I like to watch a show on the History channel, called "American Pickers". These two guys own an antique store in Iowa, but they travel all over the central and southern United States in their cargo van, looking for old junk in people's barns, yards and out-buildings. They especially like old motorcycles, bicycles, and old signs. Apparently the signs sell well, as many of their customers will pay top dollar for old signs that display the historic names of companies.
One of those historic signs that is apparently in high demand is the sign for Standard Oil. As you may know, Standard Oil was the largest oil company in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. In 1911, the US Supreme Court ruled that they were a monopoly, and ordered the Company to be split into 33 smaller regional companies. In this process, founder John Rockefeller became the richest man in the world. The New Jersey regional affiliate shortened their name from Standard Oil to S.O., and their franchises had the signs that said "Esso", short for Standard Oil.
Sixty years later, in 1972 Esso had grown large again, and had bought back many of the 33 regional companies, including Humble Oil in Houston. There was some litigation surrounding the brand, so they re-branded themselves into what is now known as Exxon. Recently they merged with Mobil Oil, making them again the largest corporation in the United States. I wonder what the justices of the 1911 Supreme Court would have thought of that?
"Standard" was a name that John Rockefeller chose, as he wanted his company to be the one by which all other oil companies were measured. The word "standard" has since taken on other meanings, that may include the top of the heap (as in, "This manufactured part does not meet the extraordinarily high standards of Mercedes Motor Cars"), middle-of-the-road (as in, "Your boyfriend is drunk again; you need to raise your standards a bit when it comes to men."), and lowly or basic (as in, "You can choose between our standard service, our preferred service, and our ultimate service plan.").
I was thinking about this word, and its varied definitions, when I was at the home Bible study group last week. So I looked up the definition online. According to Mirriam-Webster:
Full Definition of STANDARD1: a conspicuous object (as a banner) formerly carried at THE TOP OFThere are other definitions, but these first seven have a Spiritual meaning that I'd like to explore here.a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem. 2a : a long narrow tapering flag that is personal to an individual or corporation and bears heraldic DEVICES
The emblem of identity, or the means by which that identity is held high
First, there is the emblem of identity, displayed high on a pole. I have written before about the arrangement of the tribes of Israel when they were spending forty years in the wilderness. They were commanded in Numbers chapter two about where each tribe was to camp in relation to the Tabernacle. "The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his own standard with the banners of his family." (Numbers 2:2). When they were following God, they all had a standard to follow. But when they sinned (in a sense, they went the way of the Serpent--see Genesis 3), God sent serpents to bite them (Numbers 21). When they cried out to Moses, God said, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live." (Number 21:8).
Many refused to look at it, and they died. But to every one who raised his eyes to the standard God had set before them, God showed mercy. This was a picture of Christ. In all of God's dealings with us, He exhorted us to choose life over death. Yet Jesus was raised up to die on a cross, the very symbol of death. Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Paul was quoting from Deuteronomy 21:23 to show that Jesus laid down his life to take the curse of sin for us. Everyone who looks to him and believes shall be saved. In this way, the cross is our standard, and Jesus is the one with whom we identify.
A banner, flag or pennant used as an emblem of identity or brand
The prophet Isaiah used a lot of military analogies to describe the victory that God gives His people. "Lift a standard (or banner) on the bare hill, raise your voice to them, wave your hand to them so that they may enter the doors of the nobles." (Isaiah 13:2). "All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth, as soon as a standard (or flag) is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and as soon as the trumpet is blown you will hear it." (Isaiah 18:3). Paul used this same analogy in one of my favorite verses, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere." (2 Corinthians 2:14). We receive victory through Christ, and the parade that forms behind His standard has the privilege of shouting His name, telling all of the battles He has won, as we follow Him to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Song of Solomon 2:4 looks forward to this triumphal procession when it says "He leads me to his banqueting table, his banner over me is love."
A model or criterion
Leviticus 24:22 says, "There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God." God gave the Law to Moses to show us how to live, and he instituted animal sacrifices to atone for us when we fail to meet His standard. Yet each letter of the Law looked forward to a Better Way. Jesus came to fulfill the law, and all who believe in him will be saved. When the Apostle Paul was giving his testimony in Acts chapter 22, he spoke of a devout man who was looking forward to the fulfillment of the Law. "But since I could not see," said Paul, "because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus. A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing near said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that very time I looked up at him." (Acts 22:11-13.)
King David was very humbled when he was chosen to be king of Israel. He prayed to God, "This was a small thing in your eyes, O God; but you have spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the standard of a man of high degree, O Lord God." Indeed, the promise of God was that a descendant of David would rule over the house of Israel forever. The fulfillment of that promise was Jesus, who was descended of David and who rules forever.
A rule of measure
We have all heard the aphorism, "Judge not, that you be not judged." Indeed, God does judge the wicked. Like the hand writing on the wall in Daniel 5, many of us will be "weighed in the balance, and found lacking" at the final judgement of God. But the warning against us pronouncing judgment on another in Matthew 7 comes with this rationale: "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:2). Most of us read that in a negative sense--we would rightly ridicule a municipal judge that hands out punishments for drunk driving if he himself were arrested for DUI. But the parallel passages look at it in a more positive light. In Mark 4:24, Jesus told them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides." And in Luke 6:38, Jesus said, "Give and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." In other words, the more you give, the more you will receive. The more you bless others, the more you yourself will be blessed.
The basis of value in a monetary system
The Bible speaks to this, as well. When Abraham's wife Sarah died, he agreed upon a price to be paid for her burial ground. "Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver which had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, commercial standard." (Genesis 23:16). Another purchase of land was found in 2 Samuel 24, when David had just returned from a successful battle. He wanted to buy a piece of land to offer a burnt offering sacrifice to God. The land owner offered to give it to David for free, but David said no. "I will not offer to the Lord that which cost me nothing." When we give to God, it is a symbol of his sacrifice. Of course, when we get to heaven, we will be walking on streets of gold, meaning that those things we counted as very valuable here on Earth will have no value in heaven. There will be no reason to buy anything in heaven. That is why Isaiah 55 says, "Come, buy bread and wine without cost." We will have new standards of measurement there.
A structural basis of support
In Scripture, Jesus is described as the cornerstone, the foundation of our faith. Paul encouraged his protoge Timothy to build upon the foundation that had been laid. "Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 1:13). And Paul wrote this to the church in Philippi: "Let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained." (Pilippians 3:16).
A grafting onto a tree
Jesus said, "I am the vine, and you are the branches". We have been grafted into Him by His grace. Honestly, I had no idea that this was one of the several definitions of "Standard", but I'm glad it is. He is our hope, our salvation; our source of strength and our Redeemer. He should also be the standard, the trunk and root of the vine planted by God, intended to be the host of all of us branches that are grafted in. Praise the Lord!
I can't emphasize enough about how excited I am about this part of the definition. Romans chapter 4 talks about the Jews having access to God first, but later on the Gentiles were grafted in to God's family. And the very definition itself talks about the root, the trunk or vine--if it is a true "Standard", then the fruit of the tree that is grafted in will not dwarf--it will be good fruit. How many times did Jesus talk about bearing good fruit? And we know that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control, against which there is no law. To bear good fruit, we must be grafted in to the true vine. Jesus is the true vine. If we choose the correct standard onto which we graft ourselves, then our fruit will no be dwarfed, it will not be small or limited or stunted. It will be good fruit, evidence of a good God, who gives abundantly and without limits.
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