"Touch Not Mine Anointed..." - The Torch Bearer

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones: So, let it be with Caesar.” [William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar].

These are the opening lines of Mark Anthony as Caesar lay dead on the Senate floor from the knife stabs of Brutus and the other Senate conspirators. This eulogy of Caesar by Mark Antony is a befitting opening for this homily (sermon). We live in a world where false prophets and teachers🥸 have abused this scripture (Psalm 105:15) to threaten and lord themselves over others. Yet, it has a more noble meaning…

Julius Caesar was surrounded and killed by the Senators of Rome who felt he was becoming too autocratic and thus destroying the republicanism of the Roman empire. They did not want a King or Emperor but wanted to maintain their Republican style of government. In March 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated.

It is ~2000 BC, and Moses and the hosts of Israel are camped at Rephidim. Without provocation, Amalek came and attacked Israel. This signal attack on His people so angered Jehovah that He made Moses write it and build an altar to serve as a memorial of this event. God then swore to fight against Amalek from generation to generation until He has wiped them from the Earth (Exodus 17:8-16). The Amalekites were descendants of Esau (their father was Eliphaz, the son of Esau or Edom), making them distant relatives of Israel (Gen. 36:12-16).

Amalek, the descendants of Esau, attacked Israel without any provocation. For this, God ordered Moses to attack and defeat them. He also asked Moses to make a memorial stone and call it Jehovah Nissi, meaning, God will war with Amalek from generation to generation.

This altar was called Jehovah Nissi (the LORD our banner), and war against Amalek He did! In Samuel’s day, Jehovah sent King Saul to annihilate Amalek from Earth, but Saul disobeyed and spared Agag, King of the Amalekites…for this, He incurred the wrath of God and forfeited the throne to David. Finally, an Amalekite, who escaped during Saul’s war with Amalek, came to David to tell him that he killed Saul (2 Samuel 1:1-16).

Saul failed to execute God’s Word against Amalek, the enemies of Israel and Jehovah, and one Amalekite whom Saul spared, reported that he killed Saul. This last Amalekite was killed by David, bringing that nation to an end. The evil that men do, lives after them indeed.

Oh Amalek, did you have to attack an innocent people? The protecting care of God for His weak children on Earth is herein portrayed. How lucky and blessed is he who is the child of God. Behold, God shall fight for him, and he shall hold his peace.

When God asked Saul to kill the Amalekites, Saul failed to do so. He even spared their king, Agag, and also brought their sheep to Israel. Because of this great sin, God rejected him and anointed David in his place. Samuel called for Agag and killed him.

Blessed are you whose Banner is Jehovah, Jehovah Nissi, for He shall protect you and avenge you of your enemies who attack you unprovoked. His Banner over you is Love! Oh that we shall abide under the Banner of the Most High and hide under His mighty wings!

The Amalekites were perpetual enemies of Israel throughout the Bible. Indeed, some scholars believe that Haman, the agagite, was possibly the descendant of Agag, the King of Amalek who was spared by Saul. The Amalekites later joined with the Canaanites and attacked the Israelites at Hormah (Numbers 14:45). In Judges they banded with the Moabites (Judges 3:13) and the Midianites (Judges 6:3) to wage war on the Israelites. They were responsible for the repeated destruction of the Israelites’ land and food supply.

If God be for us, who shall be against us, Children of God? May we comfort🫂 ourselves on this Sabbath, knowing that this is our Father’s world…As we rest on this Sabbath, may we commit all our worries and cares to Him…For Jehovah shall fight for us. He is our Banner…and it is Love!! A happy Sabbath to all the saints of God. Jehovah Nissi!!