?Bigissue,Bigissue.

57

TheTribeofGadIsitafterthewatershedyet?

Wellgoodcosthisisataleofasomewhatsordidnature.

The tribe of Gadwas named after the elder of two sons born to Jacob and Zilpah. NowZilpahwasn’tJacobswife,ohnonononono,hiswifewasLeahandthiswomanof“easyvirtue”shewasamaidservantofhiswife!!!

Nudgenudge;winkwink;SAYnomore.

Thiswasn’t theonly extramarital shenanigans thatoccurredwith Jacob, as youwill hearlateron.Anyway,after the tribeshadsettled into their lands, theywere shocked tohearthatGadhadbuiltanaltarinitsterritoryacrosstheJordan.TheothertribestookthealtartobeasignthattheGaditeswerebreakingfromtheworshipofGod,andplansweremadeto attack Gad for its transgression. But they had to be careful as the Tribe of Gad wascreditedwith40,000menabletobeararms, itwouldbe liketakingonasuperpowerandvictorywasn’tassuredatall.TheydecidedonBattleanyway,butpriortothebattle,wiserheads sent a delegation over the River Jordon to Gad to learn more about its action inbuilding thisalterand rebuke the tribe for its sinand try toavertconflict.TheemissariesdiscoveredthatGadhad infactconstructedthealtartohonourTTALGMHandtopreventthe Jordan River, a significant geographical divide between Gad and the majority of theothertribes,fromspirituallydividingGod’speopleIthadallbeenamisunderstandingandpeacewasresumed.

58

TheTribeofEphraimAfterthedeathofMoses,JoshuahisbrotherandanEphraimite, ledtheIsraelitesintothePromisedLandanditwasJoshuathatassignedterritorytoeachofthe12tribes.

MembersofthetribeofEphraimsettledinthefertile,hillyregionofcentralPalestine.Theygraduallygainedgreatpower,fortheEphraimitesactedashoststothetribalassemblies.

Itwasin930BCthetribeofEphraimledthe10northerntribesinasuccessfulrevoltagainstthesouthandestablishedtheKingdomofIsrael.

From about 745 BC, the northern kingdom was often referred to as the Kingdom ofEphraim, a reflection of the tribe’s importance. Our Banner depicts an Ox, an animal ofpatientindustryandstrength;thisreflectsthecharacterofthetribe.