2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
We continue looking at citations that reveal God as Jehovah Nissi, ”the Lord Who is my Banner.” Up to now we have looked at stories like the ones from Ex 17:6, which depicts God telling Moses to strike the rock from which water to quench the people’s thirst will flow and that of the war between the Amalekites (God’s enemies who are descendants of Esau) and the Israelites [EX 17: 8-15]. The story of Jehovah Nissi’s command to Moses to build a standard with a bronze snake and hold it up so the people could be healed when they looked at it in NU 21: 8-9 is another example. However, it is important that one understands that Jehovah Nissi doesn’t just interact with mankind in the Old Testament. God wants people to keep their eyes focused on Him when they encounter the challenges to their faith at any time.
We must remember that Christ is the second person of the Trinity, and therefore, One with God. He knew He was reaching the end of His public ministry on earth when He spoke to His disciples in JN 16: 7. “But I am telling you the truth: it is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper [Holy Spirit] will not come to you. But if I do go away, then, I will send Him to you.” This must have been difficult emotionally for the disciples to understand. After all, they loved their Lord for Whom they had put aside their own lives and followed in material poverty for three years. Yet, God’s perspective (and that means Christ’s as well) was higher than theirs. Christ must have known that the third person of the Trinity was uniquely equipped to help us both understand God’s word and keep our attention carefully fixed on the Lord, Who is our Banner.
We may ask: What is the connection between the striking of the rock to bring forth refreshing water in the wilderness for the people and Christ? Part of the answer is in some of the citations discussed which show that Christ is the Rock. Christ is God in the flesh. His dying on the cross obtains all we need for life. Let me repeat JN 7: 37-39a, which is certainly germane to this issue. “On the last and most important day of the festival Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, ‘Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink. As the Scriptures [EZK 47: 1 & ZECH 14: 8] say, ‘Whoever believes in Me, streams of life-giving water will pour from his heart.’ Jesus said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in Him were going to receive.” Jehovah Nissi not only is our Banner, but He is revealing in these citations the actual nature of the Trinity, so we will understand how each of its three persons is so important to us.
I have always thought that in each book of the NT there is a certain chapter which is a special love gift to us from God. In Romans, it’s chapter 8; in John, it’s chapter 14. Now this may be just how my mind works, and you can draw your own conclusions upon reading these books of the NT. Both the concept of Jesus being the way to the Father and the promise of the Holy Spirit are taken up in JN 14’s “Upper Room Discourse.” JN 14: 6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one goes to the Father except by Me.” Can you find a more important statement than this one? I do not apologize for frequently citing JN 14: 9 & 11, which give us so much insight into the relationship between Christ and the Father. “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father…Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me.” JN 14: 15-17, “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, Who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, Who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive Him, because it cannot see Him or know Him. But you know Him, because He remains with you and is in you.” What a treasure! The Father gives us Christ to die on the cross for us, and Christ sends the Holy Spirit, Who helps us to understand His word and keep our eyes focused on Him while we deal with spiritual warfare. Whew! That blows me away! How about you?
There are times which each of us needs encouragement to get through the challenges to our faith. Maybe it’s the Viking’s ignominious loss to the NY Giants, or maybe it’s more serious challenges that sometimes bring us to an emotional low. Cancer, persecution, a toxic workplace, or the challenges of parenting and grandparenting in today’s greedy, materialistic, and often evil society are just a few of the problems that beset us. Every one of us has his problems. God knows this and sends us citations like EPH 1: 13-14 to reveal Himself as Jehovah Nissi and offer us encouragement. “And you also became God’s people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put His stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit He had promised. The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised His people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are His. Let us praise His glory!” If we are to be owned by anybody, let it be our Lord, Jehovah Nissi, Who holds high His banner to help us keep our eyes fixed on Him! Let it be the Lord Who loves us that much!
PRAYER: O Lord, You have been there for us in the past, are there for us today, and will always be there for us in the future. How blessed we are each day of our lives by that! You challenge us to look at the world, the spiritual warfare we must wage, and our faith in You from Your perspective. That isn’t always easy for us. To help us, You sent Your Son to carry on a public ministry, die on the cross for us, and to send us the Holy Spirit. You are a Promise-Keeper, and we are grateful for it. In so many ways, You hold Your banner high so as to make it possible for us to gaze upon it in our most troubled times and in our times of joy. You have claimed ownership of us out of the deepest love of Your heart. You quench our thirst for reconciliation, salvation, sanctification, justice, protection, provision, guidance, correction, inspiration, fellowship, and encouragement with the life-giving water which pours from a Rock we encounter in our wilderness. It is You and You alone Who is capable of putting flesh on dead skeletons made that way by sin. It is You Who breathes life into them through the sacrifice of Your Son, so that we can come alive in the Spirit and hope for everlasting life with You. We pledge You, Dearest Jehovah Nissi, our worship, attention, adoration, trust, obedience, honor, glory, praise, and thanks. For that is the least You deserve from us in return for the love and compassion You show us every day. In Christ’s name, amen.
No discussion of this kind can be complete without going into the consequences of rejecting Jehovah Nissi. That is what we will look at tomorrow. While that may seem negative, it will reveal all the more how precious the blessings mentioned above and the encouragement available to us from Him really is. We go through our lives with the need every day to lean heavily on the love and guidance which Jehovah Nissi offers us. No matter what challenges to our faith that we encounter, even threats to our very lives because of it, Jehovah Nissi wants to stand in the gap for us and tells us to keep our eyes firmly focused on Him. Never lose sight of the love that He has for each of us. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn