Exodus 17:15-16 Christian Standard Bible
15 And Moses built an altar and named it, “The Lord Is My Banner.”[a] 16 He said, “Indeed, my hand is lifted up toward[b] the Lord’s throne. The Lord will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
In the book of Exodus, we read the story of how God’s people had endured years of bondage under the Egyptians.
They were enslaved, oppressed, abused, mistreated people.
They needed rescue, they needed a way of escape, needed freedom. God saw their need, didn’t miss a thing, in his perfect timing, he acted on their behalf.
The people of Israel spent 40 years in the desert. 40 years of wandering. 40 years of journeying towards the Promised Land that God had given them.
That’s a very long time.
The days must have been intense, hot, dry, I’m sure they got weary.
But God met them where they were, he made sure they had what they needed.
They learned through every hard, grueling step, how much they relied on Him.
It is not so much faith that is important, but the One in Whom you place your trust. Some people trusted in chariots and some in world leaders.
Some trust in themselves, their finances, their family ties, or their talents.
Some trust in their physical strength, in their intelligence education, their personality, their artistic abilities, or performing lots of good works.. but what is most important is trusting Jehovah-Nissi, (the Lord our banner) for He has promised to fight for us, when our enemies come at us like a raging angry flood.
What is necessary for life and living, for death and dying, is our hope in God.
The strength that is needed for today and the blessed hope we have in the world to come, is a heart that trusts in Jesus Christ, and wholly relies on His sufficient grace and mighty strength to get them through all of their weakest moments.
Every person we know and each security in which we place our trust, will one day let us down – including reliance on our own strength and abilities.
What is needed is a willingness to admit our fullest need and have a dependent trust on God to timely supply all we will need according to His riches in glory.
In Exodus, the Lord revealed Himself to Israel as Jehovah-Nissi, (the Lord our banner). The people of God had just escaped from Egypt. They were no fighting army. They had no experience of defeating a fierce enemy.
But they had been brought out of slavery by God, Who provided food for their bodies and led them in the wilderness by pillars of fire and smoke.
The menacing army they faced carried a victorious standard at the head of their battalions of fierce, well trained fighting men, which was meant to intimidate their opponents, instill fear in their ranks, fear and second thoughts in leaders.
It was as they journeyed through the wilderness that the Amalekites came up and fought against Israel at Rephidim, and Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek, and tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
Trust in God to deliver you, was Moses’ crystal clear instruction.
While Moses held up the Staff of God, Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand down, Amalek prevailed, Aaron and Hur held up the tired arms of Moses until the Amalek’s army was defeated.
On that day, God revealed Himself as Jehovah-Nissi, (the Lord our banner), “and Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner.”
As Israel’s armies fought Amalek on the field of conflict in the physical realm.. so Moses battled the adversary in a parallel sphere, through spiritual warfare.
As the Israelites fought their physical enemy with sword and spear, so Moses battled a spiritual enemy in the heavenly realm – through prayer and through intercession. Moses defied the satanic realm as he held up the Standard of God.
What faith was demonstrated by Moses, Aaron, Hur, Joshua, and the entire army of God. They trusted Him to fight for them, and He did not disappoint.
As Israel raised weapons of war against their bitter foe, so Moses lifted high the Rod of the LORD against the principalities and powers in heavenly places.
The earthly foe could only be overcome in the spiritual realm. Victory or defeat of Joshua’s army would be determined by the effective prayer of Israel’s faithful watchman.. for the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much – the effective prayer of a REDEEMED man.
Just as soldiers raise their battle standards high, proclaiming allegiance to king and country, so Moses lifted up his Banner to the Lord.
Moses raised up the Rod of God to proclaim Whose they were, Who was their true Champion, and in Whom they trusted.
The Lord God was their Defense and Defender, and so they fought under the authority, direction, and power of God, Who from that day on, became to Israel, “Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord Is My Banner.”
The arms of Moses grew weary and the legs of this prayer-warrior weakened as he travailed in intercession for those in his care.
Spiritual warfare is intense, and the arm of flesh fails when we face the enemy’s onslaught in our own strength.
But Aaron and Hur joined forces with Moses as together they raised high the standard of God, and the outnumbered armies of Israel continued to battle the Amalekites with swords and spears.
The long fatigued arms of an 80+ year old Moses were held aloft until sunset, against spiritual wickedness in high places, for only as he interceded for Israel was Joshua’s victory secure.
It was as Moses prayed for the people of Israel that the enemy was overcome.
Although he grew weary and rested his exhausted body on a stone, Moses kept the Rod of the Lord high, lifted up in prayer, so that we finally read, “Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
We too fight under the same standard, for Christ is our Banner.
Jesus is our Jehovah-Nissi. His is the Standard under which we stand and the Commander Whom we obey.
We too lift high the name of Jesus, for He is our Rod and our Staff.
We too rest our weary soul in Him, for His is the Rock of our salvation, and He is our Strong Tower to Whom we flee for safety.
The Lord is our Banner – the Lord is MY Banner.
Like the armies of Israel under the leadership of Joshua, we are not to rely on our own strength, for Christ’s strength is sufficient for all the difficulties and dangers we may face.
He is the One upon Whom we are to cast our heavy burdens and rest our weary souls for Jesus won every spiritual battle we will face, when He proclaimed from the Cross, “It is finished.”
5 Things We Can Learn from the Israelites’ Wandering Years in the Desert:
1. The way to our promised land is not always easy, in fact, it rarely is. But it’s worth it.
God had promised his people a land that would be full of blessing. But the way there would stretch their faith and lead them through journeys where they’d have to depend on God like nothing before.
Maybe you feel like the blessing is too long in coming, maybe you feel like giving up. Be assured again today that God is faithful and he will use all things to strengthen our faith and bring goodness to his people.
Stay strong, keep pressing through.
2. God will make a way where there doesn’t seem to be a way.
As the Israelites got closer that sea must have looked bigger and deeper.
Their eyes focused on the problem.
They forgot about the bigness of their God. But God didn’t forget about them.
Even if the way He’s leading doesn’t seem to make much sense and His timing seems off, or the wait feels long, and wandering in desert places is the last thing we want to do, we can trust Him.
Always. He knows our way. He sees the big picture. He has good in store.
3. God will lead us day and night.
“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to given them light…” Exodus 13:21
God never left his people alone in their journey. His presence was always there, a reminder to them that they hadn’t been left on their own in the wilderness.
God will not leave us to fend for ourselves, struggling to find our way.
He will lead us.
He promises to be faithful. We may not see him in a pillar of cloud or fire these days, but we have his Word, and the Holy Spirit to give guidance to our days.
4. God fights on behalf of his people
“Then the angel of God…withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them…” Exodus 14:19
He gives us victory and power even when it doesn’t make sense. After a battle against the fierce Amalekites, when God gave his people a great victory, the Bible says, “Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, ‘For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord…” Exodus 17:15-16
We’re never left to wrestle through on our own in hard places. He doesn’t send us out to fight the enemy in our own strength. He just tells us to be still, to stand strong, and to know he’s fighting on our behalf.
5. God provides in miraculous ways
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you…” Exodus 16:4
They were hungry. God sent manna. They were thirsty. God sent water gushing from a rock. Every day a miracle was right before their eyes. They just had to pick up the manna, drink the water, accept the blessing.
And just like the people of Israel had to look to God to meet their needs, so it is with us.
They couldn’t store it up, they had to look for it daily. And God always provided.
Sometimes we miss the miracles of his provision, out of busyness or stress. We try to get things going too fast all on our own, spinning around, trying to get it all done. Or other times we might start to forget what matters most.
But even for those days, there’s His grace. He waits for us. His provision and blessing, they never run dry. Every day, his miracles lie right before our eyes. We just have to choose to look for them and stay extra close in his presence.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Hoy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
All glory, honor, praise and Thanks be unto You, Jehovah Nissi, for the spiritual lessons I can learn from faithful saints like Moses and Joshua, Aaron and Hur. May I recognize that in everything, Jesus is all I need, and that under Your banner I can face the future in full assurance and peace. I pray that my prayers and intercessions will be underpinned by Jesus, the Rock of my Salvation, the Hope of the whole earth and the Standard with Whom I am identified. With every passing day, I pray that I may trust in Him, stand against the enemy in prayer and intercession, and be upheld in truth, through Jesus Christ, my God and Savior, in Whose name I pray, AMEN.
Psalm 20 Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 20
Deliverance in Battle
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble;
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.
3 May he remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering. Selah
4 May he give you what your heart desires
and fulfill your whole purpose.
5 Let us shout for joy at your victory
and lift the banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord fulfill all your requests.
6 Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories from his right hand.
7 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
May he[a] answer us on the day that we call.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 