Behold,
when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the
window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and
thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. 19 And it shall be, that
whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood
shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with
thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. 20 And if thou utter this our
business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. 21 And she said, According
unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she
bound the scarlet line in the window. (Josh
2:18-21)
Rahab was a harlot who saved the lives of two spies that Joshua had sent into
the city of Jericho to determine its disposition. She let these two down by a
scarlet thread from the walls of Jericho to make their escape from the city.
She was told to tie the scarlet thread in her window as a signal to the Armies
of Israel so that her life, and the lives of her family with her, would be
spared when Jericho fell into their hands. I do not believe that these men knew
the spiritual and prophetic significance of their counsel, but the Lord speaks
through unwitting mouths at times such as those words uttered by the High
Priest Caiaphas concerning the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ: And one
of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them,
Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one
man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this
spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that
Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also
he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
(John 11:49-52) Rahab, thus, became the great grandmother of King David and
came into the reckoned line of Jesus Christ! (Matthew
1:5)
From the day that God sacrificed an innocent animal in the Garden at Eden to
cover the nakedness (sins) of Adam and Eve, the Scarlet Thread has been the
connective tissue that follows through all of the Scriptures – both Old and New
Testament. It represents both the prophesied, and actual, shed blood of Jesus
Christ for our sins. It was represented in the blood of the Pascal Lamb that
was sacrificed in Goshen to spare the eldest male child in each home from the
Angel of Death that swooped down over Egypt. When that Angel saw the blood on
the lentils and doorpost, He passed over that house – therefore, the first
Passover in Egypt was observed signifying that ultimate Passover Lamb (Jesus
Christ) who would die for the sins of many that they might be spared that death
that plagued Egypt and the world. That Crimson Thread can be traced throughout
Scriptures from Genesis to Revelations.
I will address three distinct colors and there meanings in this devotion:
·
Crimson
·
Blue
·
Yellow
These
may be compared to Battle Streamers on the staff of an Army, Division, or
Regiment in the US Defense Forces. For example, the Colors of the 506th
Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne and Normandy (Presidential
Unit Citations), and a Green and Red Ribbon Streamer (French) awarded to the
Unit for Normandy Campaign. A Red Streamer is affixed for the Belgian Campaign
(awarded by the Belgium Government). These Streamers proudly proclaim the valor
and conspicuous bravery of the men of that unit.
The Crimson Thread of the Bible, and the Blue Cord, serve the same purpose of
acknowledging courage and sacrifice. The Yellow Streak in Scripture, however,
symbolizes the presence of sin and cowardice. It is not likely that the 7th
Cavalry has a Battle Streamer for the Battle of the Little Big Horn, for they
lost their colors to the Sioux – a grave disgrace[1].
That would be very much like the Yellow Streak mentioned. Though each of
Custer’s command may have fought bravely, their engagement and actions led to
defeat in the face of the enemy. Yellow, representing sin, causes the innocent
of a nation to suffer along with those perpetrators of it. Think of Peter who
denied Christ the third time, and saw Jesus turn and look him squarely in the
eyes. He went out and wept bitterly for his weakness. Being cowardly, or
yellow, is much more common than we might believe. What of Christians who hide
behind the colors of separation of church and state rather than take a public
stand against the incredibly abominable sins of abortion or homosexuality? What
of those who fear to intervene when a woman is being publicly attacked on the
streets of our major cities/ Do we fear to speak out as Christians? Will our
colors forever bear a Yellow Ribbon to describe our lack of valor and courage?
We all know that God compares the physical effects of leprosy to the spiritual
effects of sin. Leviticus reveals the means of checking for leprosy: “Then
the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the
skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce
him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard.”
(Lev 13:30)
Leprosy comes to men without distinction, especially in olden days. So does
sin. No one is born without it. No one is so full of courage that he lacks any
degree of cowardice whatsoever. Cowardice, or being yellow, cannot be remedied
by determination, but by a spiritual reliance upon God to both save and defend
us. Though we all despise cowardice, we all have had our portion of it. It
grows with lack of Bible study and faith, and it is extinguished by the Light
of God’s Word. If a man is yellow, he seeks to save his own skin to the
disregard of all others around him. He has spiritual leprosy!
It is to be hoped that our ensigns of life will bear the Battle Streamers of
the Crimson Thread and the Blue Cord. Blue illustrates courage and faithfulness
in Scripture. The three colors of our Star Spangled Banner are Blue for
Vigilance and Justice, Red for Valor and Patriotism, and White for purity of
intent. The same illustrates the colors of the Church.
See how Blue symbolizes our faith: Speak unto the children of Israel, and
bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments
throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders
a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you
for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of
the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own
eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my
commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the LORD your God, which brought
you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God. (Num
15:38-41) REMEMBER
ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD BY BLUE!
Now, if we proudly lift the Ensign of Christ high with those Battle Streamers
of Blue and Red affixed, we shall go from victory to victory. But if we stand
down, and put the colors in storage, their use and purpose will decay. I read a
story of the great violinist, Paganini, who left his wonderful violin to the
City of Genoa on condition that it never again be played. Within a few years,
the violin went into decay and ruin because fine wood needs handling, and so
does the Word of God.
Under which Battle Streamer do you march – the disgraceful Yellow, the Valorous
Red of Faith, or the royal Blue for vigilance and steadfastness? If we have the
Red, like the 506th Regiment, we shall also have the Blue, Streamer.
But Yellow is a disgrace to be drummed from the field.
Here is a quote from the Rev. Maltbie Bacbcock, DD: Loyalty to God alone
is fundamental. Feelings, words, deeds, must be beads strung on the string of
duty. Let the world tell you in a hundred ways what your life is for. Say you
ever and only, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God.” Out of that dutiful root
grows the beautiful life, the life radically and radiantly true to God – the
only life that can be lived in BOTH worlds.
[1]
The US 7th Cavalry
was the most notorious unit of the Indian Wars and was the only regiment that
participated in the Battle of Little Big Horn, however it was not the only unit
that was issued the Little Big Horn Campaign Streamer. Other units that were
authorized to display this Campaign Streamer included the 2nd, 3rd,
4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th,
14th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, and 23rd
US Infantries as well as the 4th US Artillery.
