My banner of victory!

“And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:” – Exodus 17v15

One notable feature after a great victory in a war, or even in sports, is that waving of national or team banners. Think of the great VE or VJ parades or the last Super Bowl or World Cup match that you saw. One very noticeable features of Gaelic sports is county flags and banners. Flags and anything that resembles the county colours wave like crazy at the sporting events. After a victorious match those standards swamp the pitch. The waving of the banners inspires a sense of pride and county identity.

After God gave the victory over the Amalekites Moses built an altar to the Lord and called the altar “YHWH-Nissi.” The translation of this name is “The LORD is My Banner.” Moses wanted the people to understand that God had given them their victory and that He was the standard they were to follow. Victory banners have always been a part of celebrations. Moses instead wanted to focus to be on the Lord and not on their nation.

When we consider our lives today we must consider what kind of victory stirs up a celebratory spirit within us. Patriots are always stirred when they see their national standard being waved. After 9/11 a Hollywood actor proudly stated that Old Glory was still waving. All over the world television cameras showed the flag in scene after scene dealing with the tragedy. A flag was raised on the rubble of the World Trade Center.

Sports fans love it when their team wins. People wear their team colours and even paint their bodies in those colours. Team supporters are called “fans,” short for fanatics.

How often do we get fanatic about our Lord? I am not suggesting body paint and a wild, uncontrolled fanaticism, but do we ever get excited about our victory in Christ? The LORD is our banner of victory. May we wave His banner high in our daily lives.

YHWH-Nissi! The Lord is indeed my banner!