Mattah

So this summer my mother-in-law told me about "Mattahs".  I had never heard of them before and decided to investigate further.  There really isn't much info online about them, I only found 2 sites:

http://www.passionandfire.org/Mattahpage.html and http://pinebaskets.tripod.com//mattah.html  Passion & Fire is the better of the 2 and is where my quotes are from. [link no longer working so go here instead]

It sounds like an interesting idea.  I really like the idea of banners already and so having something like a Mattah sounds up my alley too.  Now, before you have visions of me dancing boldly and gracefully with my beautiful banners... it's something that really interests me but that I don't do... yet.

The first banners or ensigns, or standards used by the Israelites were not the kind of flags that we see used in worship today. The original ensign, standards or banners were actually poles that may have had the name of the patriarchal father on it, or the Israelite Tribe name on it, or maybe something tied to the top of it to represent the authority of that Tribe.

The Rod of God was used to divide the Red Sea so that the Israelites could safely pass through to the other side to escape from the pursuing Egyptians. The Rod in and of itself had no power or authority, but under God's instruction to Moses, it was used for many purposes. It is the same for us. These rods are simply dowel rods (my MIL is carving hers out out tree branches - much "wilder"!) that have been decorated with beads, strips of leather, feathers, ribbons or fur in order to express an attribute of God's nature. Of themselves they have no power, but in the hands of God's worshippers and intercessors in the midst of worship, the power of prayer and worship is of great power before the Lord. Just as Miriam worshiped with the timbrel when they had crossed the Red Sea, the Timbrel had no power of itself, but it was an instrument of worship in Miriam's hands. So it is when we worship with the Mattah, or Rod. 

The Mattah is not necessarily a worship instrument, in that it plays music, but it is an intercessory tool that proclaims Him in our worship and the many facets of His nature.

Every time we strike the ground in our worship with the Mattah, we remind the enemy of the territory that has been taken by our Lord Jesus and His authority at the cross.