Banners for the Tribes of Israel
"God has communicated with His people through symbols since the beginning of time. The Tabernacle is probably one of the most intense packages of symbols. Every color, metal, precious stone and fabric had a symbolic meaning. The shape and placement of objects had symbolic meaning, as did all the vestments of the priests." - Arthur Burk"A picture is worth a thousand words." So, for fifteen hundred years the Jewish people learned about God from His ordained "visual aids," laws, and rituals. God's first great visual aid is Creation itself - the earth, and the heavens. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood by what He has made." (Romans 1:20)God has created us with the desire to explore. Mysteries intrigue us, and make us ask questions. When we humbly use this desire in seeking our Creator, He gladly leads us into His wonders. Learning about these mysteries starts with having a childlike desire to ask questions, becoming teachable, and trusting God to lead us through them.
"God has communicated with His people through symbols since the beginning of time. The Tabernacle is probably one of the most intense packages of symbols. Every color, metal, precious stone and fabric had a symbolic meaning. The shape and placement of objects had symbolic meaning, as did all the vestments of the priests."
- Arthur Burk
"A picture is worth a thousand words." So, for fifteen hundred years the Jewish people learned about God from His ordained "visual aids," laws, and rituals. God's first great visual aid is Creation itself - the earth, and the heavens. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood by what He has made." (Romans 1:20)
God has created us with the desire to explore. Mysteries intrigue us, and make us ask questions. When we humbly use this desire in seeking our Creator, He gladly leads us into His wonders. Learning about these mysteries starts with having a childlike desire to ask questions, becoming teachable, and trusting God to lead us through them.
Why are there twelve tribes of Israel? Why are there twelve major patterns in the stars? (see appendix) Is there a connection? Why are twelve gems used on the priests breastplate? Why are there different orders to the tribes? Why are numbers important? Our banner project is based on asking these types of questions and conveying them through the use of the patterns, types, and symbols you can see on this website. Through these kinds of visual aids, we can learn about God's promised One (the Messiah), God's plan of redemption, His government, and the character of the Messiah. We can even learn about ourselves and who we are in God by seeking God's guidance in understanding how we fit into His family.On this website are twelve colored banners that were created to reflect God's promises to us through His creation and His Word. (Psalms 96:6, "Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary." Exodus 25:40, "Make all things according to the pattern which was shown to you. . .")
Why are there twelve tribes of Israel? Why are there twelve major patterns in the stars? (see appendix) Is there a connection? Why are twelve gems used on the priests breastplate? Why are there different orders to the tribes? Why are numbers important? Our banner project is based on asking these types of questions and conveying them through the use of the patterns, types, and symbols you can see on this website.
Through these kinds of visual aids, we can learn about God's promised One (the Messiah), God's plan of redemption, His government, and the character of the Messiah. We can even learn about ourselves and who we are in God by seeking God's guidance in understanding how we fit into His family.
On this website are twelve colored banners that were created to reflect God's promises to us through His creation and His Word. (Psalms 96:6, "Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary." Exodus 25:40, "Make all things according to the pattern which was shown to you. . .")
The Torah is filled with patterns, types, and symbols concerning the coming of the Messiah, as Hebrews 8:5 states, ". . . who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things..." These are the guidelines for this project.Pattern - A form or model proposed for imitation.Type - A person or thing (as in the Torah) believed to foreshadow another (as in the Brit Hadasha); one having qualities of a higher category.Symbol - Something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; especially a visible sign of something invisible.Antitype - A person or thing represented or manifested by an earlier type or symbol.It should be understood that this study was never intended to be a definitive interpretation of the tribes of Israel. This topic, like much of Scripture, is vast in both breadth and depth. It is our hope that this effort will provoke a greater sense of the wonder of Scripture and the magnificence of our God.
The Torah is filled with patterns, types, and symbols concerning the coming of the Messiah, as Hebrews 8:5 states, ". . . who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things..." These are the guidelines for this project.
It should be understood that this study was never intended to be a definitive interpretation of the tribes of Israel. This topic, like much of Scripture, is vast in both breadth and depth. It is our hope that this effort will provoke a greater sense of the wonder of Scripture and the magnificence of our God.
Introduction
