Jehovah-Nissi is one of the names for God found in the Bible. It describes one of His many attributes, meaning The Lord our Banner.

It is found in the book of Exodus. Exodus 17:8 - 16 tells the story of another one of God's miracles. The Israelites were at war with the Amalekites. Moses told Joshua to choose some men to go with him the field to fight while he, Moses, would stand at the top of the hill with the staff of God in his hands. So Joshua went off to fight and Moses, with his brother Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill to watch the battle. While the battle raged, Moses held the staff of God above his head in both hands as his appeal to God for help and enablement.

This staff was the same staff that he had used to strike the Nile River (Exodus 7:20) when God separated the water for the Israelites to cross and to strike the rock to get water at Horeb. (Exodus 17:6). The staff of God was a symbol of power. Holding it up was a sign of the Israelites complete trust and dependence on God.

So Moses held it up above his head. As long as he held up his hands, the Israelites were winning but when he lowered his hands - a sign of lack of trust in God - the Amalekites would advance. When Moses grew tired, and couldn�t hold the staff up any longer, Aaron and Hur stood on either side of him and help him to hold up his arms. So together they held his hands steady until sunset. Joshua and the Israelite army overcame the Amalekites. God had made it clear by the use of the staff that the victory was His.

Moses commemorated the battle by building an altar to the Lord. He called it Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord is my Banner, for hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord.

A Banner is anything that is regarded or displayed as a symbol of principles.

This is a story, not only of God's power but of the importance of the Christian community.
Our staff is the way we live, showing our trust in God. Our lives are a sign of His power making us strong even though we are weak. Do you get tired of depending on God? Do you grow tired of letting Him be in control? Does it sometimes seem easier to follow the crowd instead of holding up God's Banner? Sometimes our arms get tired. Those are the times when it is good to have our own Aaron and Hur - Christian friends to hold up our arms, encouraging us to persevere and holding us accountable. If not for Aaron and Hur, Moses would have let the staff drop. If not for our Christian friends, we might give in to the temptation to give up instead of holding up His banner.

The battle belongs to the Lord. He is Jehovah-Nissi

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