14 And the Lord said to Moses, Make a record of this in a book, so that it may be kept in memory, and say

it again in the ears of Joshua: that all memory of Amalek is to be completely uprooted from the earth. 15 Then Moses put up an altar and gave it the name of Yahweh-nissi: 16 For he said, The Lord has taken his oath that there will be war with Amalek from generation to generation. Jehovah Nissi is often thought of the banner of love. This comes from the idea in the Song of Solomon. But this name is much more than a romantic banner or covering. This is where we often forget about the character and nature of God. We think in 2 dimensions. God is so much more. In this event we have Israels God who helps them have victory. If we go to Ephesians we will also find that Paul writes. Eph 6:10 Lastly, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his power. 11 Take up God's instruments of war, so that you may be able to keep your position against all the deceits of the Evil One. We forget that we are at war. But our war is not against north Korea. It is against satan. In the Old Testament it was often in the form of a physical war. Israel was Gods chosen nation. He had formed it to show the world who He was. In the new testament we have the same encouragement and the same problem. The differences are small. It is more personal but not less of a problem. In the Old Testament Moses, Gods chosen leader, was told to find Joshua who would then lead them into battle. It was a battle with a stronger nation of Amelak, from Esau. So this was a fight against Jacob. This is important because God had made a promise that Esau would not prosper. What was Israel to do? They were weaker and had fewer people. It was a fight between brothers. If we see Jehovah NISSI as just the romantic side of God we will miss the point. Thinking of a banner as protection is very simple. NISSI is much more than this. If we see Jehovah Nissi as the Commander whose colors we bear into our daily battle, we will understand him in a much better light. By colors let me give you a better picture. Today FIFA is about to happen in South Africa. How do you know which is the Korean cheering section? Of course the people who are dressed in the colors of the nation. In a war some people wear the same clothes. They shoot from the same guns. The only way to know is by the flag at their command post. In the verses we read today we find that Israel was wandering in the desert under Gods direction. They were going to the Promised land. On their journey they had to trust that
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