Throughout our lives, we will encounter enemies that are assembling to attack us. In some instances it may be other people, but more often it will be enemies like disease, unplanned job loss, financial setback, and the like. When we come upon them, we would do well to remember that God is our “Banner” and He goes before us!
After God had led the Israelites across the Red Sea, they saw the warriors of Amalek assembling for a fight there in the valley of Rephidim.(1) The last army that had assembled against the Israelites had perished at the bottom of the sea. The Israelites had not been called upon to go into battle to defeat them. No Israelite blood had been spilled. The casualty count at that battle had been: Egyptians – ALL; Israelites – NONE. God had gone before the Israelites, making a way for their escape, and He had gone behind them, making a way for their enemy’s defeat.
There was no question that God had fought the battle for His people that day - and He had won! Remember, God had promised that He would defeat the Egyptians so that the whole world would know that there was one God, and His Name is Jehovah! The reports of how God had gone before His people and had defeated the Egyptian army spread throughout the land. It was heard by the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Edomites – “ites” of every kind – including the Amalekites.
But ironically, the Amalekites approached the Israelites with arrogance and attitude. They considered themselves to be undefeatable. God had defeated the most powerful army in the world – the Egyptians. He had quite literally moved heaven and earth to defeat them. He had revealed His power and His glory to a watching world. He had firmly established His reputation that there was none like Him. He is the Sovereign and Almighty God, and these were His people.
And yet … the Amalekites were advancing to fight the Israelites – and in so doing were shaking their “fists” at the Lord God Jehovah and declaring war against His throne. But hold onto this truth – when an enemy advances against a people that God has declared to be His, that enemy is not only advancing against that people, the enemy is advancing against His throne – and God WILL protect His throne. It wasn’t so much that the Amalekites had chosen the wrong people to engage in battle, they had chosen the wrong God!
i can’t help but wonder if the Israelites, as they watched the Amalekites forming their battle lines, were thinking: “How is God going to annihilate this army? We can’t wait to see how He’s going to do it this time. Is He going to rain down fire from heaven or bury them in the sand? Will He lead us up to the hilltop so that we can have a ringside seat like we did the last time?”
They were expecting God to work in ways similar to the way He had defeated the Egyptians. So I think they were surprised when Joshua called them to arms. This wasn’t how God had done it the last time. Why didn’t God just wipe them out? But God rarely works in the same way we have seen Him work before.
Then they saw Moses standing on the top of the hill holding up the staff. This was the same staff he had held up when the Red Sea parted and the same staff he had stretched out when the sea came back together. But this time, Joshua was shouting, “Charge!” This time, they were face to face with the enemy in battle; and this time they were seeing the blood of friends and family spilled on the field.
They saw that at one moment they were defeating the Amalekites, but at the next, they were being defeated. And they began to realize that the trend of the battle followed the position of the staff. When the staff was upraised they prevailed; God was giving His people the victory. The staff had become a symbol of their Banner of Victory. Their Banner of Victory was Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is my Banner). As long as the Banner was held high and lifted up, God’s intended outcome was assured. He was going before them on the battlefield. He was making the way. Though He wasn’t working in the same way … He was the same God! Though He had required them to take up the sword this time, the victory was no less His.
Are you encountering Amalekites in your journey? Are others telling you that your Amalekites are undefeatable? Are you a child of Jehovah? Has He declared you to be His? Are you following Him in this journey? Is He the One that goes before you? Then the One that your enemies battle – the One your disease faces – or the one your trial is raging against – is the One that they cannot defeat! His victory is assured – and He is your Banner! He may require you to take up arms. He may call you to be actively engaged in the fight. But take heart – the battle is His and the outcome is assured. He will use the battle to accomplish His purpose and bring glory to His Name. He will give you the strength. He will guide your every effort. Keep your eyes on your Banner!
And at the end of the battle, be faithful to build an altar of remembrance – to testify of His faithfulness to this generation – your fellow sojourners - and all that will come behind you in the days to come. Jehovah Nissi goes before you!
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(1) Exodus 17:8-9, 13-16 (NLT)
While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek came to fight against them. Moses commanded Joshua, "Call the Israelites to arms, and fight the army of Amalek. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." …As a result, Joshua and his troops were able to crush the army of Amalek. Then the LORD instructed Moses, "Write this down as a permanent record, and announce it to Joshua: I will blot out every trace of Amalek from under heaven." Moses built an altar there and called it "The LORD Is My Banner." He said, "They have dared to raise their fist against the LORD's throne, so now the LORD will be at war with Amalek generation after generation."
Adapted from The Journey Begins, Ch. 22
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