Sermon Title: "Jehovah Nissi: Our God is Our Banner" Part 3 of 8
Author's Name: Rev. Alex M. Knight
(Exo 17:8-15 NRSV) "Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. {9} Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men for us and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." {10} So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. {11} Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. {12} But Moses' hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set. {13} And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword. {14} Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this as a reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven." {15} And Moses built an altar and called it, The LORD is my banner."
We began this series of messages with Jehovah Jireh, "God is our provider." Next, we looked at Jehovah Rapha, "God is our healer, . . . God makes us whole." Today, the third message in this series on the covenant, redemptive nature of God and we will look to Jehovah Nissi, . . . God is our banner."
In our text for today, you will remember that God has brought His people out of Egypt. God is establishing the Israelites as His people. He is beginning to lead them in the journey through the wilderness to the Promise Land. In the story this morning, they encounter some of the residents of the wilderness and these residents take exception to God's people being there. One resident in particular, called Amalek, is about to make war against the people of God. Moses told Joshua to get some good men and prepare to do battle. Moses told Joshua that he was going to get up on this hill overlooking the valley and pray. Moses had in his hand the rod, the staff of God. This is the staff that Moses carried with him when he stood before the rulers of Egypt, commanding them to let the people of God go. This rod, this staff became the symbol of the authority of Moses, but also a symbol that God was with Moses.
When Moses prayed he held his hands up and looked up to God as a sign of adoration and praise to God. Those of us with bursitis know that as much as you want to praise God this way, it doesn't take long before those shoulders start burning. So, Moses has prayed and bursitis is burning in each shoulder and his arms are coming down. Well, they noticed that when Moses had his hands up and he was praying to God, the Israelites were winning the battle. When his hands came down, they were losing the battle. Now, two of Moses's companions, Aaron and a man named Hur were there with Moses on the hill. They saw what was happening and they realized that they needed to get Moses's hands up so that he could pray. But, Moses was an old man and he was getting tired. They rolled a rock up there so Moses could sit down. Then Aaron got on one side and Hur got on the other side and they held Moses's hands up. Moses went to praying and Joshua won the battle.
When the battle was all over, God spoke to Moses, and told Moses to make sure Joshua knew what happened. God wanted to make sure that Joshua knew where this power came from to win the battle. Moses also build an altar, a memorial to say this is what God did here on this day. Moses built an altar and he called the place "Jehovah Nissi" , God is our banner.
Have you seen the movies when armies would go into war? Somebody would carry the battle flag and the army never wanted that flag to hit the ground. If the guy carrying the battle flag got wounded or shot, somebody else would pick it up. The flag was the symbol of their unity and their purpose. Moses is saying something about God in that same sense. He's saying God is our battle flag. He's the one that binds us together in unity. He is our strength. He's the one that wins the battles. He's the banner over us. So Moses called the hill that day, Jehovah Nissi, God is our banner.
When I read this story, one of the first things that comes to my mind is a story in the 12th chapter of the book of Acts. You remember that two of the disciples were two brothers, James and John. They were called the sons of Thunder. James is murdered by King Herod. Herod is getting a little tired of the Christians. So he picked out one, James, and puts him in jail. Herod has James executed and he finds that the Jewish people thought that it was good. So, Herod determines to get another disciple and he arrests Peter and puts Peter in jail. Herod assigns two guards on either side of Peter inside the cell. Outside the cell Herod posts two more guards. The church was concerned for Peter. Peter is the leader of the church. The Church comes together and they are in this house and they are interceding for Peter, " Oh God, protect Peter, be with Peter, do for Peter, we can't do for Peter, deal with the king" They are appealing to God to be their banner. To fight for them.
During the night, Peter is sound asleep. The scripture says that an angel comes up and touches him on the shoulder and says "Peter, get dressed, it's time to go." About that time the shackles fall off his hands. The two guards remain sound asleep but Peter is awake. He puts on his sandals, he puts on his tunic and the door opens. He goes out that door and he comes to a gate. It opens and he finds himself out on the street. He thinks he's having a vision. This can't be real. Then the angel leaves him and he sees that he is standing in the street. Peter goes to the house where he suspects all of his friends would be and he knocks on the door. The maid a woman by the name of Rhonda, comes to the door. She's been praying and she looks and there is Peter. She says, "Oh my gosh, it's Peter." She shuts the door in his face and she runs back inside to tell everybody that it's Peter. Now, these folks have been praying for Peter. Rhonda rushes into the room and says, "Peter is here!" The rest of the group responds, "You are crazy woman. Go on out of here." She said, "No, no . . . it's really Peter!" They say, "How can it be Peter, he's in jail?" Peter knocks on the door again. He hollers to them inside and they open the door and there is Peter. They don't know what to do. They are all excited and they are whooping and hollering. Peter doesn't want to attract any attention so he asks them to be quiet and then he explains to them all that has happened.
Indeed, God is our banner. He is Jehovah Nissi. He is the one that does what we cannot do. He's the one that wins the battles for us. God reminds us in the book of Ephesians that the battles that you and I engage in are not against each other. They are spiritual battles. There are forces of good and evil that are at work in this world. We may get aggravated with one another. We may get angry if somebody says something that hurts our feelings or acts out in a way that is counterproductive to what we are all trying to do together. We need to remember that our battles are not against each other, but they are against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. We need to appeal to our leader, to our banner, God, to do things for us and through us.
In the book of Philippians we find that we can do all things through the power of Christ who strengthens us. It's in I John 4 that we find that greater is He, Jesus Christ, the spirit of God that is within us, than the forces of evil that are in the world. Greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world. Romans 8:37 tells us that in Christ, we're more than conquerors. All of these passages give us encouragement and give us strength and insight into how we can respond to the circumstances that come against us in our life.
There are two things that really stand out in this story of Moses proclaiming Jehovah Nissi, God as our banner. The first is that when we're doing the work of the Lord, when we're doing the work of the church, we have a responsibility to do something. We don't just sit down and wait for God to do something. We need to be engaged, we need to be active. Joshua was out in battle, he was doing something. I was reading a story the other day about one of the great people that lives in our times, Mother Theresa of Calcutta. I'm amazed at what this woman has been able to do for the Kingdom of God. The reason that she's able to do it is because she knows where her strength comes from. She knows who her banner is. Listen to these words from Mother Theresa: "I'm still convinced, says Mother Theresa, that it is He, not I. That's why I was not afraid. I knew that if the work was mine, it would die with me, but I knew it was His work, that it will live and bring much good. If the work is looked at just by our own eyes and from our own way, naturally, we ourselves can do nothing. But, in Christ, we can do all things. That's why this work has become possible, because we are convinced that it is He, He who is working with us and through us in the poor and for the poor."
Greater is Christ who is in us. We can do all things with the power of Christ who strengthened us. We're more than conquerors because of Christ being with us. We have a part to do. Mother Theresa heard the call of God, to go into the nastiest place on the planet earth, Calcutta, and serve the lepers and the poor and the throw away's of society. She couldn't do that work in her own strength, but by the power of Christ she can do that work. She can love the unlovable because God does His part, because God is her banner.
We also need to remember that God is our banner. He's the one that strengthens us, He does the impossible. He does what we cannot do. When we're overwhelmed, He's not overwhelmed. When we're caught by surprise, He's not caught by surprise. He's aware of what's happening and what the needs are within our lives. I want to ask you this morning to think about the things that are going on in your life. I sat down for a few minutes this morning with a note pad and I made a list of the things where I need Jehovah Nissi to be my banner. The more I thought about those things, the more I realized that with a lot of what is going on in my life I've been trying to trust in my own strength and figure out a way to solve a lot of problems that are not my problems to solve. I need to lay them at that feet of Jesus, at the throne of God and let Jesus and let God be my banner. Let them do the fighting. Let them do the part that I cannot do. It felt good to put my hand on that list this morning and say, "Father, forgive me for being so presumptuous to think that I could solve all of these problems and forgive me for letting myself become down in worry and anxiety about these problems and thank you Father that I can just let go of this stuff and give it to you and just be free because you are my banner. You are the one who brings victory."
What is it that you need God to do in your life? Where is it that you need His provision? Will you claim that He is Jehovah Jireh for you? He is your provider.
Where is it that you need completeness in your life. You know that you are struggling with anxiety, . . . you can feel it, . . . you get upset, . . . you need to be in control, but your not in control. You know the struggles that you have and your need to be whole. You need just to let yourself be the son and daughter of God, loved by God, accepted by God, esteemed as beautiful by God. Can you let Him be Jehovah Rapha for you? Your healer.
Where are you struggling? Is it work? Is it with a spouse? Is it with children? Whatever it may be in your life, you are in the battle and you feel alone. But, you are not alone. Your banner is none other than Jesus Christ. Jehovah Nissi. God is our banner. Will you let Him be the banner in your life today?
I ask you just to take a few minutes in prayer and as you go into this day and the week to come, let the Holy Spirit bring to your mind, those areas in your life, where you're relying on your own strength, your own insight, your own power. Resolve that you will repent and let God be your banner, let God do your fighting for you. Let Him bring victory in your life, because He indeed, He is the Lord of the impossible. He is Jehovah Nissi, our banner.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you this morning for the good news that the banner over us is a banner of love and of mercy and of acceptance. Father, I thank you that you delight in showing yourself strong in our lives, in meeting our every need, of making us whole and of going into those situations in our life where we don't see anyway where we can prevail and you make us more than conquerors. Father I ask you to show yourself strong in the lives of all our people.. Become their banner, I pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.