When I was in the youth group at my church, one of my favorite songs went like this, "Jesus is the Rock of my salvation, His banner over me is love... " I'm not sure what the actual title of that song is, but I know I loved to sing it and also do the hand motions with it. But I never really thought about what those words actually meant. The latest name of God that we've been studying is Jehovah Nissi, which means God is my Banner, so I've found out a little bit about having God as my banner.
The first time this name of God was used in the Bible was in Exodus chapter 17. God has brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and has provided the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, and now the Israelites are headed for the promised land and the first enemy they face is Amalek. Amalek is the grandson of Esau and is opposed to God and His people. As they are facing battle, God tells Moses to stand at the top of the hill and hold his staff up, and the people of Israel will be victorious. Moses' staff represents the power of God, and it is also symbolic of the banner or standard that is used by soldiers to lead the charge into battle. When Moses would lift up his hands with the staff, the Israelites would have the upper hand in the battle, but when his arms grew heavy and came down, the Amalekites would gain the advantage.
After a while Aaron and Hur, who were with Moses at the top of the hill, helped him to keep his hands high in the air for the rest of the day so that the Israelites were able to defeat the Amalekites. Afterwards Moses built an altar and named the place Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is My Banner.
I need the Lord to be my banner. He is my standard and my strength. I need to depend on Him on a daily basis and I need to choose each day to follow Him in total obedience. When I have the Lord as my banner, I am able to defeat the enemies that threaten to overtake me, but when I don't hold my banner high, I am defeated. Jesus came so that I could know personally the power of God in my life. He paid the price for my sin with His blood, so that I could have the banner of protection that only comes from God. That was the ultimate act of love. His banner over me is love!
"...the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and He will give you victory!" Deuteronomy 20:4
The first time this name of God was used in the Bible was in Exodus chapter 17. God has brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and has provided the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, and now the Israelites are headed for the promised land and the first enemy they face is Amalek. Amalek is the grandson of Esau and is opposed to God and His people. As they are facing battle, God tells Moses to stand at the top of the hill and hold his staff up, and the people of Israel will be victorious. Moses' staff represents the power of God, and it is also symbolic of the banner or standard that is used by soldiers to lead the charge into battle. When Moses would lift up his hands with the staff, the Israelites would have the upper hand in the battle, but when his arms grew heavy and came down, the Amalekites would gain the advantage.
After a while Aaron and Hur, who were with Moses at the top of the hill, helped him to keep his hands high in the air for the rest of the day so that the Israelites were able to defeat the Amalekites. Afterwards Moses built an altar and named the place Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is My Banner.
I need the Lord to be my banner. He is my standard and my strength. I need to depend on Him on a daily basis and I need to choose each day to follow Him in total obedience. When I have the Lord as my banner, I am able to defeat the enemies that threaten to overtake me, but when I don't hold my banner high, I am defeated. Jesus came so that I could know personally the power of God in my life. He paid the price for my sin with His blood, so that I could have the banner of protection that only comes from God. That was the ultimate act of love. His banner over me is love!
"...the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and He will give you victory!" Deuteronomy 20:4
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