The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."
Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.
Exodus 17:8-15
In this battle with the soldiers of Amalek, we observe a situation that we have never seen in any other biblical battle. As long as Moses' hands were lifted high the Israelites had the advantage. If his hands would fall, the Amalekites would take the lead. As Moses' body grew tired his arms naturally began to fall. Without thinking Aaron and Hur surrounded him and held up his hands until the battle was won. As a result of this victory Moses built an altar and called it "Jehovah Nissi", which means the Lord is my banner.
The word banner comes from the Hebrew word meaning a flag or sail. It can also mean a signal or token. A banner is used for basically two purposes. The first is to announce or proclaim the coming of something or someone. You can see the sails and the flag of a ship long before you can see its body. Far away in the distance you can see that a ship is coming. You may not know exactly which ship it is, but you know it is coming.
The other purpose for a banner is a symbol or token. A banner declares, "This is who (or what) I represent. This is what I stand for. It is who I am." Having recently watched the Democratic and Republican national conventions I saw several groups of people sitting underneath a banner with the name of the state in which they represent. We fly our national flag to tell the world, "I am a representative of the United State of America. I love my country, and I will do whatever I can to respect and honor it." In either case, a banner always leads the procession, and it is lifted high for everyone to see and know who is coming.
Experiencing Worship, The Study
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Experiencing Worship, The Study