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Day 89: Conquered by Love (SoS 2:4b)

  He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love. 

Song of Songs 2:4  

Banners are flags or standards used by a nation, organisation or military. Unlike our day and time when the banner is used more commonly and for many sorts of things, it was mostly used by armies in those days. Armies marched under a specific flag or banner and even smaller units had their own banners. Banners represent many different things, but we'll look at just three in the context of our text.

     1. Banner represents identity: a public proclamation of ownership and belonging.

     a. When a new territory was conquered, the enemy flag was let down and the conqueror's flag displayed. Banners depict who owns a territory. To camp under a flag or wear it as we have in our day is to declare allegiance and belonging to what or who the flag represents. 

In Numbers 2:2, God gave Moses instructions about how Israel was to set up camp. Each man was to stay under his tribal banner and his clan's flag. 

So the Bride states here that her Beloved brought her to the banqueting house to show to all that she belonged to him and to him alone.

     b. It is said that some Army Generals inscribed their names on their banners/flags. 1 John 4:8&16 says God is love. This means that as 1 John 3:1 says we are sons of God, we are sons of Love.

     c. Banners and flags often carry symbolic colors and images to depict what a country is about, what they consider significant, or what should be associated with them. 

Christ conquered us by His death on the cross, an ultimate show of His sacrificial love. 1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us He bought us with a price. That price is His blood, His life. If I were to describe Christ's banner, I'll say it is a white flag with ‘LOVE’ written boldly on it. Written not in ink but in His blood.

      d. Whatever reputation is associated with the banner was assumed to be the character of the one bearing it.

Jesus said in John 13:35:

 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

As believers, love is our identity, strategy, purpose, and character. It is who we are and what we do. To grow in Christ and our identity in Him is to grow in unconditional love for God and fellow men.

     2. A banner is a warning for enemies: 

To raise a flag over a building or for a person to bear or wear a flag is a sign for enemies to keep off. It says if you attack this man or territory, you attack who they belong to.

In Acts 9: when Jesus appeared to Paul who was still Saul at the time, He didn't say why do you persecute my church? He said:

 ...“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”  

1 Corinthians 6:17 says:

 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 

We are one with Christ. To attack us is to attack Christ.

     3. It represents safety, security, and protection.

In Numbers 1, Amalek attacked Israel while traveling in the wilderness. Moses appointed Joshua to lead the army to fight against them. As long as Moses' hand was lifted to God, Israel won but they lost when he dropped his arm.

At their landslide victory, Moses built an altar and called it Yahweh Nissi: the Lord is my banner. Amalek did not see Moses raising His arm, they only saw Joshua and the men fighting. But that act by Moses was an announcement that Israel was under the protection of the Lord and their victory can only be attributed to Him.

God in Isaiah 31:9 in the Easy English Bible Version said about Assyria:

 Their strongest soldiers will run away because they are afraid. The officers of their army will be afraid when they see the Lord's battle flag...

In conclusion, this banner of love means Christ conquered us with His love, we are the testaments of it (when people see us they don't see us, they see His love). Everything He does for us is motivated by that love. His love is our identity, defense, security, protection... His love is our everything.

When we truly understand this banner, we'll live without fear, anxiety, or worry. We will go through life confident in our identity and its benefits.

PRAY WITH ME:

My beloved Jesus, I am glad to be identified by Your unconditional love. I know I belong to You and I am safe from all troubles under your banner of love. As I grow in knowledge and understanding of it, help me to be a true ambassador, dispensing this love to others in my world.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • Today, intentionally remember, rejoice in and celebrate Christ's love for you.
  • Have you publicly identified yourself with Jesus? Or are you treating Christianity like a secret that needs to be kept?A banner must be displayed for all to see. You can't enjoy its full benefits otherwise.
  • Read Paul's words about Christ's love in Romans 8:28-39. Meditate on it until fear and anxiety disappear.

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