Jehovah Nissi

Posted on Posted in Audio Sermons 2013, December 2013, Sermon Notes, Prayer Meeting Tagged with , , ,

Hymns: 440 Lead On, O King Eternal 435 The Banner of the Cross 413 Rise Up, O Men of God

Jehovah Nissi

(Exodus 17:8-16)

 Exodus 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

OUTLINE

  • God’s People Attacked (v8)
  • God’s People Defended – The Power of Intercessory Prayer (v9-13)
  • God’s People Victorious (v14-16)

INTRODUCTION

We saw in our last study the record of the Sabbath first observed. The Sabbath was first institutionalized by God for Israel and with it His provision for their needs every day of the week – Exodus 16:22-23 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning…Exodus 16:29-30 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.  

Jesus is the heavenly bread, when you have Him, you will never lack for He is your good Shepherd that will bring you to green pastures and still waters.

Chapter 17 begins with Israel experiencing the sufficiency of God providing for them. They did not get quail every evening but they did have manna every morning. Do you not think that Israel was happy now? No, they began murmuring like a broken record.

God has provided them out of the barrenness of the wilderness their sustenance. They were at Rephidim and there was no water to drink – why is it that testing come one after another?

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Exodus 17:3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

By now, Moses is now exasperated! He cried out to the Lord – “they be almost ready to stone me!” (Ex. 17:4) What will he do with this people? A little more and they were ready to stone him! The protest was getting worse with each testing coming before them!

And God instructed Moses to take with him the elders of Israel and his rod and smite the rock in Horeb and water came out.

This place was named Massah and Meribah because Israel murmured against the LORD, because of the quarrel and the test when they said, “Is the LORD among us, or not?” (Ex. 17:7). How sad! As you compare Israel in the wilderness and Israel in the book of Judges, it seemed every generation is the same, nobody ever learns – Here is an important message for us that if you do not learn the lesson of the past, you would be condemned to repeat them – Prosperity, complacency, unbelief or Affliction, Desperation and God bails us out and then when God’s blessing comes – prosperity, complacency, apostasy!

Every generation has to learn the same hard lesson all over again. Then comes another test – Amalek appeared. They attacked Israel.

(1) God’s People Attacked (v8)

8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

All of a sudden, the Amalekites loomed in the horizon and Israel found that they ware attacked. Who are the Amalekites? They were descendants are Esau’s grandson who attacked them from the rear! They were cruel and not gentlemen. They attacked from the rear the feeble and the faint and the weary ones first.

Genesis 36:12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau’s wife.

Deuteronomy 25:17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

They were the first nation to attack the newly redeemed and separated Israel. They are thus typical of all who later hated God’s people. The Amalekites also received the full impact of God’s curse upon “him that curseth thee” (Gen. 12:3).[1]

(2) God’s People Defended – The Power of Intercessory Prayer (v9-13)

9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur (He was grandfather of Bezaleel, the great sculptor and artificer of the tabernacle, Exodus 31:2-5, and belonged to the tribe of Judah. 1 Chronicles 2:18-20) went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Here we learn the power of prayer, the efficacy of intercessory prayer. Moses’s prayed for Israel till God had given them the victory. And notice those times when prayer was wont, the enemy prevailed.

Weariness, fatigue came upon Moses and God sent Aaron and Hur to support him by ensuring that Moses will not let his hand down. Moses’ hands became heavy. Sometimes the burden you bear becomes too heavy to carry alone. Aaron and Hur put a rock under Moses for him to sit and rest upon. Aaron and Hur stayed up Moses’ hands with one man on each side. His hands were steady until the going down of the sun, till the end of the day.

Are you not thankful for the Aaron’s and Hur’s that you have known who came to your aid in times of need. Because of these faithful men, Joshua “discomfited” Amalek. Israel learned the value of prayer, intercessory prayer, praying one for another.

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

We are to help one another. We have a small “fellowship”, it is our prayer that we would continue to care one for another. When somebody needs something, we hope we can help. Our burdens are all different. Burdens are pressures. The Lord wants all His children to be in good shape. If we have burdens, let us share our burdens so that we can pray for each other.

Remember there is the man in Pilgrim’s Progress called Christian who had a big pack on his back, his load of sin. As he began walking up to the Cross of Calvary, the burden rolled away. We have some people who have the burden of sin. They need Christ as their Saviour and Redeemer. We are to help lead them to Christ and to bear their burden.[2]

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 How was the enemy defeated? When God’s people rallied around, banded together to help one another! Have your hands grown heavy on life’s battlefield? The Lord is able to help. Share it and request for prayer and help!

(3) God’s People Victorious (v14-16)

14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

 This is the first record of Moses tasked by God to record His hand in HISTORY.

You will notice that in the later part of Israel’s history, the ones who escaped from Saul (1 Sam. 15:7) were smitted by David (1 Sam. 30:17) and the ones who escaped from David were destroyed by the descendents of Simeon in the days of Hezekiah (1 Chron. 4:43).

1 Samuel 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

1 Samuel 30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away…

1 Chronicles 4:41 And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks. 42 And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43 And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day. 

15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. 

The meaning is evidently that the name of Jehovah is the true banner under which victory is certain (Barnes), alluding to the hands of Moses being lifted up with the rod therein, as a banner displayed, under which Joshua and Israel fought, and got the victory.

This may fitly be applied to Christ, who is both altar, sacrifice, and priest, and who is the true Jehovah, and after so called; and who is lifted up as a banner, standard, or ensign in the everlasting Gospel, in order to gather souls unto him, and enlist them under him, and to prepare them for war, and encourage them in it against their spiritual enemies; and as a token of their victory over them, and a direction to them where they shall stand, when to march, and whom they shall follow; and to distinguish them from all other bands and companies, and for the protection of them from all their enemies.

These words were inscribed upon the altar, or the altar was called the altar of Jehovah-Nissi in memory of what was here done. (Gill)

Matthew Henry said well, “See how God qualifies his people for, and calls them to, various services for the good of his church: Joshua fights, Moses prays, and both minister to Israel. Moses went up to the top of the hill, and placed himself, probably, so as to be seen by Israel; there he held up the rod of God in his hand, that wonder-working rod which had summoned the plagues of Egypt, and under which Israel had passed out of the house of bondage. This rod Moses held up to Israel, to animate them; the rod was held up as the banner to encourage the soldiers, who might look up, and say, “Yonder is the rod, and yonder the hand that used it, when such glorious things were wrought for us.” Note, It tends much to the encouragement of faith to reflect upon the great things God has done for us, and review the monuments of his favours. Moses also held up this rod to God, by way of appeal to him: “Is not the battle the Lord’s? Is not he able to help, and engaged to help? Witness this rod, the voice of which, thus held up…Moses was not only a standard-bearer, but an intercessor, pleading with God for success and victory.”

CONCLUSION

How you come tonight with some burdens before you? May the LORD lift your burdens as you look to Him and the LORD use you to lift the burdens of others by your intercessory prayer. Amen.

[1] John C. Whitcomb, Exodus, Christian Schools of Theology, Teachers Annotated Syllabus, 19.

[2] D.A. Waite, Galatians – Preaching Verse by Verse, The Bible for Today, 2002, 155.