Ladies, Ladies…All the Ladies!!

 

“Moses built an altar and named it “The Lord is My Banner”  Exodus 17:15

Day 1

This week we are studying Jehovah Nissi… The Lord is My Banner.  Let us first read in Exodus the story behind this name.

Read Exodus 17:8-16

This passage finds us immediately after the Israelites went through another spell of “testing” the Lord.  Moses once again pleaded before the Lord for more water because the people were questioning if God was “still among them or not”…they were yet again doubting His hand on their lives…..and once again the Lord provided.  Wow… I just need to take a minute here.  I feel like I’m writing about MY life.  I see God over and over again reveal Himself to me in REAL ways… I see Him sustaining me in REAL ways… yet I still find myself questioning God’s hand in my life….”Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Exodus 17:7).  Have you ever felt like this?  When was the most recent time you felt this way?  Pray today that you will be reminded that the Lord is here with you and has not left you in the desert alone without water to drink and bread to eat.

So now we read “THEN Amalek came and fought against Israel…” (Exodus 17:8)..  So I’m sure the Israelites were like, “ok, here we go again…what next God.”  Just a little background….Amalek was the grandson of Esau (Jacob’s twin brother). 

“The Amalekites were distinguished in the holy Scripture by two villainous characteristics: cruelty and cowardice. What makes the Amalekites particularly interesting is that these two characteristics are always glaringly present when an Amalekite is involved in any Biblical story. In every story in which an Amalekite is privileged to participate, the reader witnesses this extraordinarily evil people not only committing cruel acts, but at the same time committing those acts in an unashamedly cowardly manner. They were warriors, yes, but they were not noble warriors. They never fought a fair fight.”– John David Clark, Sr. - January, 1995

So probably out of nowhere these people came and began war on God’s people..(not a good idea)….

Read verses 9-13 again… How did the battle play out?

What happened when Moses held the staff high?  What happened when the staff was lowered?

Now I know that many of us think we are not going into battle today or tomorrow… or really anytime soon… but we are mistaken… we are ALWAYS in battle….we are ALWAYS at war..this passage is very pertinent to us even today.

Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

According to this passage what are we fighting?  Who (or what) are our hostages…our “captives”?

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God…” (v.5)..So often I get into mindsets where I KNOW that EVERYTHING against the knowledge of God is “raised up” in my heart.  I believe lies that I’m a failure… that I have no power outside myself….that Christ isn’t enough to help me attain contentment in certain areas in my life….that Christ isn’t big enough for my issues….that I’m alone….and I’m not worthy of any sort of grace… or worse- I must earn my grace.  These are all lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God…anything that isn’t a truth of Christ is against Him.  We must destroy these things….but how? Read these verses and write out what God says about our fight…..

1 Corinthians 6:13

1 Peter 5:8

Ephesians 6:8

John 16:33

1 John 5:4

As Moses held the staff high… God’s team was winning….as the staff was lowered… Satan’s team took the lead.  What is being held high in your life?  Who’s defeating whom? 

Christ power is big enough….He has overcome the world…. And that means that He HAS OVERCOME our heartaches, our longings, our struggles, our addictions, our disappointments…. It means that through Him… WE, TOO, can overcome those battles.  We must keep HIM in the forefront of our mind…. we must stay in the word….we must stay alert…. We must stay on our knees before Him.  Spend some time today asking God the reveal any “lofty thought”  that is not a truth of Christ that you are living with?  What is raised high in your heart?  Pray that you will take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ and lift that up and may THAT reign there.

Day 2

“But Moses’ hands were heavy.  Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other.  Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.”  Exodus 17:12

I can’t look deeper in this passage without stopping for awhile on this verse.  I just love the image of Moses’ friends standing on each side of him and lifting up his arms…. Helping him hold the staff up high so that the battle against the Amalekites would be won.   From the very beginning God has ordained that man not be alone.  He did not leave Adam alone in the garden.. He created Eve.  Throughout the bible we see the significance of friends and family.  We begin to realize that God does not desire nor ask us to walk through this life without help…without companionship…..we NEED community! 

“When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words. “(Job 2:11-13)                  

“Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.” (1 Samuel 23:16-18)

 

People, we need our ‘peeps’…We NEED others to hold us accountable and as Jonathan did for David..”encourage [each other] to stay strong in [our] faith in God.”  What does Ecclesiastes 4:12 state?

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” 

We learned yesterday that we are always battling… we are at war with our flesh and the devil… He is prowling, waiting to devour us.  Did you know that when animals out in the wild are preying on a herd they single out the sick or try to steer one away from the pack.  I’ve watched lions do this a hundred times on those discovery shows….. One cord will snap…but “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”God can do anything….we know this.  He could have wiped out that army in a blink of an eye…but he had Joshua in bravery and faith step out and lead his men into battle… He had Moses stand on the mountain and lift up the holy staff of God….but He let Moses be tired and weak… …He couldn’t hold the staff up….God didn’t hold it up… He had Moses’ friends do it.  I can’t imagine there was no purpose in this.

So I must ask you… who is holding you up when YOUR hands are heavy?  Who is helping you when your heart is heavy?

Are you allowing your hands to be lifted up?  Can you imagine if Moses had this “I can do this on my own” mentality… Look what trouble his pride would have caused.  Unfortunately for us we can’t stand up on a mountain and look down at our lives and see who is winning and who is losing and how everything is intertwined.  We can’t see how our pride could be detrimental—but it is.  I say all of this because I struggle with pride.  However, I am learning that it’s ok to be in need sometimes.  It’s ok to accept help… It’s ok to need someone to be your help.  I see Moses… an AMAZING man of faith…a leader…the man talked to God!!!… and even HE needed help.  And something as simple as holding a stick in the air.  But isn’t it sometimes the ‘simple’ mundane things in life that truly ‘heavy’ our hands?  Simple things like taking care of children from sun up to sun down and sometimes all through the night…. Or keeping things tidy around the house… or planning and cooking meals… or being successful at work….  It’s not the HUGE things for me that wear me down… it’s the day-to-day “boring life” stuff… and I’m feeble… I’m weak… I NEED people in my life to continue encouraging me in the faith.  And I pray that I may encourage others as well.Who are you encouraging?  Have you encouraged him/her lately?  If not… send a note, or email… and let them know how much you value your friendship and pray for this person today especially.  I will ask again… who’s encouraging YOU in the faith?  Write out these names. Pray for them.  If you can’t think of any then ask God to give you people that will build you up.  God is listening to your prayers.  

Day 3

“Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner”  Exodus 17:15.

Alas… we’ve finally made it to the entire point of this week!  The Lord, our Banner.  I am a visual person.  I have to sort of picture things in order to really commit them to memory.  So as I study this particular name I found myself realizing… I don’t really know what a banner is.  What IS a banner?  After doing a little research… I see this passage with two particular points.  The first one we will touch on today and leave the second for tomorrow.

“What is a banner? It’s another name for a battle symbol. In Moses’ time it was a staff (a long stick). During the crusades in Europe during the middle ages it was a coat-of-arms painted on a crusader’s battle shield. In recent times past it was a flag carried into battle. In more modern times it is an emblem painted on a war weapon such as a star painted on the side of an airplane to let everyone know that it belongs to and fights for the United States.”—Kraig Rice 

In other words… a banner displays our team. (To put it mildly)…. To whom we belong.  THE LORD is my banner.  I belong to Him.  I am fighting for HIM.  But what sort of displays am I exemplifying that reflect my team?  As a star painted on the side of an airplane allows everyone to know this one is flying for the United States…I must then ask myself…if the Lord is My banner…am I clearly marked?  Write out what these verses say about how others may know to whom we belong….

Colossians 4:5-7    

1 Peter 3:15-16

2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Ephesians 5:1-2

It certainly is one thing to “be an example” of Christ to others outside of your home.  However, I find the greatest challenge is to be Christ-like within my home.  Now THAT is another story.  I have come to believe that our homes reveal our hearts.  Within our walls, we are our TRUE selves—and that can be full of grace if I’m seeking first His kingdom… or a load of JUNK if I’m not.  When I am not walking in His love, I’m nasty, irritable, short-tempered..and guess what… my children completely absorb that behavior like little sponges and they TOO become all of those things.  We are all grasping for something that will make for peace.. but there is NOTHING that brings about peace like our great Prince of Peace…who

 “will keep him in perfect peace,
      Whose mind is stayed on You,
      Because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

So, I firmly believe that our examples of Christ will flow from our relationship with Him in our hearts.  As a mom and wife I always tend to make THOSE particular roles top priority in my life… but I am a child of God… and THAT should always take precedence.

Are you striving for peace within your home?

Are you looking to Christ for peace?  If not, where are you looking?

Take some time today and really pray through these verses.  Pray that the Lord will enable you to live them out in your interactions with others….but most importantly…live them out within your own heart. Watch as Christ’s banner begins to shine forth for all to see!

Day 4    

“He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.”  Song of Solomon 2:4

Yesterday we focused on Christ, our banner… that we belong to Him.  Not only are we fighting for Christ… but He is fighting for US.  With all of his strength Moses lifted his arms… his friends lifted his arms… Joshua fought out in the fields… BUT GOD was fighting this battle as well!  The Lord is My banner and “his banner over me is love.”Christ is in all things… and all things are under His authority.  He is our banner.  Salvation through Christ is God’s ultimate victory…..we are under the banner of Christ’s blood…protected… cleansed…and empowered.  We are never left alone… We are never left defenseless…. We are never left, period. 

Are you feeling left alone?

Are you feeling like the Lord isn’t fighting for you?

What does scripture say?  Write out the truths found in these passages:

1 Chronicles 28:20

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 27:1

Psalm 34:7

Now these are just a few of the HUNDREDS of verses describing a God who is fighting for us with all of his might… with all of his love.  He holds high his banner and we, my sweet friends… are under its protection!

Finally read Psalm 60:4

“You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth.”

“…..and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32.

Read John 3:16-17

What is the truth?

Are you living by the truth?  Are you living freed?

I’ve written on this concept of “living freed”….I think this is one of the greatest tools Satan uses on us Christians… it’s like he wants us to feel like we don’t deserve our freedom in Christ… or we can achieve this on our own—if we only do a little more, then we will truly be worthy of forgiveness… or worse.. Christ can’t reign in one particular area in our hearts.  Christ should reign EVERYWHERE!!!  In our thoughts, our homes, our marriages, our language, our TV shows, our music… I mean seriously….really think about that.  There is NOTHING that He can’t overcome… He has overcome the world.. He has overcome death… and anything and everything that we feel wants to separate us from Him… He has “taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross!”  (Colossians 2:14).  To quote Jesus himself… It’s FINISHED!  It’s done, people.  Nothing can separate us from Him.  Through Christ we have been given our banner… flying high in the sweet victory of salvation.  We have a God who saves… a God who fights for us… a God who wins every battle….The Lord is our banner… This is Jehovah Nissi!

Spend some time today in prayer.  Pray that God will enable you to live freed. May He remind you today that He is fighting for you and He loves you.