When I first learned about the names of God and that the meaning of Jehovah Nissi was the Lord my banner, I didn’t get it. In my mind, I pictured something like a welcome home or a happy birthday banner. I knew that couldn’t be it, so I considered the sashes worn over the shoulder and draped across the body of beauty contestants to identify what state they represent. It sounded like a plausible guess, but that isn't the way to approach Scripture. When it comes to understanding Scripture, we are to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

 

 

Digging into the Jehovah Nissi meaning

 

In the Old Testament, the name Jehovah Nissi occurs one time in Exodus 17:15. “Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner” (NASB). In the King James, it reads “And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi.” The New King James reads, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner” with a footnote stating that in the Hebrew it is YHWH Nissi.

 

The writers of the Septuagint (Greek version of the Old Testament) translated Jehovah-Nissi as “the Lord My Refuge.” The Latin Vulgate translators who translated from the Hebrew, rendered it “Jehovah Is My Exaltation.” While I love the concept of both of these meanings, for me, it did not clear up my question of what Jehovah Nissi means. Since our modern translations say it means the Lord my banner in Hebrew, I figured it might be best to see what that word banner meant to them. That might help me understand what the name means in context.

 

Jehovah Nissi meaning in context

 

For just a moment forget the word banner and look at the context of the verse in which the name is used. It’s “the name given by Moses to the altar….” That’s the first thing I want to point out. And then what was the reason for building the altar? It was built following the battle with Amalek against Israel at Rephidim. Moses instructed Joshua to choose men to fight the battle the following day and said, “Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”

 

That day while Joshua and his men fought the battle, Moses, Aaron, and a man named Hur went up to the top of the hill. While Moses held his hands up, Israel prevailed, but when he let his hands drop Amalek prevailed. As the battle went on, Moses’ hands grew heavy. Aaron and Hur had him sit on a stone and then supported his hands from each side. In this way, his hands stayed steady until sunset, and Amalek and his people were overcome.

 

The altar was built to commemorate that defeat. Now that we understand that, we can go back to looking at the word “banner.” According to Strong’s Concordance, the word used in this verse refers to “banner, pole, sail, ensign, standard.” During the time of Moses, the banners the armies of other nations carried into battle served as their rallying flag. That verb rally means “to reunite; to collect and reduce to order troops dispersed or thrown into confusion.” For Moses to name the altar Jehovah Nissi, he was declaring to the world that God was the source of victory and a rallying point for His people. As we call upon the name of Jehovah Nissi in prayer this is the context. Pray that we would unite and rally around Him as the source of victory.

 

 

Jesus's disciples asked him to teach them to pray (not how to pray but to pray). I don’t know about you, but I often feel prayer is too low a priority in my life. For this reason, I’ve been actively pursuing prayer more often throughout the day and use the Lord’s Prayer as the skeleton on which I hang the meat of my prayers to help me stay focused. 

 

What does hallowed mean?

As a child, I learned that hallowed meant holy. And that is correct, but what does the word holy mean? In Noah Webster's 1829 Dictionary, the definition is: Consecrated to a sacred use, or to religious exercises; treated as sacred; reverenced. Consecrated means separated from common, usual, or ordinary use and sacred use pertains to God or to his worship. When applied to the name of God it signifies being perfectly pure, immaculate, and complete in moral character. Let’s keep that in mind as we look at God’s compound name Jehovah Jireh as a matter of prayer.

 

 

Jehovah Jireh meaning

The meaning of Jehovah Jireh is “The Lord will provide.” We find this name of God used in Genesis 22:14: Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided. 

To appreciate this name we need to look into the context of this particular account. God had asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. At face value, this seems absurd for a host of reasons, but to grasp the deeper implications of what God is teaching us, it’s important to look at the history of Abraham. In Genesis 12, God calls Abram* (before God changed his name to Abraham**) to leave the land of Ur where he lived with his family. He was to travel to the land of Canaan which God promised to give to Abram and his offspring forever. He followed God’s calling and took with him his wife Sari, his nephew Lot, and his father Terah. His father passed away, and Lot and Abram grew wealthy and had enough livestock that they went their separate ways.

 

In Genesis 14, Abram rescued his Lot after he was caught up in a war and taken captive. In chapter 15, God comes to Abram in a vision and says, Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great (v. 1). At this time, Abram addressed the fact that he has no children saying, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir” (v. 2)

God told him that his servant was not going to be his heir, “but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir” (v. 4). Then God took Abram outside and told him to count the stars if he could. “And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (vs. 5-6).

Here’s something that most people don’t realize. When God made this promise, Abram was about 75 years old, and yet he believed God. That's faith! And the heir did not come about immediately. Isaac wasn’t born until 25 years later. 

 

Now, let’s get back to the part where God has asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, in Genesis 22. Abraham headed out early with Isaac. He didn’t drag his feet in obeying God. By this time, Isaac was around 17 years old. As the two of them walked to the mountain, Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice on his back and Abraham carried the fire. As they walked, Isaac asked where the lamb was for the burnt offering. I can’t imagine how Abraham felt, but he held fast to his faith. He said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (v. 8).

 

When they reached the place God had shown him, Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood. Then he bound Isaac. As he readied the knife the Lord called to him from heaven. What a relief that must have been. God told Abraham not to harm his son because, he said, “I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (v 12). Then Abraham spotted a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. 

 

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided (Genesis 22:14).

 

It is easy in today’s world to take God’s provision for granted. Stop and take a look around you. Today, as you call upon the name of the Lord in faith, praise Jehovah Jireh for his provision for the sacrifice that he offered in your place.

 

"Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" ~ Rom. 24-26

*Abram means exalted father

**Abraham means father of a multitude

Don't Stop Now!

Guest post by uncleministry

"Jesus answered, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.'" - Luke 13:2-3

 

Brothers and sisters, the church is in peril. No, not in the sense that it will "perish" as stated above, for Jesus said "the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). However, a recent disturbing study has shown that only 3 percent of "Christians" read their Bibles 4 or more times a week! I wonder how many are reading 7 days a week? This begs the question, "Would anybody intentionally not eat for a day or more for no reason?" Of course not. We all need physical food and water to live! But that apparently doesn't seem to connect with many when it comes to their spiritual lives. Did we forget that Jesus is "the bread of life" (John 6:35), and the source of "living water" (John 7:38)? How can ANY believer live without that?

Not only are believers not reading the Word of God, but they are also forsaking the true fellowship in the gathering of the church, which results in abandoning our corporate prayer, petitioning God to help us all not to fall into the "temptation" of neglect. We are in a serious battle, my friends. God has promised He will never leave us or forsake us, but if we don't keep our eyes on Him, we WILL sink, just like Peter did. The race is NOT over, but many are stopping short of Finish Line. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25). "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

 

Satan knows his time is growing short (Revelation 12:12), and he is pulling out all the stops to prevent us from completing our mission. The time is now to turn back to what we all know is the most important thing. Yes, it's time to REPENT brothers and sisters. If we don't, we lose. Don't give up now. The finish line is in sight, if we take the time to look for it. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:9-10). "And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). So don't forget to, "Look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28)!

Lord, we ask Your forgiveness for our sin of neglect, regardless of how small it may seem. All around us we see that the clock is coming closer each day to the time of Your return. Help us to keep our eyes on You and the work You have given us to do. Thank You for the great love You have shown us and the blessing of including us in Your Kingdom. You have never given up on us. Help us to not give up on You. May all we do be for Your glory and honor, on that Day when You appear. Amen!

God bless you all on our Mission every day as we walk in His love through the power of the Spirit for His glory!

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!