the sceptre of Your kingdom" - Psalms 45: 6
THE SCEPTRE SERIES I: THE PERSONAL SCEPTRE.
The first mention of the word 'sceptre' in the Scripture was a father talking to one of his children. See Genesis 49:10. Oh yes, Judah was to become a tribe in Israel, but at that point in time, he was an individual. We must appreciate first and foremost that just as every king is a bloody human in God's eye, likewise every bloody human is a king in the eye of his creator. Every man and woman has a fundamental responsibilty first to himself under God, then to others. For the sake of order, few men must be accountable for resourses and trust on behalf of others. So let us begin with the individual today. Do you have a sceptre, first as a person?
You may have heard before now, that in ancient palestine and in many parts of the middle east and northern Africa today, an average man has a staff. You may say it is because they were mostly shepherds, but there's more. The staff, a crude form of the sceptre is equally a rod held in the hand. A rod or staff represents your placement in the society. A rod represents your public standing at a point in time. Even in the corporate world of governace, we still refer to someone given a new responsibility as having received the staff of office. That is how every individual has a sceptre because you are first of all responsible for yourself. A man must first love himself (be responsible to himself) before he can love his neighbour.
Okay, even angels each have their own staffs. See Judges 6:21. And maybe you forgot; God has a staff. See Psalm 23:4. Let me remind you that Moses dropped his own rod and picked up God's rod. You also have a staff,man! Everyone of us has his or her personal sceptre.
Let us take quick glances at representations of our personal sceptres in life.
Your personal sceptre is your covenant placement in God. That is the substantial evidence in the spirit that you are relevant in God's purpose on earth. The devil recognizes it; David had his sling, a porch filled with five stones and his staff, yet Goliath addressed only his staff. That is the one that bothers him most; our staff. See 1 Sam 17:43. How dare you despise yours! Oh David knew what he carried, he knew his 'stance' in God, so no Goliath- no matter how phenomenal could intimidate him. Why did David hold on to his staff when he was going to use his sling and stones? No real man drops his staff unless he sleeps. It is more useful outside than inside the house. May you not be found without your staff among men. Take your place. Take your staff.
Your personal sceptre is your command. In Genesis 49:10, the Scriptures interchanged the word 'sceptre' with 'lawgiver'. Do you wonder why our National Assembly of law makers operate with a mace? A mace is shaped like a sceptre and it is entrenched in our parliamentary tradition. Any gathering of those people without the mace is nothing but a social gathering, their resolutions will not bind on the nation- not at all. There is power in the sentence of a king. See Proverbs 16:10. The Message version says 'Rulers speak with authority'. You now know why. You got to find your voice. You got to find your staff.
Your personal sceptre is a proof of your assignment. Like I said earlier, your personal sceptre represents your staff of office. And we all don't work in the same offices; neither do we all have the same job description. Your staff of office encompasses all that you are here for. If you misplace it, you are misplaced. How did I know that? In Numbers 17, when God wanted to show to the nation of Israel that He called Aaron and the house of Levi into priesthood, He required that they get the rod (staff) of each head of the house- writing the name of each person on his rod. The rod was placed in the Tabernacle, before the LORD. It was only Aaron's rod that budded as a proof of his priestly assignment. Is your rod wasting where it would not bud? Why not relocate. Find your assignment. Let your rod bud.
Your personal sceptre represents your strategic provisor. Maybe I just love that word 'provisor'. God is our provider- Jehovah Jireh. But provisor entails the mechanism of provision. A regular in-built formular of provision. Just like all domestic water comes from the river (maybe), but there is a whole engineering of pipes that makes home supply possible. The Catholic knows the value of one provisor. He makes provision for everything. You see, your staff has the capacity, not just to bring food on your table, but also to meet your deepest emotional and spritual needs. In Leviticus 26:26, it is called the 'staff of your bread'. And when that staff is broken, you can eat all you can, you will not be satisfied. (See same Leviticus 26:26).
Your personal sceptre is your testimonial in the spirit. As we journey through life, our personal staffs have engraved on them the laurels of our victories in the battles of life. The skills you acquire in your everyday interaction with life, do not despise them. They are the very credentials that will matter in the examinations of life- when you face your Goliath. You get an idea why David brandished his staff in front of Goliath. 1 Sam 17:40. Oh, you got to flaunt that thing, brother. Those little acts of faith, those experiences in the presence of God, those answered prayers- they may not appear major or spiritually sophisticated- but those are the laurels hung round your staff. They contain your own peculiar experiences overtime. They come handy in times of greater challenges.
Your personal staff is a divine instrument of defence. With your staff, it does not matter what weapon the enemy has mastered. See in 2 Sam 23:21 how Benaiah, one of David's men killed an Egyptian foe who had a spear. Interestingly, he also killed the enemy with the enemy's own weapon just as David did to Goliath. Truly, you are as tall as your staff is in the spirit, so ignore the enemy's show of height.
You will need to find your staff, if you lost it. Or pick it up, if you've left it. I sense it so strongly; there is a move of God now that calls for men with their sceptres. If we stand up- first for ourselves- then we can stand for our marriages, our families, our communities, our nation.
What exactly is my personal sceptre? Is it something I can relate to in the real world? I believe so. I may tell you mine, but it won't help you much. It is a PESRONAL stuff (staff I mean). Till next time, why not go to God during this timeout and ask Him to show you your personal sceptre. Then we can move on in this very revealing series.
God bless you richly.
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