Of the 32 names of God that present us with attributes and characteristics of God in the Old Testament, Jehovah Nissi, the “Lord Our Banner,” is one of them. The name for God, Jehovah Nissi, appears in Exodus 17:15. This is the only place it occurs in the Bible. It combines Jehovah, the Latinized version of Yahweh, the most frequently used name for God, with the Hebrew word, for a “banner” or a “flag.” The verse reads, “Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner” (Exodus 17:15).
What prompted Moses to build an altar and dedicate it to Jehovah Nissi – “The Lord is My Banner?” In Exodus 17, we find the Israelites, shortly after they’ve been set free from bondage in Egypt while traveling to the Promised Land, camped at a place called Rephidim. They came under attack by the Amalekites, who didn’t appreciate the Israelites passing through their land. Moses puts Joshua in charge of leading the Israelite forces in battle. Moses declares that he will stand up on the hill with the staff of God held in his hand. This is Moses’ battle plan.
What was the “staff of God?” Moses was holding the staff he had used under God’s direction to work miracles. He used this staff when the Red Sea was parted and Israel escaped from the Egyptians. This is no ordinary staff. Joshua battled with the Amalekites all day, and Moses held up the staff. When Moses raised the staff, the Israelites prevailed, but when Moses lowered the staff, the Amalekites prevailed. As Moses’ arms tired, Aaron and Hur assisted in holding his arms high, staff in hand. In the end, God gave Israel victory over the Amalekites. The staff Moses held was like a banner flying over the army of the Israelites. It identified them as God’s people. The staff represented God’s presence with the Israelites as well as His power. The staff represented God’s people depending on Him. So, Moses built an altar to create a place of remembrance and celebration of what God had done, He being their banner.
Although God being named as Jehovah Nissi is found only in Exodus 17:15, we discover elsewhere His “banner” as a representation of His protection and salvation. For instance, Psalms 60:4-5 and 20:5 speak of God’s protection and salvation using the imagery of His banner. We discover that much like banners and flags in the ancient world, and today, God’s banner identifies those who belong to Him, those He has saved in Jesus Christ.
In Scripture, Jesus is mentioned as a banner (Isaiah 11:10, 12; Romans 15:12). He will raise a signal (or banner) for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. This includes believing Jews and Gentiles, who’ve placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus makes this affirmation of Himself, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). Think about it, nothing can ever ultimately overcome us when we look to Christ, our banner, for salvation.
What can we glean from Exodus 17:15 and the other explored verses? What is the meaning for the believer? First, believers are not left to fight their battles alone but in the strength and direction of the Lord. When God’s people faced the Amalekites in battle, they were recently freed from slavery in Egypt. They were not a battle-hardened army. However, God was with them, and under His leading and power were victorious. As believers, we understand, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). On our own, who could win such a fight? But we are not on our own. We have God, and He offers His strength and leading. In fact, God promises victory, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Therefore, the second meaning for a Christian is that believers experience ultimate victory as they rely upon, trust, and follow the Lord. Israel was victorious as long as Moses held up the staff of God. We depend on God for our victory, but we’re also responsible for trusting and following Him, cooperating with the Holy Spirit (Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 John 5:4-5). Let me add as Moses built an altar he called “The Lord Is My Banner” to remember what God had done for Israel, we, too, need to remember and celebrate the way God has led us and the victories He has provided, most importantly, salvation in Christ.
There’s a quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” This quote is thought to have been spoken by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War as a reaction to a clergyman who had actually commended the Union’s reason as being “the Lord’s cause.” Lincoln emphasized the importance of aligning oneself with God and His will instead of presuming that God is in agreement with us. We need to realize that Moses held up the “staff of God.” It’s God’s staff. We need to understand that we’re not the banner. God is the banner Who brings protection and salvation. We need to remember we aren’t to wait for God to rally to us; we are to rally to Him, Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner. When we do, ultimate victory is ours in Christ. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!