A Reflection from A Song for Nagasaki
Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. Exodus 17:15
Standing in a place of victory, Moses built an altar and worshipped in the aftermath of a new revelation of God. The success was the defeat of the Amalekites by Israel's troops, which Joshua led. This battle was critical because it was the nation's first time in combat. God himself destroyed Pharaoh and his army of chariots when he allowed the heaped-up waters of the Red Sea to return to their place. He revealed himself differently on this occasion.
The staff had been for Moses a sign of the Lord's presence and power. During the day-long battle against the Amalekites onslaught, Moses held his staff above his head with the help of Aaron and Hur so that Israel could prevail. Perhaps as a rallying point or even a communication tool, the staff became a flagpole of sorts, and Joshua's troops won the field. As an act of worship, Moses built an altar at that spot and named it Jehovah Nissi, which means "the Lord is my banner." Historically, flags and banners are important symbols. In our past, when battlefield visuals were limited to eyesight alone, flags were indispensable.
A Song for Nagasaki is the story of Dr. Takashi Nagai, an early pioneer in X-ray technology who, while afflicted with Leukemia due to exposure to x-ray radiation, survived the atomic bomb explosion at Nagasaki. Raised in Shintoism, Nagai was a convert to Catholicism. He became a national hero of sorts as he bore witness to the love and forgiveness of God following the horrific nuclear tragedy. On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 am, Nagai was at work, preparing to deliver a lecture at the university hospital when the bomb exploded one-half mile away. Eighty percent of those in the teaching hospital instantly perished. Fortunately, Nagai and some other nurses and doctors were in a part of the building facing away from the blast, enabling them to survive the initial explosion, fire, and falling structures. They moved away from the dangerous debris and began to treat the injured around them without medicine or clean bandages. In a city of two hundred thousand, over seventy thousand died instantly. Destruction of life was unparalleled.
As blast survivors, shattered and badly burned, began to climb into the light of day, their first thought was to get to the hospital for help. They did not realize the hospital was no longer standing, and the shell that did remain intact was burning as the bomb had ignited fires throughout the harbor city. Glynne writes:
"…he (Dr. Nagai) looked around and saw all semblance of organization
beginning to disintegrate. More people were pouring in from the city below,
thinking they could get relief if they made it to the big hospital complex.
Nothing was further from the truth."
The doctors and nurses were overwhelmed and began to display panic-stricken faces. They couldn't offer assistance for everyone, and as the Head Nurse Hisamatsu said,
"' Suddenly, it all seemed utterly
beyond us, and we started to lose our nerve.' At that point, Nagai
shouted: 'Quick, find a Hi no Maru," which is the Japanese flag. He
directed the command to young Dr. Okura, who could not think of anything
as inconsequential right then as a flag! He went through the motions of
looking for one in the few places, not on fire and reported back: "It's
impossible to find one." Nagai looked at a piece of a white sheet as it blew
toward him. He snatched it up, tore it into a square, pulled the blood-soaked
bandage from his head and squeezed and dabbed blood into the center,
making a rough circle of red. Several others added blood
from their wounds, and lo! The Japanese flag.
Nagai ordered Okura (who later became a Catholic Priest) to tie the
homemade flag to a thick bamboo pole above them."
Many years later, one witness recalled, "Suddenly we had a headquarters to rally around, a center that put order back into the picture."
While our present outlook is undoubtedly different, it is at the same time one that begs for order. As our world spins, it seems that pieces are slinging off. We are not in panic mode, but we need more urgency. Interestingly, Dr. Nagai saw the Urakami region of Nagasaki (which had a sizeable Christian population) as a sacrificial offering to end the war, thereby saving millions of other lives.
We need bold and heroic action today as so much is at stake. Jesus has made the ultimate sacrifice and sealed it with his blood. He needs battlefield flag bearers who will not let the enemy trample upon their colors. Let's make sure we lift the Banner high no matter what the cost.
