And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner; Exodus 17:15
The Lord reveals Himself to us in many ways and all of our God encounters are for a purpose, knowing that God does all things on purpose and for a purpose. Through several of these encounters throughout Biblical history, the Lord reveals something of His nature or His relationship with us through a name. This is one such time.
Moses was interested in knowing God’s name for a particular reason when he first encountered the Lord in the midst of a bush that was burning yet not being consumed by the fire. It turns out the Lord is sending Moses on a mission — to confront the most powerful leader in the world and demand that he let all of the children of Israel, who are currently his slaves, go free! That’s all.
For such a task, Moses feels he needs to relay to Pharaoh whose authority is authorizing such a demand. In other words, who does he represent and who sent him? Any time a ship is at sea, it is sailing under the colors of a particular nation. Armies march into war under the colors of the flag they are defending. The flag or banner or ensign, if you will, represents the authority they are under and the nation or kingdom or group they represent.
At first, Pharaoh scoffed at Moses’ assertion that his God, known as I Am, had sent him on such a mission, but God finally got his attention and the rest is a big part of Israel’s history (as well as ours as Abraham’s children by faith in Jesus). Once again, in our verse today, Moses is called upon to wield the authority of the One who sent him. This time, it is against the Amalekites. Amalek was a descendant of Esau and represents the flesh, attacking God’s people, especially when they are vulnerable. But, let’s get back to our Banner.
Joshua was in the valley fighting the Amalekites and Moses was up on a hill holding up the rod of God in his hand. As long as he held up that rod, Joshua prevailed, but when his arms grew weary and he let down the rod of God, the Amalekites began to prevail. The key to victory was not Moses or even the rod that was in his hand; it was the authority that the rod represented.
You have been given a name that is above every name, the name of Jesus. As a child of God, you have authority on this earth over all the power of the enemy. The Lord is your Banner, His is the authority under which you speak every word of faith and pray every prayer of faith. His is the authority under which every thought is to be brought into subjection so that you walk each day in victory.
Under this banner you also have access before God’s throne of grace to receive help whenever and wherever it is needed. Every place your foot treads upon, you bring the authority of the Kingdom of God there; at home, at work, everywhere. You can speak words of authority over your life and over your loved ones because you represent the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. For many people in the world, God is some unknown, unseen Divine Being. For you, He always has you covered. He is Jehovah-Nissi: your Banner!
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