Yahweh Nissi - Victory Over Sin

Exodus 17:14-16 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 (Yahweh Nissi); for he said, “Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

A History of Warfare

Almost immediately after being rescued out of Egypt, Israel ran into trouble. Some of the weaker members of the congregation were attacked by a wandering band of marauders and carried away as slaves. It was Israel's first experience with battle, and it seemed to catch them off guard. After they recouped, God gave them an unusual plan for their first military action ever.

Moses put the entire army under the command of his assistant, Joshua. While Joshua marched after the raiders (known as Amalekites), Moses climbed up to the top of a nearby hill with two other men. The battle began when Moses lifted his rod up into the air. As long as Moses’ hands were up, Heaven’s forces would side with the Israelites and they would win. But as soon as he let them down, the Amalekites gained the upper hand again.

As the fight raged on, Moses’ hands naturally grew tired. This wasn’t good, because if they dropped completely, then Joshua’s forces would end up in full retreat. The other two men on the mountain saw that something needed to be done. They brought a stone for Moses to sit on and they held his hands up until the evening. As the sun started to set, the Israelites had completely defeated the Amalekites.

Here’s the question: If Joshua’s soldiers completely defeated the Amalekites, then why did God announce that He would battle them forever? The answer to that question lies in the nature of the Amalekite people. They were a group of scattered, wandering nomads - isolated into tribes. This particular tribe of Amalekites that preyed on the Israelites was just one of many. God’s promise to remain at war with them extended to all of the Amalekite tribes, because they all had this same predatory nature.

The Amalekites ancestor (Amelek) was born to Abraham’s grandson, Esau. He was born out of lust; born to Esau’s extra-marital girlfriend. When Amelek grew up, he followed in his dad’s footsteps and pursued whatever his heart desired - be it right or wrong. The family that descended from him continued this pattern and became an extremely immoral nation. This was probably the reason they had no real government and never united together...they were all too selfish to trust each other!

These people appear all throughout the Old Testament.
We see the Amalekites siding with Israel’s enemies again and again. Any time they had an opportunity to plunder and steal from God’s people, they took advantage of it it.
King Saul was tasked to destroy them once and for all, but he ignored this command and failed to do so. At the end of his life, it was an Amalekite that finally killed him.
Another band of Amalekites captured David’s family and was then wiped out by David and his men.
Much later, another Amalekite named Haman tried to use the Persian empire and annhiliate the Jews once again. This time it wasn’t a military leader that stopped the Amalekites, but a beauty queen named Esther.

This was the group of people that Yahweh Nissi pledged to be at war against forever. Believe it or not, this enemy still exists today! And God is still just as opposed to it now as He ever was.

Our Modern-Day Enemy

No, I’m not talking about people. As far as we know, no one alive today can trace their ancestry back to Amelek. No, the Amalekites are symbolic of one of our biggest enemies as believers. And, like King Saul of old, we have all been tasked with eliminating this enemy out of our lives. What enemy are we talking about? Sin.

The Amalekites in the Old Testament are symbolic of sin in the New Testament. Just compare Amalek’s lustful conception and birth from Esau to the beginning of James 1:16, “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin…” This is exactly what happened between Esau and his mistress. Now compare the Amalekites history with Israel to the latter part of James 1:16, “...and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

You and I can’t afford to leave sin unchallenged in our lives. We must make war against it and eradicate every trace of it. Read God’s words to Moses again, and look how it applies to us today in our struggle against sin: “I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven...the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek (Sin) from generation to generation.” This war with sin will never stop. It’ll get easier as you mature, but it will continue until the end of your physical, natural life. Never let up on this fight, seek sin out and destroy it in your life. If you don’t, it will eventually destroy you like it did King Saul!

A Pattern of Victory

Like the Amalekites’ first attack on Israel, sin delights in preying on weakness. Deuteronomy 25:18 says that the Amalekites attacked “all the stragglers at the rear, when they were tired and weary.” Sin won’t attack you head-on while you’re spending time with God, seeking His face and reading His Word. No, it’ll wait until you get weak...until you miss a day in your reading or feel like you’ve been beat down by life. At that moment, it’ll pounce with a temptation to do wrong.

Look at what God told Cain in Genesis 4:7 “But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” When you’re in you weakest point, feeling the furthest from God, is when you need to pursue Him the most. Use your faith and dive into the Word of God - whether you feel like it or not! Otherwise, you’re a prime target for your “Amalek”!

The first battle with the Amalekites shows us the two parts to your victory over sin:

First - you must resist like Joshua! You must fight the good fight of faith and resist the temptation to sin! Do whatever you need to do to keep sin from gripping your life. If you have to go ask a more mature saint for help, do it. If you have to remove yourself from a situation, then run! If you’re finding yourself tempted whenever you’re around a certain person, then stop getting around them. Do whatever it takes to resist this enemy...your life is literally at stake!

Second - you must focus on God like Moses. As long as Moses’ hands were raised in prayer, then Joshua would be victorious. Likewise, your fight will only succeed to the extent that you focus on God. If you put your eyes on the enemy too long, you will begin to lose to it. Look to Heaven and watch how God will fight for you! He will break every strangle-hold that those Amalekites have on your life, just wait on Him!

Rally To The LORD’s Side

After the victory over the Amalekites, Moses called God’s name “Yahweh Nissi” - which means “The Lord my Banner”.

The banner back then is a battle standard.
It’s the flag that waved over an army to designate who they were.
It would show the enemy who they were up against.
It would also show the individual soldier where to gather and rally to before the battle.

In this name - Yahweh Nissi - is the victory over sin.
This name identifies who you are and where you stand when it comes to sin. Are you on God’s side or not?
This name also shows your enemy Who it’s up against. When your Amalekites try to attack you, they’ll see the banner waving over you and know that they’re opposing God Himself!
And in the middle of the fight, this name will give you a place to rally to. It’ll be a safe place to run to in the middle of the fight and regain your footing.

Remember this, THE NAME brings your victory! Proverbs 18:10 tells us, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” If you’re finding yourself losing ground, run to the name! Here’s the best part: You and I have another name...a name that holds all the power of Yahweh Nissi. It’s the name of Jesus!

Philippians 2:10 “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth..” Jesus is Yahweh Nissi...and He will always take your side in the battle against sin!