Jesus IS The Banner of the Cross

Beginning with Mose & the Prophets

Lift Our Hands in Prayer with the Banner of the Cross

Exodus 17: 8 - 16

Introduction   

During this part of the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness they’ve learned some powerful lessons: “God saves”. “Don’t be whining.” “Trust your leaders.” “God will, guide you, He will protect you, and He will provide for you.” “He will always, 24/7, be with you.”

Now they are going to learn about prayer. Then, as it is even more prevalent today, there is a spiritual battle, and invisible war, between the powers of darkness and the children of light. In these hostilities, the enemies of God attack God’s people. The only way to prevail in this spiritual battle is by persevering in prayer.

Transition 

After escaping from Egypt the first enemies that they would face weren’t external forces but internal. There was a war within, a battle, skirmishes that are waged in every human heart. What they had encountered at Marah, in the desert of sin, at Massah & Meribah was caused by their own disbelief & discontent, not by the outward circumstances they encountered.

It came down to the fact that they just didn’t have any confidence, no trust in the Lord God that He would provide for them. They were discouraged, their moral was at an all time low. 

Then it seems that out of nowhere the Amalekits come on the scene and hit them with a surprise attack; their Dec. 7th, or 9/11.

The Amalekites were nomads that traced their lineage back to Jacob’s brother Esau through Eliphaz, one of the sons of Esau with one of his concubines, who gave birth to Amalek, (Gen. 36:12).

Now, no one is certain why the Amalekites attacked on this particular occasion - some think the Amalekites felt threatened by the Israelites presence, maybe they wanted the water, the area of Rephidim was supposed to be an oasis.

Whatever the reason; The attack was a cowardly one - We learn in Deuteronomy 25:17-18 that the Amalekites had attacked the rear of that long procession of people - Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. 

Hitting the ones at the rear, the old, the children, the women? The Amalekites were following orders which had there origin from the leader of darkness - Not the Scyths from Star Wars - but Satan - He was determined in preventing the Israelites from ever reaching the promised land.

He knew enough that the one promised in the garden, the one that would eventually crush his head would come from the Israelites but obviously didn’t know that he could actually stop Him.

So, he entices the Amalekites to attack the Israelites there at Rephidim. This does relate to our own spiritual experience - Look, the Israelites were already saved, they had been delivered from their bondage back at the Red Sea. they didn’t go up against their oppressors, they didn’t take up arms against the Egyptians. Why? They had someone to fight for them. Fight in their place.

The God of Israel won their salvation all by Himself; As He always does. Now here at Rephidim their survival was at stake again; but this time around they would have to stand & fight. - It wasn’t just a defensive fight, they were fighting a holy war for the glory of God.

Don’t think in terms of a Jihad like the Muslims. They weren’t fighting to conquer and convert others, but they were fighting so that God would be glorified.

Their encounter with the Amalekites is a picture of the church in its spiritual warfare. We can see in this battle another Old Testament type that shows a pattern of our lives in Christ.

This was a historical event that pointed to a higher spiritual reality. Our victory, the ultimate victory, is a done deal because Jesus Christ has won the critical battle with His death on the cross.

Scripture is very clear that God has defeated, has taken the weapons, the ability of the rulers & the authorities & put them in open shame, triumphing over them in Christ - (Colossians 2:15).

Everyone, because of this, who comes to Christ is free from the power of death & hell. - the enemies of Christ though, like some of the Japanese soldiers that never surrendered after WWII, also haven’t surrendered. They may be left with rocks & sticks, but that means that on our pilgrimage we are going to be ambushed by Satan and his minions, over & over again.

All true Christians believers, regardless of denomination, are engaged in a continuous spiritual struggle to resist temptations & carry on with the work of Jesus Christ & His gospel. The attacks are spiritual, yet even if physical, they will come on sudden & often. . . we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12). Though God permits Satan to bring evil into the world, the real battle isn’t visible - It’s invisible. Job - 

What we see going on in the world are only skirmishes in the cosmic spiritual strife between God & Satan.

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. 16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; (Ezekiel 28:13-17).

Isaiah writes: How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. 16 [During the millennial reign and after] Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, 17 who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?' (14:12-17).

After being saved, our real enemy is Satan himself with all his unholy helpers who keep attacking us hoping that we’ll do something to dishonor God & rob Him of His glory.

How do we fight back?

What is our counter strike? Jesus is! Jesus will win the war, He will be victorious. What’s our part? Are you a morterman, a rifleman, an artilleryman - well, we are really more than that. Our MOS, Military Occupational Specialty is to handle the most powerful weapon known in the universe. More powerful than any nuclear weapon. 

We join the battle just as Moses did: with prayer! By persevering & prevailing in prayer we are victorious on the battlefield.

The Iraelites used real weapons - Moses tells Joshua to pick men & go fight the Amalekites and that he will be on the hill top with God’s staff in his hand.

So Joshua oges and selects men, Army Rangers, some airborne, Marine Recon and goes out to the battlefield.

Moses was on the hilltop lifting his hands up in prayer accompanied by Aaron and a mutual companion named Hur. Scripture doesn’t elaborate on who Hur was. So Moses stood, with his hands lifted, the usual posture of prayer along with the staff in his hand.

It’s not recorded what he said, but it is sure he was appealing to God to show His power by saving His people, asking for divine intervention.

By his gesture he was appealing a total dependence upon God’s power, the type we all show express through prayer.

Now as long as his hands were up things would go well on the battlefield. When he lowered his hands the fortunes would turn against the Israelites on the battlefield. When he raised his hands again, the fortunes would turn in their favor. When his arms got tired Aaron and Hur would hold them up for him.

This shows me that there are times when we are to pray for one another, in James 5:16. The success on the battlefield was dependent on prayer - so today for our own spiritual warfare: our battle against the world, the flesh & the devil is won & lost through the artillery of prayer.

That is why Paul tells the Ephesians & us to pray “at all times in the spirit with prayer & supplications . . .” (Eph. 6:18).

What happens when we don’t pray? We start losing the battle - we get dragged down into doubt & discouragement. This isn’t true just for us individually, but to the church, the body of Christ. A local congregation, nationwide, worldwide.

If we don’t ask God to defend us, the members will be divided, we will be like sheep and go astray, each of us has turned to our own way; (Isaiah 53:6). We will fail to see any fruit & the lost will not hear the gospel.

We can all fight like Joshua like the 101st & 82nd Airborne, but we will not win the battle unless we pray like Moses.

Why is everything dependent on prayer?

Simple, God is the difference between victory & defeat, & prayer is how we depend on Him to win the battle. It’s good to pray often, but don’t think that just praying often enough & long enough God’s going to do what you want Him to do because then the focus becomes the method, or how you pray & the one praying will be the one being glorified.

I hear sometimes someone say how an individual has such great prayers and so on, but in the end, who is getting the praise & glory for the prayer? God, or the one praying? Like everything in the Christians life, prayer is for the glory of God. It shows that victory belongs to God, to Him alone.

There’s the banner of the cross

Moses never forgot the way God answered his prayers - feeble though may have been - being tired lifting his hands all day or however long the battle lasted.

To make sure the Israelites also remembered, the Lord said to him -  "Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner, 16 saying, "A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." (Ex. 17:14-16). 

The altar Moses built was for God’s honor, for thanksgiving - Israel won the battle by the grace of God; this was the way to properly respond, by giving praise back to God.

Moses wrote a scroll of remembrance - When they would meet the Amalekites again, they would need to remember they were their mortal enemies & God promised to destroy them for attacking His chosen people.

He also wanted them to remember what He, the Lord, did for them so whenever they came under attack they would look to Him for salvation.

They would fight many battles before they would reach the promised land & within it. But if they remembered what happened at Rephidim it would help them look to God for help.

YHWH, YAHOWAH- NISSIS

THE LORD IS MY BANNER. That is how Moses summarized it - A banner, a military banner bearing the insignia of the Army unit - the soldiers look to it - it establishes their identity - It helps them know who they are.

Do we have a banner? Yes we do - Isaiah 11:10, In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples- This has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is the root of Jesse, the Son of David & the Son of God. He stands as a banner for God’s people who rally to Him from all nations.

He is the banner - by looking to Jesus we are saved, specifically by looking to His cross, we remember what He has done for us.

. . . as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:14-15).

Now, by looking at the cross, the crucified & risen Christ, we live.

Some people wear a cross on a chain, some on their lapels, some use a crucifix; It is all a reminder that our banner in the cross where He bled & died for our sins - 

When we are ambushed, come under attack, Jesus the Banner of the Cross gives us courage for the fight because He has won the battle for us.