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WEEKLY
Volume 3 Number 24
9 November 2008
The LORD Is My Banner
(Message delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the Worship
Service, 2:00 pm, Nov 9, 08)
Text:
Exod 17:8-16
Truly, the LORD is all we
need. It is always wise for us to trust in Him, seek Him first, wait
upon Him and obey Him and His Word, then everything will be fine. We
have learned our Lord’s name Jehovah-jireh (the LORD will provide – Gen
22:14), Jehovah-rohi (the LORD is my Shepherd – Ps 23:1), and today we
are learning the name Jehovah-nissi, which means, the LORD is my
Banner (Exod 17:15). Then, what does this name mean to you and me?
The Background of the Name
Jehovah-nissi
God used Moses to deliver His
covenant people from the bondage under the Egyptians, to lead them and
to minister God’s Word to them during their days of wandering in the
wilderness. It was a hard and tough job for Moses. Besides enduring the
unbelief (Num 14:11; Deut 1:32) and murmurings and opposition (Exod
15:24; 16:2; 17:3-4; Num 14:10) of the disobedient and stiff-necked
people, “And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and,
behold, it is a stiffnecked people” (Exod 32:9), Moses also
encountered the attacks from the enemies. In Exodus chapter 17, after
Moses cried unto the Lord for help and smote the rock to give water to
the murmuring people, “Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in
Rephidim” (v 8). What would you and I have done if we were in that
situation? When the mighty Egyptians with their chariots pursued the
Israelites after they went out of Egypt, Moses encouraged his frightened
and helpless people, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation
of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye
have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD
shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (Exod 15:13-14).
Here, Moses understood that God expected them to fight against their
enemies, so he asked Joshua to choose men out of them to go out and
fight with Amalek. They could not stand still and let the enemies defeat
them. Then what did Moses do? He stood on the top of the hill with the
rod of God in his hand and with the assistance of Aaron and Hur. How
about the battle? When Moses held up his hand, the Israel prevailed, and
when he let down his hand the Amalek prevailed. Moses could not keep on
standing and holding up his hand for long because his hands were heavy
and weary, so Aaron and Hur took a stone for his seat and each of them
supported Moses’ hands, each one on each side until Joshua totally
defeated Amalek and his people “with the edge of the sword” (v
13). The LORD commanded Moses to write this incident “for a memorial
in a book” (v 14), and Moses built an altar and called the name of
it Jehovah-nissi, which means The LORD is my Banner (v 15). What
lessons can we draw from this incident?
God’s Word Preserved for
Us to Read and Study
Many modernist scholars do not
believe that Moses is the author of the Pentateuch or the Five Books of
Moses, which is also called The Books of the Law or The Law
(of Moses) including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy. However, it is the Lord who commanded Moses to write,
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book”
(Exod 17:14) and “And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these
words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with
thee and with Israel” (Exod 34:27) and “And Moses wrote all the
words of the LORD” (Exod 24:4). Our Lord Jesus confirmed that Moses
had written the books of the Law, “And he said unto them, These are
the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all
things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in
the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44) and
that God has preserved His Word to the jot and the tittle, “For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt
5:18). Do you and I want to be perfect or mature in Christ? We are to
wholeheartedly believe and humbly study God’s Word with trust, reverence
and submission, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4) and “Now all these things
happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor 10:11),
and “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly
furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim 3:16-17).
The Enemies of Our Souls
Our enemies nowadays are not
human beings “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph 17:8).
Our enemies are our sinful nature, worldliness and Satan, “Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom 8:7), and “Ye adulterers and
adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy
of God” (James 4:4), and “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Whether we believe or not, these enemies
come and attack us every day. Therefore, God commands us to put on the
whole armour of God to stand firm and resist the enemies with His
strength and power (Eph 6:10-18). Like David, who said, “He teacheth
my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms” (Ps
18:34).
How to Overcome the
Enemies of Our Souls
God wants you and me to
overcome our sinful nature, worldliness with “the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) and
temptations and attacks from Satan. Then how can we overcome these
enemies to glorify our LORD?
Being Born-again Christians:
“For whatsoever
is born of God overcometh the world”
(1 John 5:5). When seven sons
of Sceva tried casting out evil spirits in the Name of the Lord Jesus,
the evil spirit said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?”
and “the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame
them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house
naked and wounded” (Acts 19:16). If we are not born again, we are only
victims of Satan!
Being Concerned for God’s Name
and Glory: Moses
always had his concerns about God’s name and glory first even when God
wanted to destroy His rebellious people, “Now if thou shalt kill all
this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of
thee will speak, saying, Because the LORD was not able to bring this
people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain
them in the wilderness” (Num 14:16-17). David was rebuked by the
Lord through the prophet Nathan due to his sins despite his sincere
repentance, “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great
occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is
born unto thee shall surely die” (2 Sam 12:14). How about you and
me? Do we really have any concerns for
our LORD’s name and glory in whatever we say and do? How can our Lord be
glorified if we cannot overcome our sinful nature, our selfishness,
self-pride, our self-will, sinful lusts, etc? How can our Lord be
exalted if we cannot overcome temptations and worldliness? How can our
Lord’s holy name be honoured if we fail to live a true Christian life?
Having Faith in the LORD, Our
Victory: Moses held
up his hand and Joshua prevailed, and this expresses his total trust in
the Lord. Before he built the altar and named it Jehovah-nissi, Moses
must have trusted that the LORD was his Victory. Our faith in the Lord
and His Word is our victory, “For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world,
even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5).
“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom 14:23), so we can never
overcome ourselves and the enemies of our souls if we still have any
doubt about our Lord, His sovereignty, His power, His faithfulness, His
love, His Word, etc. We must wholeheartedly believe in the Lord
personally. He Himself must be our Banner or Victory always. Having Him,
we have victory, and without Him we have no victory and can do nothing
good and wise (John 15:5; Rom 7:18-20). Have you and I experienced, “The
LORD is my Victory”? “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us
to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by
us in every place” (2 Cor 2:14).
Praying without Ceasing:
Moses held up his
hand and Joshua prevailed, and this expresses his fervent prayers to the
LORD. David experienced the same, “When I cry unto thee, then shall
mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me” (Ps 56:9).
One of the armour of God is our prayers, “Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph 6:18). Moses
needed help from Aaron and Hur. We do need each other, and Satan will be
afraid when we unite our hearts and minds to pray to the Lord and cry
unto Him for help. If we are concerned for God’s Word and glory, let us
fervently pray for FEBC until our good LORD gives her the victory so
that many others may come back to His Word and His truth.
Trusting and Using God’s Word:
Moses prayed until
Joshua totally defeated the Amalekites “with the edge of the sword”
(v 13). We must skilfully use God’s Word, the sword of the Holy Spirit
to defeat our enemies, “I have written unto you, young men, because
ye are strong, and the word of God abideth (is continuously abiding) in
you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:14). We are to
be strong not in ourselves, but “in the Lord, and in the power of his
might” (Eph 6:10). Acknowledging our weakness, we shall look unto
the Lord for His sufficient grace and strength (2 Cor 12:9-10).
Our Lord Jesus defeated Satan
by the Word of God, we must do the same. We are to take the whole armour
of God: God’s truth is our belt, God’s righteousness is our breastplate,
God’s gospel of peace is our shoes, our faith in God is our shield,
God’s salvation is our helmet, and God’s Word is the sword of the
Spirit, our weapon (Eph 6:13-17). Is the Word of God abiding in our
whole being with our full dependence and submission? Is it controlling
and directing our heart, our mind, our thinking, our faith, our conduct,
our worship and service to the Lord? If we doubt, question, or criticise
God’s Word, we are defeated by Satan in the first place! Sadly, many are
trapped by this snare of Satan without awareness!
Conclusion
Dear friends, the enemies of
our souls are real, and we must gain the victory. May God help us trust
in Him and His Word, pray to Him always, and skilfully use His Word to
defeat our sinful nature, selfishness, worldliness and Satan to glorify
our LORD. Is this our personal experience, “The LORD is my Banner”?
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