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Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17: 14-16 NKJV).

I have had this in my spirit for a while now and its significance cannot be lost in the melee of the times we find ourselves in. In many ways I feel like we are in a spiritual battle with Amalek. However, He who is with us is so much greater than he who is in the world. He who is with us is, well, with us. We haven’t been forgotten, we haven’t been forsaken. He may not physically lead us with pillars of Fire and Cloud, but He nonetheless leads us. Because He is with us, we can forge ahead, be courageous, follow where He goes, and go where He sends us. He fights on our behalf, and He will train us for war. We march under His banner and we are His standard bearers in this world.

Banners are important. They proclaim to whom or what we agree or align ourselves with. They are lifted up and visible for holidays, holy days, or commemorative moments. They announce, give honor to, direct, or draw in. The above scripture is when Moses built an altar and called it Yaheh Nissi, the Lord Is My Banner, after the Israelites successfully won against the Amalekites in battle. This is also the same battle in which Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses in order for the Israelites to win. When Moses arms were up, the Israelites were encouraged and energized to continue fighting. The Lord was with Israel, His banner covered them.

Today we see banners of many kinds calling us to gather under or stand behind. We must be very, very careful and cautious about the banner under which we march and become aligned. Agreement is powerful and we must not walk under a banner that we have not fully researched. We do not want to give any room to our enemy nor detract from our witness. Things may appear benign and docile on the surface, but underneath could be a roiling cesspool of darkness. A few questions to ask while researching: Is the Lord in it? Is it an encouraging or life giving, life affirming, banner? Does it stand with God?

As people of God, He is our banner and He is who we should be carrying out into the streets. This world needs Jesus, and we are the army of the Lord called to advance the Kingdom. Armies march with banners and flags so people know who they represent. If the Lord is our banner, are we accurately representing Him? Are we advancing in the way He has directed us to go? As a church, we should reassess our direction and our directive. Have the banners and flags of this world become the ones under which we march? Or do we fully understand the Banner under which we stand enough to move forward and shred the banners of this world?

Shalom