You have given a banner to those who fear you, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. Psalm 60:4
Exodus 17 tells us a riveting story. God had just rescued the Israelites from generations of slavery in Egypt. He had just brought them through the Red Sea and into the wilderness.
During this time, the Israelites were suddenly attacked by a hostile people known as the Amalekites. In a rather unexpected way, God grants them victory.
Jehovah Nissi Meaning
And as a sign of worship, Moses builds an altar to God, naming it “Jehovah Nissi” – translated “The Lord Is My Banner.” The names ascribed to God in the Bible always give us insight into His character. But first, we have to understand what they mean. So what did Moses mean by banner?
In this context, the word “banner” is similar to what we would think of today. A banner is a massive sign, meant to be seen by everyone.
More specifically, it is a massive sign meant to spark hope and encouragement for a certain group of people.
When soldiers fly the banner of their country during a war, it spurs them on to fight. It gives them the motivation they need to achieve victory.
That is the picture that Moses was trying to paint. In the battle with the Amalekites, the Israelites looked to God – not man – for deliverance. They rallied around Him, and God allowed them to triumph.
All throughout scripture, God gives His people assurance that when they trust in Him, He will be on their side.
Deuteronomy 20:4 says, “For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
Just like a flag or a banner, God goes with us into battle and helps us to overcome our enemies. And he reminds us that victory does not come from our own strength, but from His divine power. King David understood this well.
In Psalm 121:1-2, he said, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
David understood that his ultimate hope was not in armies or chariots or human might. His hope was in God, who holds power and authority over all of creation.
That truth still holds today. We may not be at war with enemy soldiers. But in this life, we can often find ourselves under spiritual attack. Sometimes, we fight temptation.
Sometimes, we fight anxiety. Sometimes, we wrestle with the seeds of doubt that satan plants in our hearts. In those battles, the Lord can be our banner.
He can be the one we look to in our time of need. When all hope seems lost, we can remember the words of 1 John 4:4: “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
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Recommended: The NKJV, Woman’s Study Bible: Receiving God’s Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation
Bible Verses About Banners
Exodus 17:15 – And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner;
Psalm 20:5 – We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
Psalm 60:4 – You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
Psalm 74:4 – Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; They set up their banners for signs.
Song of Solomon 2:4 – The Shulamite to the Daughters of Jerusalem He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love.
Song of Solomon 6:4 – Praise of the Shulamite’s BeautyThe BelovedO my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, Lovely as Jerusalem, Awesome as an army with banners!
Song of Solomon 6:10 – Who is she who looks forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Awesome as an army with banners?
Isaiah 5:26 – He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, And will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.
Isaiah 11:10 – “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”
Isaiah 11:12 – He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.
Isaiah 13:2 – “Lift up a banner on the high mountain, Raise your voice to them; Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
Isaiah 18:3 – All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth: When he lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; And when he blows a trumpet, you hear it.
Isaiah 30:17 – One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, At the threat of five you shall flee, Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain And as a banner on a hill.
Isaiah 31:9 – He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear, And his princes shall be afraid of the banner,” Says the Lord, Whose fire is in Zion And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 62:10 – Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!
Jeremiah 51:27 – Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.
Zechariah 9:16 – The Lord their God will save them in that day, As the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, Lifted like a banner over His land
