THE STAFF OF GOD

 

Mark 6:8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts but to wear sandals and not to put on 2 tunics.

Jesus commissioned his disciples by imparting in them the authority to cast out demons and sending them out in pairs, he told them they were to carry no bag, no bread, no extra tunic, no money in their money belt, but to put on their sandals and carry a staff. I began to wonder why it was necessary for the disciples to carry a staff with them on the journey.

The oxford dictionary describes a staff as a long stick used as a support when walking or climbing, as a weapon, or as a symbol of authority. A staff is a symbol of authority and power for example ‘Staff of office’, in Leviticus 26;26 Staff is referred to as supply, a staff is used by shepherds as a weapon to protect the sheep from harm, a staff is also used as a walking stick to support the arms and legs. I began to see the importance of a staff for the disciples’ journey; power and authority, supply, weapon, and support. In this journey of life, we need the staff, but we also need to travel light with the staff.

David used the staff as a weapon to kill Goliath.1 Samuel 17:40 ‘So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them” so David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in a shepherd’s bag in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand.’

David didn’t dress like a Soldier for the battle with Goliath, the way Saul wanted him to because it was probably too heavy and he couldn’t even walk with it, so he took it off and took his staff, 5 stones and his sling and dressed normally like a shepherd boy, the same way I’m sure he was dressed when he killed a lion and a bear. David would have lost that battle if he had won the heavy garment given to him by King Saul.

Moses and Aaron used the staff with power and authority. Exodus 4:17 “and take your shepherd’s staff with you and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you”. Exodus 14:16 “Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.” Moses and Aaron had the staff of God with them in Egypt and they demonstrated the power of God by raising their hand with the staff. For the victory it was apparent that the most important tool they had with them was the staff of God. In Exodus 17 during the battle with the Amalekites Moses told Joshua that he would stand on the mountain with the staff of God in his hand, whenever Moses hand was raised (meaning that Moses was raising the staff of God) Israel was winning Exodus 17:9 but whenever he lowered his hand Amalek was winning Exodus 17:11. Moses and Aaron would not have been able to demonstrate such power with the staff of God if they were carrying extra weight.

Dear Brethren, the Holy Spirit represents the Staff of God that we must carry with us every day on this journey of life, for without Him we cannot gain the victory in life. When we genuinely walk with the Holy Spirit we walk with power and authority, but we cannot carry weight while walking with Him, just like the staff of God because we cannot manifest the power that is in the staff whilst carrying weight, the weight of offence, bitterness, wrong beliefs, jealousy, backbiting, selfishness etc people’s weight often differ from one another that is why we must never compare ourselves. But we cannot fully manifest the power of God in our lives if we are carrying these weights around, picture in your mind a traveller holding the staff of God on one hand and then a big suitcase of guilt on the other hand and then a backpack of weariness, and then a massive duffel bag of fear, and another bag on his head of resentment, this extra baggage will surely slow him down and he may never reach his destination. If we want to fulfil God’s divine will and purpose for our lives then we should trust God completely, carry our staff, travel light and then we will work in the power and authority that God has given to us.