Mensa Otabil - The Lord Is Our Banner
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As we learn more about the names of God, we come to understand what to expect from Him and who He is to us, because the names of the Lord reveal His nature and what He does. Today, we’re looking at another of those names: Jehovah Nissi.
The text is Exodus 17:14 — 15: «Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' And Moses built an altar and called its name, 'The Lord is my banner, ' Jehovah Nissi.» That is how Moses called the altar he built after Israel’s battle with Amalek. The Amalekites were the first nation to attack Israel after they came out of Egypt. The Israelites were a very young, untested nation; they had just come out of captivity and bondage. They didn’t have an army; they didn’t have anything. They were just going through the wilderness when the Amalekites came against them. They didn’t know how to defend themselves.
In those days, nations fought under a banner, which was mostly a pole that they held. Sometimes it was called a standard, which would have the image of a god of the nation. Sometimes it was a piece of cloth or a flag. When they went to battle, they would carry this banner or standard ahead of them to help them in their fight. In our time, the equivalent of a banner would be our national flag and anthem. That’s why when our footballers and other sportsmen compete on behalf of Ghana, they go under the banner of the flag of Ghana and the national anthem. In those days, they fought under the banner of their gods. Moses engaged the Amalekites in this battle, but he didn’t have a banner. They had nothing. The Amalekites had their banner.
When the battle started, Moses went up a mountain and lifted up his hands as if in prayer. He noticed that as he lifted up his hands in prayer, the Israelites would win the battle. When his hands came down, the Israelites would lose the battle. He realized that the lifting up of his hands was significant, so he continued to lift up his hands. Soon, two of his assistants, Aaron and Hur, stood by his side and lifted up his hands. When he got tired, they gave him a stone to sit on to help him keep his hands raised.
Moses held nothing in his hand. He just lifted up his hands, and although there was nothing in his hands, he won the battle. When the battle was over, he said that the one who was our banner was the Lord. What Moses is saying is that when he lifted up his hands, it was to the Lord, and the Lord was our banner. The Lord was the one who took us into battle and gave us the victory. When we also pray and lift our hands to God, in a sense, that’s the same statement we are making: that the Lord is our banner. He fights for us, goes ahead of us, and gives us the victory.
So, it’s important, as you pray, whether you lift your hands halfway or all the way up, to remember you are making a spiritual declaration that the Lord is your banner. You may not have physical weapons in your hands, but once you turn to the Lord in prayer and trust Him, He becomes your banner. He goes ahead of you, stays with you, and is behind you. He is your vanguard and your rear guard. The Lord goes with us, and the Lord stands with us; He is our banner in every warfare.
So, when you face any new warfare in life, remember that the Lord is your banner. Lift up your hands to Him and trust that He will go ahead of you and give you the victory. Today, I pray that the Lord will be a banner over you as you go out and pursue your business, academic interests, or whatever you are doing. May the Lord fight for you and give you the victory.
Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, You are my banner in a time of war. Lift up Your hand over me and grant me victory. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»