I want to give credit to Kay Arthur for her book Lord I want to Know You and her teaching on the names of God. Within it she brings to light the first time in Scripture that God was given a name specifically for having done something for his people, the Israelites. In this case Jehovah Nissi shows up in Exodus 18. The Israelites were about to die of thirst and they desperately needed water. So, Moses prayed and basically God told him to go strike a rock with his staff a certain way and he struck the Rock and water came out of it and the people drank of it and they survived, they lived, they were saved by their God Jehovah Jireh our provider, El Shaddai, our All Sufficient One!
The very next thing that happens in the Bible is that the Israelites were attacked from behind by the Amalekites. Amalek, being the grandson of Esau, represents everything the flesh had to offer and a disconnect from the whole God spiritual thing. While Jacob represented the spiritual person connected to God's special promises. So they had a battle in a valley there and Moses went to the top of a ridge and held up his arms with his staff in his hand. As long as his arms were lifted high with his staff proclaiming that God was his God, the Israelites had victory over the Amalekites. But when Moses' arms weakened and started to fall the Amalekites began to win the battle and so Aaron and Hurr helped Moses by holding up his arms so that God's banner was lifted all the time.
The Israelites won the victory over the Amalekites and God's people, The Israelites, named him Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our victory or our banner. Now, for us, this is a significant point of interest. The way God is showing us His salvation through Christ is very awesome. The New Testament talks of Jesus being the rock that was smitten for us and that from Him comes forth the living water that when you drink of it, you have eternal life! You have eternal connection with God.
This image is mirroring the one we see in the Old testament, the lesson is apparently that if we don't hold our banner up and proclaim God as our God we are in danger of our flesh defeating us in our main and chief purpose which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever ♾️. So when you start out something new, somewhere new, and nobody knows you, that's the time when the flesh will win, and we know what that looks like. When the Banner has not been raised we look like the Prodigal son, wasting our lives away until we have nothing. So, unless you put up the banner, you will lose, you will be defeated in battle.
But, if you put up the banner and you proclaim Jehovah Nissi is your God, you know, like let people know that God is your God! Let them know that Jesus is your Savior, the Holy Spirit is your companion! You're all in! Full send, when you proclaim that you know and follow God! Then, and only then, will you have victory over the flesh. "Not by might nor by strength but by My Spirit says the Lord" ! Only through the power of God and for His glory can we defeat the flesh! The reach into our lives with this message is so important. I don't want to forget about how Aaron and Hurr held up Moses's arms.
We need to find people that are willing to hold us up in that moment when our struggle is the greatest, when we are at our weakest. We can still have victory if we have a strong support system even in a new place. God always shows up when He's remembered thankfully for the things He has already done.