Jehovah Nissi, The LORD is My Banner!

Introduction

Tonight we go to Exodus 17 for our next name of God to consider. Remember we are still considering God’s name “YHWH” or “Jehovah.” I would also remind you that His name, “YHWH,” focuses on the righteousness and truth of God. As He is righteous, so He expects those who follow Him to be righteous as well. The wonderful news is that God knowing our unrighteousness made it possible through His Son for us to be righteous once again in His sight. Thus, He has made it possible for us to live righteous as we obey His word.

Now, this evening, we are going to consider the compound name of God which is “YHWH-Nissi” or “Jehovah-Nissi.”

In our last study of God’s names, we considered His name as “YHWH-Jireh” or “Jehovah-Jireh.” As you might recall, His name “Jehovah-Jireh” means the LORD will Provide. This name of God was given by Abraham as God provided the ram in the bush as a replacement sacrifice for Isaac.

Now, as we continue, you can take your charts and fill in under Jehovah-Jireh this name.

Jehovah-Nissi

Take your Bibles and turn to Exodus 17. We will read this entire chapter since it gives us the background for our study this evening.

Exodus 17 KJV 1900

1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not? 8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: 16 For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

As noted in our text, there was a great battle between Israel and the Amalekites. You will note in verse 8 that it was the Amalekites that initiated the fight. They were the aggressors. Israel was simply following God’s lead as He led them through the wilderness towards the promised land. In fact, one of the main reasons God led them the way He did is noted in Exodus 13:17

Exodus 13:17 KJV 1900

17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

Thus, God led them on a much further journey around the Philistines.

It is interesting that the Amalekites attacked right after Israel’s issues with water. Rephidim was a dry place. Many still today consider it inhabitable. If you were to look it up on map, you will find it as barren desert. There is nothing there. This is where the entire nation of Israel found itself. By the way, God was the One Who led them there. When they arrive, they are out of water and no place to get water. So, naturally, what happens? They begin complaining against God and Moses.

We know the rest of the story as we just read it. God hears their cry and, as He always does, He answered their cry. He commands Moses to take his rod and smite a rock. Moses obeys and water comes gushing from the rock. No doubt there was great relief and, perhaps, astonishment seeing this great miracle. Israel is enjoying the refreshing pure water of the rock supplied by God. They are relaxed and enjoying the goodness of the Lord.

I want you to note one thing before I move on. Note the question raised in verse 7.

Exodus 17:7 KJV 1900

7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?

It would seem that there was a real concern among all Israel concerning Jehovah. Many were still doubting His presence and even His leadership. Is the LORD among us, or not? Keep that in mind as we go through this study.

Then, suddenly, one morning as the sun rises trumpets sound and word begins to spread through the camp. Someone has sighted a great army heading their direction. It is the Amalekites. Not much is known about the Amalekites outside of the fact they were relentless enemies of Israel. This encounter was the first of many between them and Israel. In fact, this encounter and their relentless oppression of God’s people is the reason God commanded King Saul to annihilate them. As we know, Saul failed to do so. Later, that failure came close to ending Israel as a nation. Here is a little known fact. Over in the book of Esther, Haman, the one who tried to exterminate all the Jews was an “Agagite.” Agagites can be linked back to the Amalekite king that Saul spared.

So, back to our story. Israel wakes up to the news that this great army is headed their way. Please remember they are still struggling with the question of God’s loyalty to them. Is the LORD among us, or not? What were they to do?

As we read, Moses and Joshua prepare the people for battle. Moses instructs Joshua to choose men from the nation. They were then to go out and meet the enemy doing battle. Meanwhile, Moses would go up on a high mountain overlooking the battle with his rod in his hand. And, as you know, as long Moses held up his hands with his rod, Israel prevailed against the Amalekites. However, when Moses’ hands drop due to weariness, the Amalekites prevailed. Realizing this, Aaron and Hur sit Moses down on stone, stand beside him with one on one side and one on the others side. They then each held up one of Moses’ arms so that Israel was able to overcome the Amalekites and win the battle.

Understanding the Word “Nissi”

Following that great victory, Moses builds an altar unto the Lord. He names the altar using this compound name, “YHWH Nissi” (Jehovah Nissi).

The word “nissi” simply means a banner or a flag.

It was essentially any type of clothe raised in the vicinity of a battle by which troops could rally. Flags have long been used in battle. Many battle flags become a source of pride, fellowship, and identity for warriors and soldiers. National flags and military unit flags were often used to mark locations and to serve as rally points in the midst of the smoke and death of battle. In the days before radios and the many modern communication devices of today, the one bearing the standard or banner was important. Flags were only means of communication on the battlefield. Thus, the one bearing the banner was an immediate target. If the enemy successfully took out the standard bearer, confusion would reign and victory would not be far behind.

So, here we have Moses sitting on stone with hands holding up the rod. He was, in a sense, the banner of Israel. However, we must not lose sight that God was force behind it all. Moses knew that. Aaron and Hur understood it. For that reason, as soon as the battle is done, they build an altar and declare God as their banner - YHWH Nissi.

A further study of the word “nissi” reveals that is used 20 times in the Old Testament. At times it is translated into English as a pole in Numbers 21 (we will come back to that in a bit), as a sign, as a banner, as an ensign, as a standard, and as a sail. Yet, in every instance, it was used as symbol that people could look to and rally around.

In naming the altar “Jehovah-Nissi,” Moses was literally saying, “A hand upon the throne of Jehovah! Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” You see Amalek had dared to assault what belonged to God. In turn, God gave Israel the authority and the power of His throne to overwhelm the Amalekites. Moses reaching into the air was a symbol of placing his hands upon the throne of God seeking God’s help.

This ties in with Israel’s victory at the Red Sea. Remember how Pharaoh's army was hot on their heels. God instructed Moses to once again extend his hands into the air reaching out with his rod over the Red Sea. What did God do? He divided, dried out the bottom, and allowed Israel to escape. Then, God closed the sea in on the Egyptian army destroying them. Later, after that great victory, all Israel sang a song which included these words.

Exodus 15:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and song, And he is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; My father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.

Did you catch that last verse? Jehovah (YHWH) is a man of war. Time and time again, God went to war on behalf of His people.

All of this leads me to this thought.

God is Jehovah-Nissi. He is our Banner. We see it so clearly in all the Jesus Christ did for us.

He is the Banner of Our Salvation

This fact is demonstrated in both the Old and New Testament.

Let’s start with the Old Testament. Clearly, we have already seen this with our text. However, it becomes even more vivid with a different event that took place in the wilderness. Remember the word “nissi” is the focus here.

Over in Numbers 21, we find Israel complaining once again. However, this time, the LORD was not happy with their constant complaining.

Numbers 21:6 KJV 1900

6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

And, as always, the people repented of their complaining turning to Moses to intercede on their behalf. So Moses goes to the LORD and pleads their case. God then instructs Moses to do the following.

Numbers 21:8 KJV 1900

8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

Moses does as the LORD instructs. He makes a serpent of brass and places it on a “nissi” or pole. Thus, the serpent of brass on a pole becomes a banner. As the people were bitten by the snakes, they were able to look to the brass snake and live.

This is great example of Jehovah and His love for righteousness. God has a great love for righteousness. His love for it is so great that He cannot tolerate sin. In fact, He can do nothing but judge sin and unrighteousness. It is the same here in this story. The children of Israel were complaining and rebelling against God which is sin. God had to judge their sin. He did so by sending the “fiery serpents.” Yet, even in the midst of His judgment, God Who is righteous demanding His people be righteous made it possible for them to be so by providing a way of escape. He is judgment of sin was satisfied and, at the same time, the people’s way of escape was provided in the form of a brass serpent on a pole, a banner. Jehovah-Nissi once again stepped in and saved them from His own judgment.

Later, when we come to the New Testament, Christ has now come on the scene. He is in Israel. He is offering Himself to them as their Messiah. Christ uses this very story informing Nicodemus that He was indeed Israel’s banner. He was their salvation.

John 3:14–16 KJV 1900

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

When was Christ lifted up? He was lifted up the day He died upon the cross of Calvary. Christ became the banner by which all who will look to the cross and believe are saved from an eternity of condemnation.