Exodus 17:8-16
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 Jehovahnissi:
16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Israel had crossed the Red Sea and been delivered from Egypt and the Egyptians and were making their way toward the promised land. The manna had come from heaven as God showed He would provide their daily bread. He’d provided water from the rock to satisfy their thirst, even as they murmured and questioned. And next they would face a battle with Amalek, descendants of Esau and enemies who would ultimately be overcome. In this battle, Moses raises up the rod of God, and Israel prevails in the end. Moses’ altar is called Jehovah Nissi, The Lord Is My Banner, a reminder that God will prevail, that He will keep His promises, and that He is ultimately the source of all of their victories.

In this particular battle, Joshua may have led the troops. Moses may have guided and prayed from atop the hill. Aaron and Hur may have been essential support. But the battle was the Lord’s. The leader was the Lord. The victory came because of the Lord. And in the almost perpetual wars to come in the future, God would be the leader. He would be the one to dictate the course of the battle, the when, the where, the how—if they would only be willing to follow. The rod was lifted as the standard under which Israel would fight, marking them as being under God’s leadership and authority. They were following Him as soldiers under His command.

Israel would soon be facing many more battles. And in each one, they would have to decide if they were going to trust in God, to look for His leadership, guidance, and direction. When they disregarded Him, they bore the consequences of that. But when they were willing to have faith that He could and He would give them victory, they were able to prevail, sometimes in seemingly impossible situations. Whether from a place of strength going on the offensive or hunkering down on the defensive, this would prove true for them again and again. And so it is a lesson for us, as well, to rally for the fight under His banner and not to go where He is not leading us to fight.

Numbers 21:4-9
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
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.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

The word translated “pole” here in these verses is the same word from which “nissi” is derived. For Israel here, this was a different kind of battle, but God was still the banner, the sign of victory, the one to whom they had to look in order to live. A banner is a flag used in battle to identify the army and to give the troops something they can follow and rally around. It’s a gathering of soldiers to prepare for war, or it can be used as a sign of victory, as well. In this case, it was a spiritual battle. Because of sin, people were dying. But the Lord made a way for them to avoid death if they would look to this banner that He had provided.

John 3:10-15
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
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.

Jesus is the banner of our salvation. He mentions the serpent, the pole, that had been lifted up in the wilderness in order to equate it with Himself. He would be lifted up on a cross—a banner on a pole, in a sense—in order to give us victory over sin and to provide eternal life for us. It is only when we look to Christ as the source of salvation that we can receive and claim that spiritual victory. He is the one who makes the way, who does the hard work of warring over sin and death, and all we have to do is trust Him as the conqueror in order to be saved ourselves.

It is faith that draws us to look to Him in the first place, and then it is faith that enables us to follow Him for the duration of our lives. We must trust in one stronger than us, one with more ability that we have, one who can actually accomplish the task and secure the victory. It’s not something where we can stand on the sidelines. We have to be actively engaged in a life of faith, choosing to follow His ways, to obey His commands, to fulfill His purpose for us here.

Isaiah 11:10-12
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

The Messiah is the ensign—the banner—the one who gathers all together unto Him. We enlist in the Lord’s army and go under His command. We trust in Him to give us the victory. And then ultimately we will enter into His rest. He’ll do the same for scattered Israel when they will be united under Him in that future day when He gathers all unto Himself. It’s like a flag standing high, waving in the wind, and calling all who would desire to be part of His kingdom to come and bow before Him. And thankfully, any can come. None are excluded from this opportunity of trusting Christ and being saved and living eternally with Him.

We still have an enemy who seeks our destruction, a foe who comes in every generation to hunt and to hurt all those who unite under the banner of the Lord in Christ. But we don’t have to face him alone, and we don’t have to face him in our own strength. The banner over us is Christ, and He goes forth before us to enable us to get the victory. We may be down in the trenches with sword and shield, but He is directing the battle. He is leading the charge. His power is on our side, and so we don’t have to be overcome.

This banner is also our mark of distinction that we are the Lord’s. We enlist in His army and thus go forth under His banner, under His authority, protection, and leadership. We identify ourselves with Him and stand under His flag, part of His unit. We are making the determination and the declaration that we are on the Lord’s side and that we are willing to follow Him and obey His commands. Jehovah Nissi is our reminder that the hardest battle over sin and death was fought and won by God alone. So are we willing to take up His cause and go out in obedience to His orders? Are we on His side? Are we looking to Him for help and hope in the trials and hardships that come into our lives? Are we trusting Him to secure the victory no matter what kind of battle we may be facing? Because He is willing to lead and guide us every step of the way, and He’s proven Himself to be worthy of our faith and trust.