Exodus
17:8-13 (KJV)
8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
The background
leading up to this incident is interesting. Israel is complaining about having
no water. They direct their vitriol towards Moses in accusing him of leading
them to such a place for the destruction of their lives. God instructs Moses to
strike the rock and water issued forth, and this averted the people murdering
Moses in their rage. The people are now satisfied, and peace once again reigns
over Israel.
However, the news of
water in a dry and barren land has attracted a nomadic people known as the
Amalekites. They were descendents of Esau, and lived in this southern portion
of Canaan. According to Deuteronomy 25:17-19,
they did not do a frontal assault on Israel but rather attacked the rear
instead. The rear of Israel would have been filled with the sick, infirmed,
cripples, and all the impaired. These cowardly Amalekites mercilessly
slaughtered the ones who could not defend themselves.
Now, we come to the
above scriptures. This of course is a physical battle, but we can’t ignore the
fact that its outcome depends upon the spiritual success of Israel’s leader
Moses. His hands held up to God signified his dependence on this all powerful
one. When his hands went down, conversely, this would signify his lack of
dependence upon the God of Israel. It was a lesson demonstrated for all of
Israel to take note of.
I had a woman ask me
“how do you think Moses felt when he realized he couldn’t do it on his own?”
That question struck me for I had never thought of that before. There are times
when we can’t do it on our own. We have to swallow our pride and reach out to
another believer and say, “would you pray for and with me.” In other words,
lift up my hands. If you are in trouble spiritually, and you thought “I can do this
on my own” but you are still sliding backwards, then it is time to reach out to
another and say I need help.
One more thing: I
took notice that, there was Joshua, chosen men, Aaron, Hur, and Moses all named
in this battle. This tells me that not everyone has the same function in the battle,
but everyone has an intricate part to play in the victory to be enjoyed by the
whole. We in the body of Christ and in our local assemblies are not a bunch of
Lone Rangers. We are a corporate body needing each person contributing in a
consistent manner to the wellness of the whole.
