ON THE VANGUARD

JEHOVAH NISSI
"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.' Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, 'For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.'"
Exodus 17:14-16

Remember the movie Glory? The movie itself is based on the letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the commander of the first black regiment in the United States Army. In the final scenes of the movie, the heroic charge of Shaw's Massachusetts 54th regiment on Fort Wagner are recreated. In a speech given before the dawn attack, Shaw points to the regiment's standard-bearer and said to the men, "If this man should fall, who will lift the flag and carry it on?" Thomas Earl, known from the letters as a weak and terrible soldier, boldly steps forward and declares, "I will!" As the fight ensues that night, Shaw is found dead. The standard is not picked up by Earl, who had found courage that morning to declare his stance, but rather by Private Tripp, a soldier who had previously deserted his regiment. The letters of Colonel Shaw were written as not only his personal memories, but as a story that years later we could still find courage in.
Moses had his own story like Colonel Shaw. In Exodus 17, the Bible records Moses leading the people of Israel against the Amalekites. Hur, Aaron, and Moses stood on the top of the hill, while Joshua and his chosen men defended themselves against Amalek. As long as Moses' hands were raised, Israel won the battle. When Moses' arms grew tired and weak, Hur and Aaron held them up. While this is a great illustration of accountability, it is also a great illustration of God as our banner.
Moses, Joshua, nor anyone in God's army raised a flag as we know it, but when the battle was over and the army of Israel was victorious, two actions were completed. First was, God told Moses to write this down as a memory for Joshua, which is now a memory also for us. The second thing, however, was that Moses built an altar to God, naming it Jehovah-Nissi (God is my Banner). The word Nissi is defined in the Strong's as: flag, sail, flagstaff, signal, and standard. In that moment, God proved Himself to Israel as their standard, their flag. As a tribute to Him, they built their altar and named it for who God was in that moment.
We are like Moses, and Amalek is our enemy. The enemy rises up against us and throws attacks our way. Be it drugs, porn, bitterness, sickness, depression, financial hardship, low self-esteem, the list is endless, but the answer is the same. We stand under Jehovah-Nissi. We stand under the flag of who God is. In these moments, call upon Jehovah-Nissi. Raise your hands like Moses; stand with others who will hold you up if needed, but do not give up. Do not let the standard fall to the ground. Now join me ON THE VANGUARD!