“Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. ¹⁶ He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:15-16

​Jehovah: (the) Self-Existent or Eternal – nissi; standard, as rallying-point.

Jehovah-nissi – The Self-Existent and Eternal One is my banner.

​Early in Exodus chapter 17, we read the account of the Amalekites brutally attacking the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness to reach the Promised Land. They are following God, listening to Moses (mostly), and seeking a new life that God had promised them: from slavery to freedom in a new land. In the same story, the Amalekites were a savage group descended from the same bloodline. They were the descendants of Esau, their father Jacob’s twin brother.  

​As the Amalekites sought to annihilate the Israelites, Moses sent Joshua to lead an army to fight them. While Joshua and the other men were out fighting, Moses stood on top of a hill and raised his hands. When he grew weary, Aaron and a man named Hur brought him a rock to sit on. They even helped by supporting his arms so they wouldn’t fall. As long as his hands were raised, the Israelites were winning whether he was sitting or standing.

​The Israelites won the battle and sent the Amalekites running. Afterward, God said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.” Exodus 17:14

​Can you imagine the hope it gave the men fighting, seeing Moses with outstretched arms, knowing that when he did, they were winning the battle? I love that we can see Jesus in this story. He is forever our intercessor and safe place to run when we are battling the enemy. He is always fighting on our behalf from the right hand of the Father. Even though this passage is the only time that Jehovah-nissi is used in the Bible, He is most certainly our banner. The key takeaway is that God fights for His people and is our banner, so we can rest in His protection and victory

​For millennia, flags, banners, and standards have been used extensively in wartime battles. They stood as markers of territories and battle lines. If you were a soldier engaged in war, you had intimate knowledge of the flag you were fighting under, which made it easier, in some cases, to see where your camp was located. I can only imagine the comfort it would bring to see that your flag was still flying and that even though the battle wasn’t over, you hadn’t lost it yet.

​Banners and flags not only remind the soldier who they’re fighting for, but they also remind the enemy to whom they belong. Banners are significant in asserting ownership and territorial claims. God owns the heart of believers, and our enemy knows that well.

​The Bible also tells us that His banner over us is love, and our enemy knows this.

​“He brought me to the banqueting house,

   and his banner over me was love.”  Song of Solomon 2:4

​If you read this book allegorically, He is declaring that those who are in Christ forever belong to Him.

​Exodus 17 is not the last time we see the Amalekites. They keep rearing their ugly faces much like Satan still does today. Because of their surprise attack on the Israelites, God declared perpetual conflict with them, commanding Israel to destroy them. This is much like how we should always be destroying sin in our own hearts. God has gifted us with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish His will in this.

^“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16-18

​Later on, in the big story of the Israelites, their first king, Saul, chose to spare King Agag of the Amalekites along with all of his best livestock. When questioned by the prophet Samuel, he said he was planning to sacrifice all the animals to the Lord. This led the prophet Samuel to reject King Saul, in accordance with God’s divine plan for David to later take the throne.  

​And Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

   as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

   and to listen than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of divination,

   and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

   He has also rejected you from being king.”  1 Samuel 15:22-23

So many of us are quick to choose the banner that flies over our hearts and lives. We often see people waving the Pride flag. I think it’s ironic that a people group so against God’s design for human flourishing designed a logo that uses God’s original symbol to remind us of His covenant with us never to destroy the earth through flooding again. They are choosing to defy God while marching under His promise of protection.

I have flown my own selfish, prideful flags at times: the flag of self-reliance, the flag of jealousy, the flag of hate, and the flag of discontentment. I’m certain I’m leaving some out. We have all chosen rebellion and disobedience throughout our lives. How often we may have even chosen to sacrifice instead. It’s still disobedience.

​What flags are flying over your heart? Is it the truth of God’s Word, or have you chosen a flag of the enemy who only seeks to kill, steal, and destroy you? It’s so important for us to examine which banner we are living under, because God’s truth leads to life and the enemy’s flag leads to destruction. So today, let’s choose not to let any banner fly over us except His and His alone. 

Ardently His,

Jessica

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