Day 1131: The Lord is my Banner - Exodus 17 vs 8 - 16

8-9 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10-11 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12-13 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15-16 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne (or, the banner) of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:8-16 English Standard Version

The journey of Israel to the land God was giving them was not without difficulty. Both food and water had been in short supply, and now we see how they were attacked by a fearsome people. The Amalekites were a tribe of fierce nomads living in the area south of Canaan between Mount Seir and the Egyptian border. Years later, Moses said to Israel: “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.” (Deuteronomy 25:17-18)

Joshua followed Moses' instructions to choose men who would fight against the Amalekites. As the battle progressed it became obvious that it would not be won by sword alone, but only with the help of God. When Moses held up the staff Israel prevailed, but when he grew weary and his hands drooped, Amalek prevailed.

Now while the Scripture doesn't say this, I think it may be an early picture of what the apostle Paul would later say to Christians. In Ephesians 6:10-12 he says: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.” And in vs 18 he adds: “Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.”

Prayer is a key weapon in the spiritual warfare Christians are engaged in. And, like Moses, we grow weary. Moses arms were lifted up by Aaron and Hur, and Israel overcame Amalek. This is an encouragement for us to pray corporately, as well as in private. It means acting together as a group, rather than as separate individuals. Oh that we would see more of this.

That this was a battle against “cosmic powers over this present darkness” can be gleaned from the fact that Israel were told to write the event as a memorial, and that God would utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. The last mention of an Amalekite is in the book of Esther, where Haman the Agagite, a descendent of the Amalekite King Agag, had plotted to exterminate all the Jews in Persia. But God overthrew that plan, and saved Israel.

And so Israel was given a new name to remember God by - “The Lord is my banner.” Banners are usually associated with victory, and this victory was the one over Amalek. So Christians can rejoice in Paul's promise to the Romans that “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20)

But banners can also be associated with festivity. The Song of Solomon 2:4 says: “He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.” How blessed are they who have the Lord as their banner as they journey through the trials and battles of this world. He leads them on to victory.