Jehovah - Nissi

"Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner." Exodus 17:15

Trusting in Yahweh Nissi gives you confidence in every struggle. Surely in the heat of the battle you need confidence to prevail. Your confidence comes from the assurance of victory from God, who fights for you. Moses discovered the secret of victory when he and the people of Israel were attacked by the armies of Amalek. The Israelites, led by Moses, faced many challenges on their journey from Egypt to the promised land. They were chased by Egyptians, crossed the Red Sea, experienced hunger and thirst.

Lack of water soon became the least of their worries. Amalek, the chief of an Edomite tribe and warrior descendant of Esau, brought an attack against the Israelites. Moses commissioned Joshua to lead the battle as Moses stationed himself on the top of a hill with the staff of God in his hand. When Moses held up his hands high, Israel prevailed in the battle, but when his hands fell, Amalek would prevail. When Aaron and Hur helped support Moses' arms high into the air, the victory was won.(more about Aaron and Hur later this week...)

God instructed Moses to record this experience in a book as a memorial, including His resolve to "utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven" (Exodus 17:14). Following the Lord's words, Moses built an altar and named it "The LORD is My Banner." The significance of the victory was not lost on Moses. Moses fully realized God as Yahweh Nissi, and it was Yahweh Nissi - not Moses, Joshua, and not the people - who was the real victor in the battle.

Banners were not foreign to the people of Israel and were often attached to bare poles or standards. Holding a banner "was a signal to God's people to rally to Him. It stood for His cause, His battle." The banner represented deliverence and salvation. When Moses held up his hands, the people of Israel relied on God for their assurance and their victory.
(Trusting in the names of God, Catherine Martin)

You and I need someone to fight for us and bring victory in our life. The Lord is the one who fights for us. When I read about the Israelites experience in this battle, I picture Moses hands upraised toward heaven, with Aaron and Hur by his side. I envision Moses praying with uplifted hands. Some Bible commentaries even suggest that Moses' upraised hands represented prayers and petitions and intercession on behalf of the people of God in the heat of the battle. That's what trusting in Jehovah-Nissi looks like. What does the banner of the Lord look like in your life?