B. Historical Significance
        1. Only a few weeks had passed from the time the children of Israel left Marah,  the place of bitter waters, till they
            reached Rephidim, where Jehovah revealed Himself to them as Jehovah-Nissi. After Marah they had travelled to Elim,
            a place of rest and refreshing. Ex. 15:27.  From there they  wandered in the wilderness of Sin.  Ex. 16  There began
            complaining to Moses that there was no food and they longed for  the food of Egypt. It was there that Jehovah
            appeared to them in the cloud of  glory and began to feed them with wilderness manna. Then they came to Rephidim
            where there was no water at all. ( Ex. 17 ) At Marah the waters were bitter but at Rephidim there was no water at  all.
            They were thirsty and they began to complain and threaten Moses. God saw this as doubt on the  part of the children
            of Israel. They had forgotten the  miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea, the miracle of Marah and the  wilderness
            manna. They even questioned God's presence with them. It was here that the children of Israel found that it wasn't
            thirst that was their worst enemy... it was Amalek. The fought with Israel at Rephidim. ( Ex. 17:8 )

         2. Israel's Enemy

QUESTION: Who were the Amelekites?

         Decendants of Amalek, a grandson of Esau, ( Gen. 36:12 ) Therefore they were direct descendents of    Isaac. Yet they  became the persistent enemies of Israel, a constant menace to their  spiritual and national   life. ( Ex. 17:14-16 ) They were in great number and a powerful  people.

QUESTION:  What did God tell Samuel to tell King Saul to do to the Amelekites?

        Many years later Samuel came to King Saul with  the Word of God and Saul was to totally destroy the Amelekites with all their possessions so that no trace  of them could be found. ( 1 Sam. 15:3 )

QUESTION:  Did King Saul follow God's command?

         King Saul failed to carry out the command of god ( 1 Sam. 15:2,3 ) lead  to his  own rejection and death   (1 Sam. 15:26-28) by an Amelikite  (2 Sam. 1:1-16) It wasn't until the days of King Hezekiah that the command of God was carried  out against the Amelikites. ( 1 Chron. 4:41-43 ) Yet it highly probable that the Haman, who was responsible for the total destruction of all the Jews in    Persia, as told by the Book of Ester, was  Haman  the Agagite. A decendant of King Agag of the  Amelekites, who  King Saul in  his foolish disobedience spared his life.

         3. Israel's Victory
             -There appears to have been no fear or confusion on the part of the  Israelites.  This may have been because they
              were still in awe over  God's provision of the water from the rock. But Israel was ill equipped, ill disciplined and an
              inexperienced mob of people without arms. There may have been two more reasons the people were confident
                    a. Moses had chosen Joshua to lead them into battle. He was already a  national hero and a man who was
                        faithful to God and  believed God.
                    b. Moses himself was now back in good graces with the people of  Israel  after the water from the rock incident
                       and he had  promised to stand on the hill overlooking the battlefield and hold the Rod of God  in his  hand.

QUESTION:  What happened when Moses held up the Rod?
                       What happened when his arm came down?

                In the story we read that as long as Moses held up the rod Israel prevailed, when he lowered it Amelek prevailed. Moses had his arms  supported and he  held the rod up and  Israel  defeated Amelek. It is suggested that the holding up of Moses hand and rod  was Moses's way of interceding with God for the people of Israel. The rod was the same one that brought the  plagues on Egypt, that opened the Red Sea.  It represented the outstretched  arms of God. It was the banner of  God. It was a symbol and a pledge of His  presence and power and working.

    C. Theological Significance

QUESTION:  Who was the Rock that followed Israel in the dessert and gave them water?

         1. It was there from the rock of Horeb, the rock which Paul tells us was Christ ( 1 Cor. 10:1-4 ) that Jehovah caused
             water to pour out and quench  their thirsts.
                                                         Manna: Body  Water: Blood = communion?

         2. Amelek is the grandson of Esau.  He was the first enemy to confront Israel after being redeemed from  Egypt.

QUESTION: What kind of character did Esau display?

                He despised spiritual things and preferred a  bowl of pottage to his spiritual birthright.

         3. Amelek is seen as a type of the old self, the flesh and the constant battle that the children of God have  with it.

ACTION:  Read  Gal. 5:17

         4. The banner.
             -In ancient times it wasn't necessarily a flag. Often it was a bare pole with a bright shinning  ornament that glittered in
              the sun. The word for  banner means ,  among other things, to glisten. It is translated, pole, ensign, standard, and
             among the Jews it was a word for miracle.As an ensign or standard it was a signal for God's people to rally to Him.
             It  stood for His cause, His battle, It was a sign of deliverance, of  salvation.

    D. Personal Application

QUESTION:  Who is the banner for Believers today?

         1. We cannot fight this battle alone. We need our banner. Jesus Christ. It is He who provides the strength and the victory
             over sin and the flesh.

         2. Just as when  Moses lowered his arm and  Israel would begin to lose the battle because they  couldn't see the banner,
            if we lose sight of our relationship with Christ, we will  begin to depend on our own strength and will lose the battle
            with the flesh. It is only by the hands of the mighty God of Abraham that we will have victory.

         3. Whenever Israel lost sight of their God, they were defeated. Whenever they remembered God and sought Him out,
             they were victorious. It is the same with  us today. We need to have Jesus Christ as our banner, our standard that we
            are to follow  and to look to for our strength and deliverance. The victory is assured. ( Deut. 20:3,4 )  ( Ps. 118:6 )

         4. The Christian can serve the Lord with complete confidence about the outcome  of the battles in their lives, because
             Jehovah-Nissi, the LORD My Banner, will  prevail.