Moses built an altar and named it “The LORD is My Banner.” Exodus 17:15.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I am not restrained to save by many or by few. 1 Samuel 14:6. Few or many though you be makes no difference if I am with you, together we can conquer. Moses found this out when he raised his arms to Heaven and brought Me down to lead My people and fight their battles in miraculous works of power. And he built an altar, a memorial to the victory and gave Me the memorial Name of YHWH (יְהוָ֥ה) Nissi (נִסִּֽי). And today as we move forward in My instructions on how to know Me by knowing My Name we continue with Life Lesson No. 18: YHWH Nissi, the LORD my Banner.
The Hebrew word “Nissi (נִסִּֽי)” is the possessive form of “Nes (נֵס).” The word “Nes” has many ways to define it, it means a standard, ensign, signal, sign (as a miracle). It signifies a standard as a rallying point. It speaks of warfare with the winning side. It is also translated as “banner” and “flag.” But the meaning is clear—your connection to Me will bring you through the battle to victory.
When I brought My people out of Egypt I fought the battle with Pharaoh’s army as My people went forward at My direction. As Pharaoh’s army attempted to capture back into slavery My people by following them through the path I had cleaved for My people through the sea, they suddenly saw I was fighting against them for My people whom they were seeking to treat cruelly and enslave or kill. And as they tried to flee from Me, Moses held out his staff and the sea returned to its normal liquid state. And the Israelites won the battle, a tremendous victory, without fighting and with no weapons other than the simple staff of Moses. But they had a commander in chief of the armies of Israel that went forth with their armies. Psalm 60:10. And Moses composed a song after their amazing victory, “The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will extol Him. The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name.” Exodus 15:2-3. Already he was learning the key to winning the battle no matter how impossible what he was facing may appear: “The LORD is my strength and SONG! I will praise Him, I will extol Him.” David did this and won every battle he fought, which were many. The key of David is prayer and worship in melodic song and it still is the key to the riches stored for you in Heaven.
The Hebrew people saw the greatness of My power, but even so, they were very shortly no longer praising and singing but grumbling and whining. In answer to their thirst I gave them water from the flinty rock, and that rock was Christ.
But that was not the end of battles. In fact, they had many more before they finally possessed the Promised Land. But once they got to the valley of Rephidim (relaxation and rest), another challenge came. Then Amalekites (“amal” means toilsome labor) came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Exodus 17:8-13.
There is a lot to learn here about battles. But you see that above all you must keep your hands raised in praise and victory and stay up on the height. When I pull you out of the miry swamp, I put your feet on height with a new song of praise in your mouth. Jehoshaphat used the key of David to win over three enemy armies. When Judah prayed to Me for deliverance I told them to go down against the enemy but that they would not need to fight but just station themselves, stand, and see My salvation on their behalf. 2 Chronicles 20:17. Do not fear or be dismayed; for I AM with you. And the reaction of Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah was loud praise and worship before the victory happened. But as the choir marched ahead and sang praises and the others followed along in loving praises, the enemy attacked itself and fell, every mighty warrior was gone, meeting an untimely death. And Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah took three days to gather all the treasures and supplies their enemies left behind. For them it was a time of rejoicing.
And after the battle with the Amalekites, having again seen a miraculous victory, because the Israelites were not trained warriors, they had been slaves for four hundred years, and having already seen the victories in Egypt and the triumph that had just taken place at the Red Sea. Moses built an altar and named it “The Lord is My Banner,” YHWH Nissi.
The next time you see the word “Nes” uses it comes about in this way: The Israelites I had redeemed from Egypt and had won battles for as their mighty champion refused to enter the land I had promised them for the feared losing battles against the inhabitants, they saw defeat and not victory, and no matter how much I told them it would be total victory, they yelled for total defeat. I listened to them and what they asked for and gave them that, so they wandered in the desert for forty years and died, but their children entered and took the land.
After they refused to enter the land, I sent them back out in the wilderness. Even then they went a different route than I told them to take and then worn out by the journey they began to grumble and complain about everything in their lives, and they finally criticized the manna, which was freely theirs to keep them alive and strong every moment without working for it. But they called it wretched food and that was how they let the shield down and the enemy had a break in the hedge to enter. When they came to their senses, they stopped complaining and confessed to Mose,“We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard (nes); and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard (nes); and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. Numbers 21:7-8.
This was more than a banner under which your armies march, whether spiritual or physical, this was a sign that when you looked at it all the poison of evil was drawn out of you and My righteousness remained. It was the standard of the cross. Jesus made peace through the blood of His cross, cleansing you of sin and uniting you to the heavenly banquet where My banner over you is love. And I am love. This is not just a banner but a Divine Person who fights with and for you and leads you to victory.
And Jesus told you this, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” John 3:14-15. The Nes—the standard, the ensign, the rallying point, the SIGN of Salvation and victory over sin and death. Your champion, God Hero, and Prince of Peace. The Prince of the Angelic Host seen by Joshua before entering Jericho.
“Nes (נֵס)” is formed of the Hebrew letters nun (נ) and samech (ס) and for the word Nissi (נִסִּֽי) you add a yod (י) at the end. The letter nun is the number 50 and its meaning is the faithful servant (ne’eman). In Aramaic Nun means “fish.” In pictograph it is a fish or a seed. It is a crowned letter with three strokes formed by strokes that look like three nails in a crown. Jesus is the faithful and true servant that came to serve you and give His life for you. The three nails pierced His hands and feet and He was crowned with thorns, and yet He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. And the letter nun is the number 50 and Jesus is your Jubilee and came to usher in the time of Jubilee—that is, all debts written off and paid by Him before Me, nailed to the cross so your sins are no longer held against you. He is your victory.
And the next letter in Nes is samech (ס) which equals the number sixty in Hebrew numerology. Its circular form is symbolic of the endless cycle of life. The letter samech is a symbol of support and protection. This is inferred by its all-encompassing shape and asserted by its meaning: support. The letter SAMECH is one of the only two fully closed letters of the Hebrew alphabet, the other being the letter mem in final form. SAMECH stands for soolam, meaning ‘ladder.’ Nes is the banner of the faithful servant crowned in victory who is the ladder joining Heaven and earth upon which the angels ascend and descend who brings jubilee.
But remember Moses added the yod to the word Nes, turning it to The LORD my banner (my standard, my victory), and you know from our past lessons in this series, the “yod” is the word for hand and that is its pictograph as well. And I have told you that death and life are in the “hand (yod)” of your tongue. Proverbs 18:21. Declare I AM your banner, your standard, your victory, your Lord and praise Me for it no matter what the circumstances you face. Raise the banner of Jesus and sound the silver trumpet and I will come down to fight the battle with you and for you.
And what is the number of the word Nissi? You know now, 50 for the nun, 60 for the samech and 10 for the yod. This totals 120 and adding it again you get the number 3. Which is resurrection. “He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him.” Hosea 6:2. The ultimate victory over sin and death.
What does the Name YHWH Nissi mean for you? Today, it only has meaning for you if you are in covenant with Me by being born again in Jesus. For then it means that though you are in the world, you are not of the world or limited by the things of the world because your citizenship is in Heaven. And being under My standard, that is, My jurisdiction with Jesus as your Lord, for I have put the government of the earthly realm on His shoulders (do you recall that the names of the 12 tribes were inscribed on gemstones set in gold filigree on the shoulders of the High Priest?) and rescued you from the realm of darkness and translated you to the Kingdom of My beloved Son in whom you have redemption by His blood, the forgiveness of your sins. And He is your leader and deliverer in fighting all the battles in this life on earth. You will have trials in this world, but take courage and cheer up, for He has overcome the world and He, by My Spirit, now lives in you. So in you is One greater than he who is in the world and with Jesus fighting with you, I have given you the victory in Christ Jesus and always leads us in triumph in Christ. You can call upon Me in His Name and I will send twelve legions of angels to deliver you.
And that is another aspect of My Name YHWH Nissi. Having Me as the commander of the armies you have not just earthly armies of nations but My heavenly host. The LORD of Hosts and the LORD your banner are names within each other.
When you are far from your home country where your citizenship is and you need help, when you see the flag of your country over a building and realize it is your country’s embassy in the foreign land you know that you have the right to go there to find protection, defense, and help in time of need. And if you are in danger or need medical treatment that cannot be obtained in the country, where you are, you know you have found your refuge and way back to your home country for treatment.
YHWH Nissi. The banner of the Kingdom to which you belong. It means you belong to the winning side. It means you have he victory. You have it already. Just raise your hands in praise and watch your battle be won under the banner of triumph, of the miraculous intervention. I AM with you, and whether it be many or few, we can conquer. Remember Gideon?
I love you. My banner over you is love and love is stronger than death. Love never fails. Fight the good fight of faith by taking all My magnificent promises by joyful thanksgiving. Do not let your arms drop down. YHWH Nissi could also be translated as The LORD my victory.”