Month: September 2022

Devotional

Names of the LORD: Part Five of Nine

kathrynhugheswriter

Yahweh Nissi- The-LORD-Is-Our-Banner

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 (Jehovah Nissi, or in Hebrew, YHWH Nissi). Exodus 17:14-15 NKJV

The-LORD-Is-My-Banner may seem like a strange name for the LORD. We don’t think of individuals as banners. What did Moses mean?

GotQuestions.org* explains the use of banner in Exodus 17 as follows:

“A banner is something that identifies and unifies a particular group of people. For example, a military flag or standard is sometimes called a banner. The Israelites’ saying, “The Lord is my Banner,” was a way of identifying themselves as the unified followers of the Lord God. A banner also functions as a rallying point for troops in a battle. The altar Moses built in Exodus 17 marked the place where God intervened on behalf of His people and promised to utterly defeat His enemies.”

We may be quick to rally behind God when all is well or we are seeing victory after a difficult situation. If we recognize that it is God who intervened on our behalf, then praise is easily offered.

Do we praise the Lord and faithfully follow Him in challenging times?

The Israelites praised the LORD when He miraculously delivered them from Pharaoh and his army by taking the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry ground (Exodus 14 and 15). Yet when they camped in Rephidim without any water to drink, the people quickly turned against Moses and were ready to stone him. Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?” (Exodus 17) Despite their grumbling, the LORD instructed Moses to strike the rock to obtain water. Sadly, instead of the area being known for where God provided fresh water from the rock, Moses named the place Massah (Tempted) and Meribah (Contention), reflecting their bad attitudes and lack of trust in God. They had forgotten who the LORD was and how He had cared for them in the past.

The Israelites were still at Rephidim when Amalek came and fought with them. Moses stood on top of a hill with the rod of God in Moses’ hand. As long as his hand and rod were raised, Israel prevailed. When he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Aaron and Hur helped Moses. They stood on either side of him, holding his tired arms up until Joshua and his men defeated Amelek.

Joshua and his men were in the fight, but the victory came from the LORD. God makes that clear in the memorial He has Moses write. “…recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”(Exodus 17:14. Emphasis mine). The memorial reminded Israel what the LORD had done for them and of His promise.

The Fight Against Amelek-Gospelimages, artist Jan van ‘t Hoff

How does Exodus 17 and The LORD-Is-My-Banner apply to us?

  • The enemy attacks us where we grumble against the LORD.
  • We need accountability and prayer partners who can lift our weary arms and keep us steady in the battles we face. Ask someone to fill that role if you don’t have one.
  • Remember the LORD’s victories and provision. Like Moses, let’s keep memorials of what God has done for us, sharing them with others in the battle, with our families, and with future leaders. The Lord had Moses recount the LORD’s words to Joshua, knowing that Joshua would be the leader to follow Moses.  
  • The LORD-Is-My-Banner is the One who fights for us. He is the leader of the battle and the One who gives the victory. Let’s note verses that help us rely on Him.
  • Identify as a soldier of the LORD, putting on the armor of God. (Ephesians 6). Rally around the LORD, Jehovah Nissi.
  • Worship the LORD, as Moses did when he made the altar.

Dear Jehovah Nissi, Thank you for the battles You bring me through and for the victories You provide. You are my banner. Help me be a faithful follower. Amen.

*https://www.gotquestions.org/Lord-is-my-banner.html

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Thank you for joining me and for reading my devotional blogs. I hope and pray that you will be touched by God in a special way each time you visit. Blogs usually post every other Thursday. Past devotionals are archived for your convenience.

Devotional

Names of the LORD: Part Four of Nine

kathrynhugheswriter

Jehovah Shammah – The LORD is There

God’s Presence

This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you. Psalm 139:6-12 LB

Queen Elizabeth joined Jesus in heaven on September 8, 2022. I can only imagine her joy, for she often spoke of her faith in Jesus Christ. Consider some of her quotes, collected in Our Faithful Queen: 70 Years of Faith & Service.*

“To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.” (2000)

“For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.” (2014)

“Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our greed. God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general (important though they are) – but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.” (2011)

Queen Elizabeth is now with Christ, but His presence was evident in her life. She claimed Him as her Saviour, and she followed His teachings.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com

The Lord desires for each of us to have a relationship with Him. The presence of the entire Trinity is shown in John 14: 23, 24, and 26. “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. … the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (ESV. Emphasis mine.)

In Ezekiel, the priest is shown by the LORD what Israel will be like in the Millennial Age when the Lord reigns over the earth. In Ezekiel 48:35, he states that the name of Jerusalem “from that day shall be THE LORD IS THERE,” or Jehovah-Shammah. 

The LORD is there, the LORD is here. We can never get away from God. As David stated in Psalm 139, the Lord’s presence is everywhere. It is reassuring to know that we can never be lost from God’s Spirit, not in life, nor in death. Even when we try to hide from God, He seeks us out. He knows everything about us, and He loves us anyway!

Let’s think of what God’s presence means to us. Queen Elizabeth listed a few names of Christ and a few of His attributes in the quotes above. How many more can we add?

Dear Lord God, Thank you for being Jehovah-Shammah, the LORD who is ever-present both now and in eternity. I will never be alone, for You are with me. I am so grateful. In Jesus’ powerful name, Amen.

*https://haventoday.org/blog/10-surprising-things-queen-says-jesus/

Top photo of Windsor Castle by Kris Schulze on Pexels.com is also shown complete below.

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Thank you for joining me and for reading my devotional blogs. I hope and pray that you will be touched by God in a special way each time you visit. Blogs usually post every other Thursday. Past devotionals are archived for your convenience.

Photo by Kris Schulze on Pexels.com
Devotional

Names of the LORD: Part Three of Nine

kathrynhugheswriter

The LORD tells Moses Who He Is

And God said to Moses, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. Exodus 6:2-3 RSV

How would someone describe you? Or me? Physical characteristics would probably be part of the description. I’m tall woman. I have curly hair that is changing from dark tresses to more gray every year. A physical description does not tell you who I am, nor does it identify who you really are.  If someone wants to know what we are like, they also want to know what makes us who we are.  For example, I am a wife, a mother of two adults, a Christian, a teacher, and a writer. I like to garden. I Knowing answers to the following questions helps us to know each other: What do we like? What are our interests, our strengths and weaknesses, our values and what do we stand for? What are our roles in life?

God tells us about Himself in Exodus 6:2-8 [RSV]. Some have said that the writer of Exodus was ignorant of the many times people and God Himself referred to God as LORD in Genesis. A commentary I read mentioned that it was that God was now emphasizing to the Israelites that He was self-existent.

Let’s pick out some of the traits of the LORD. [Emphasis below is mine.]

And God said to Moses, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they dwelt as sojourners. Moreover I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold in bondage and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.'”

Photo by Kathryn Hughes

Isn’t it exciting to know God better! From the passage above we learn that the LORD God Almighty is a promise keeper. He made a promise, He remembered it, and He fulfilled it. The LORD hears. He is a burden lifter. The LORD is our Deliverer and our Redeemer. We also learn that He is a personal God who wants us to know Him.  I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.

Here’s a challenge: Let’s find out names of God and His attributes as we read the Bible this week, and write them down. I’d love to see what you find! Please post them in the comments section.

Dear LORD, thank you for revealing Yourself to me in Your Word. Please help me know You better. Amen.

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Thank you for joining me and for reading my devotional blogs. I hope and pray that you will be touched by God in a special way each time you visit. Blogs usually post every other Thursday. Past devotionals are archived for your convenience.