“Yahweh-Nissi” (Exodus 17:8-16)

Facing the Giants

Facing the Giants is a story about a Christian high school football coach who uses his faith to overcome fear and failure. The story begins with a three-game losing streak. Coach Taylor is surrounded and battered by troubles. His home has a leaking roof, his appliances are breaking down, his car is stalled. He also learns that he is the reason that his wife, Brooke, cannot become pregnant. To make things worse, as he passes by the school locker room, he overhears a conversation that some of the students’ parents were trying to force the school to replace him. He suffers intense emotional turmoil and is about to throw in a towel. He stays up all night praying and studying scripture. Finally, his old football coach inspires him to create a new coaching philosophy: “Praising God regardless of game results.” Mr. Bridges, who prays for the students at a school daily, encourages Taylor not to seek someplace new to follow his dreams, but bloom where he is planted. By God’s grace Coach Taylor does stay strong, and stay the course through prayer. At the end of the story, Taylor’s team wins a state championship with his 32 players against the Giants with 85 players. After the game, Taylor reminds all his players that with God all things are possible.

 A Surprise Attack

Today’s story in Exodus 17 begins with the surprise attack by the Amalekites. Israel was caught off guard by Amalek’s sudden attack at Rephidim. They didn’t see it coming. Moses later told his people, “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God” (Det 25:17-18, NIV). The Israelites did not have much time to prepare for the battle. Within a few hours they had to get its act together and go to the battle.

There are times when we are taken by surprise on our journey. Just like Coach Taylor did, we face challenges all of sudden – so unexpectedly – from health issues, to financial issues, to family issues, to relationship issues, to problems at work. In particular, if you feel like you are facing several challenges at the same time, today’s passage can teach you how to get through these.

Spiritual Battle

When the Israelites were ambushed by the Amalekites, Moses commanded Joshua to choose some men and go out and fight with Amalek. But more importantly, Moses realized that the real battle is not physical, but spiritual. It is not visible, but invisible. So not only did Moses tell Joshua to go and fight, but he himself also went up to the top of the mountain to pray (v. 10). The Bible says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12).

So when the battlefield seems overwhelming and impossible, how can we fight back? How do we engage the enemy? We can win the battle the same way that Moses did: through prayer. In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress Christian enters the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The valley itself is dark as pitch. He can see nothing. He just keeps hearing scary howling and yelling of beasts in the pit. The pathway is narrow – on the left is a very deep ditch and on the right is a miry slough. There Christian couldn’t use his sword. He had to take up a new weapon called All-Prayer. When he was surrounded by the unseen beasts trying to scare and harm him, he was boldly able to walk through the valley by prayer.

 

The Power of Prayer

In today’s passage whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning (v. 11). In other words, the real victory did not depend on Joshua and his weapons. But rather, it did depend on prayer. We may fiercely fight like Josuah, using all our means and resources and weapons. But unless we pray like Moses, we cannot win the battle.

In Moses’ time the common posture of prayer was – standing and lifting their hands to offer their praises and their petitions to God. Overlooking the battlefield, Moses was standing with his arms raised up to God’s throne in prayer – all day long! His prayer posture shows total dependence on God. He was fervently asking for divine intervention. And God did it! The Bible says, “Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword” (v. 13). Hudson Taylor rightly said, “When we work, we work. When we pray, God works.”

When we pray, we win the battle. When we do not pray, we start losing the battle. We are captured by Giant Despair and dragged into Doubting Castle. For me personally, this past week my spiritual battle was intense. I felt like I was ambushed by the enemy. I fought back. I fought hard like Joshua – planning, visioning, studying Scripture, visiting, working hard, and so forth. But still my soul felt dry and empty. I was losing my battle. I was quite discouraged. Then, I felt God nudging me to pray like Moses as well as to fight like Joshua. Early next morning I ran to the sanctuary, standing and lifting my hands to God. My grandfather used to pray for three churches – his church, his son’s church, and his daughter’s church. He prayed for each church member and their children by name every morning. I resolved to do the same. I felt joy return. When we pray, we receive strength to love, strength to stand firm, strength to press on.

 

The Power of Corporate Prayer

There is one more point. Moses’ hands grew weary” (v. 12). Today’s passage is not about how wonderful leader Moses was. He had two helpers, companions – Aaron and Hur. They found a stone for Moses to sit on. Then they stood on each side of him, holding up his hands. So his hands remained steady until sunset (v. 12) This is a picture of corporate prayer!

Jesus promised that wherever two or three gather in his name, he is right there with us (Matt 18: 20). But more importantly, we need to commit ourselves to corporate prayer because we know how weak we are. Like Moses, we need someone to help lift up our hands. We need each other. We need to pray for and with other Christians. That is how we win our spiritual battle against the enemies of God and his church. Nehemiah is another example. As he started to rebuild the wall, there was great opposition to the work. The enemies, Sanballat and Tobiah, kept threatening and spreading rumors. How did Nehemiah engage the enemy? He took a tool in one hand and a sword in the other. (“work” + “prayer”) Each of his people did their part. They repaired the section in front of their house and helped each other. They completed the work in a record time (52 days). Again, this is a picture of corporate prayer!

Though God kept nudging me, I kept postponing starting our weekly prayer meeting. But I think now is the time. Every Wednesday at 6 p.m. we will be gathered to pray for each other, pray for our church, and pray for our community and our world. We will meet in person at the Houlton church, but you can also join online via Zoom. Oswald Chambers said, “Prayer does not equip us for some greater works – prayer is the greater work.”

 

Yahweh-Nissi

After the battle with the Amalekites, Moess built an altar and named it, “Yahweh-Nissi” meaning, “The Lord is my banner.” A banner is a military standard, a piece of cloth bearing an army insignia. Soldiers always look to their banner. It helps them know who they are. On the battlefield it also gives them courage and hope. As long as their banner is still flying, they know that the battle is not lost.

I don’t know about you, but for me I feel like there is “always something” rather than “all is well.” This past week, for instance, Hannah got sick first and shared it with Esther. Esther was quite sick last night. I also feel like I am a beginner parent as I raise new two teens in my household. Though it has been a good 10-year journey with you in this church, I feel like I start from the beginning every year. Always something. Always challenges. I don’t see the way forward – as a local church and also our denomination-wide. How about the world around us today? We see political polarization in the US get worse. We see Israeli-Palestinian conflicts escalating. So we get weary and discouraged. But there is good news! Our banner is still flying. Our battle is not lost. Every time there seems to be no way, I say the prayer of Horace Underwood who came to Korea as a missionary on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1885.

Lord, nothing ivisible at this moment.

Lord, you have planted us on this barren and poor land,

where not even a single tree can grow tall enough.

Nothing is visible in this land

on which we seem to have been dropped off by your hand.

Only stubbornly stained darkness can be seen.

Only Korean people chained with poverty and superstition can be seen.

The thoughts of Korean men are not visible.

The mind of this government is not visible.

And we do not see what to do.

Yet, Lord! We will obey.

We believe that you begin your work as we humbly obey,

And that the day will come when our spiritual eyes will see your work,

According to your Words, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see..."

We believe that we will see the future of the faith of Korea.

Although we are as if standing on a desert with bare hands,

Although we are condemned to be Western devils,

We believe that the day will come

when they will rejoice with tears realizing that they are one with our spirit in Christ,

and that we all have one Kingdom and one Father in Heaven.

Although there is no church to worship you, no school to study,

Although this land is filled with doubt of suspicion, contempt, and disdain,

We believe that in the near future this land will become a land of blessing.

We need a banner to look to. We need a song to sing. We need a slogan to chant. Christ is the banner to look to. Christ is the song to sing. Christ is the motto to follow. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2, NIV) Friends, comrades, soldiers of Christ, let us keep our eyes on Jesus, never stop singing praises to him, and follow him to the end.