Ridin' for the Brand ~ 2 Kings 11

“And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord's people...” 2 Kings 11:17a ESV

As a cowboy drove wild Texas cattle north up the Chisholm Trail to the nearest railhead, he had one last stop for rest and supplies, Fort Worth, Texas. And between 1866 and 1890, those cowboys trailed more than four million head of cattle through the now dubbed “Cowtown” that held the Fort Worth Stockyards.  During its heyday, the Fort Worth Stockyards processed a peak of 5.2 million head of livestock annually and was the world’s largest horse and mule market.  Today if you were to visit the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, you would find on a large wall just south of vibrant Exchange Avenue, an interesting image.  It is a diagram of the positional strategy of cowboys on a classic cattle drive.  From the positions of drag, flank, swing, wrangler, and point, all the way up to the trail boss, each cowboy had a very specific job to keep the vast herd of cattle headed in the intended direction.  But at the top of that image lies a very interesting saying, “If you take a man’s money, you ride for the brand.”

Since Texas had an estimated 5 million wild and unbranded longhorn cattle roaming the southern part of the state by the end of the Civil War, they were up for grabs by anybody that was bold enough to claim them and drive them north to the nearest market.  And so, the importance of the cattle brand in this claiming process gained vital importance.  You see, the first thing you had to do was identify that the wild cattle were no longer wild but belonged to your driving outfit.  And so it was that the cattle brand of an outfit soon became its identity, almost like a modern day corporate logo. Cowboys rode for the brand, got paid by the brand, and defended the brand against anyone that attempted to damage, offend, harm, or steal from it.

As I make the jump from classic Texas cattle herding to the Old Testament of God’s Word, it’s not as big of a jump as you may think. For in 2 Kings chapter 11 we see a similar claim made by the prophet of God, Jehoida.  The evil queen Athaliah has been domineering over the Israelite kingdom for 6 years after murderously engineering her own queenship.  And her vile behavior should not be a surprise for she is the daughter of none other than the most evil couple in all of God’s Word, Ahab and Jezebel.  And just what was evil queen Athaliah’s first order of business?  Kill every single member of David’s royal lineage, effectively wiping out the promise of God to deliver the Messiah through this bloodline.  The human heart is a deep well with tremendous capacity, oh the pain to see it filled with evil in place of goodness.

But God’s promises are just that, a covenant made by the Almighty God that created everything that has ever been created (John 1:3).  So God protects the last living heir of David, Joash, and sees him not only elevated to king, but slays evil queen Athaliah, ended her reign of terror.  And as the glory of God shines forth from the darkness, we see the prophet of God Jehoiada and the new king Joash, make a renewed, gratitude-filled covenant with the Lord.  And as our study verse above states so well, they merely acknowledged and made public whom they truly belonged to…we belong to the Lord and we are His people.

The cool thing about a cattle brand is its clarity and simplicity. You simply see a cow or bull, look at its side, and see the brand.  And simply by looking at the brand’s design you automatically know who the cow belongs to. And friends, who we claim to belong to in this world will determine our path in this world.

As you walk this world today, what brand is burned into your being?  Do you wear the brand of this world, simply existing to pursue what the world tells you will bring you joy, peace, and satisfaction?  Do you ride for the brand of ego chasing power, prestige, money, material goods, and financial gain? Or do you ride for the brand of the flesh, attempting to satisfy sexual desires, self-importance, and accumulation of all that seems good to your inner voice?  Folks, the God that made you desires you to ride for one brand and one brand alone…His brand.  And to do that, you need to clearly realize whom you truly belong to…and then ride for the brand.

              As you do commit to ride for the brand of God and He carefully and intentionally brings you into contact with certain people, how quickly are you to admit whom you belong to and what brand you ride for?  Are you quick to tell people you are a follower of Jesus Christ and He is the only way to eternal life (John 14:6) or are you timid and even ashamed to confess it?  Friends, to truly know your Maker and know about the branded family He calls His children to proclaim, you need to the build the relationship.  And relationships take two things to build, time and intentionality.  Commit to spend time with God each and every day by consuming His Word, by talking to Him in prayer, through blessed fellowship with other believers, and then by serving Him in whatever way He leads you.  It is in this way, and only through this way, that you can truly draw nearer to the Lord and learn more about the depths of love and purpose He has for your life.  And whether you are riding drag, swing, flank, or point…God has a glorious and adventurous journey for you as you commit to serve Him.

Blessings to you as you draw ever nearer to the Lord today ~ Dan

“Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:3 ESV

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"saddled up", San Felipe Usila, Vercruz, Mexico