“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered is hands, the Amalekites were winning.” Ex. 17:11
The Hebrew word for God used in this passage is Yaweh Nissi , which means The Lord is my banner. A banner went before troops in a battle much like a flag would.
“8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 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.”
“10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.12 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. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
“14 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 name of Amalek from under heaven.”
“15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[c] the throne of the Lord,[d] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:8-16
Basically, as long as Moses held up the staff of God the Israelites were able to win the battle against the Amalekites. When Moses lowered his hands the Israelites started to lose. The staff that was used was the same staff that parted the Red Sea and gave the complaining Israelites water. The Israelites were completely untrained and unprepared for battle…. and on top of that they were a faithless people who constantly turned their backs on a faithful God.
During the battle Moses became tired and put his hands down. He became weary and lost his focus.
How often do we do that?
As he lost his focus the Israelites became discouraged and started losing the battle. Moses had friends that helped him though. Aaron and Hur came along side him and held his hands up.
We all need friends who can come along side us and help us fight the battle. This is so important. Pray for believing friends that are safe and will come along side you and help with the burdens of this life.
What would our lives look like if we started to fight differently? If we started to look at the world, our problems and the people we interact with differently?
God used their lack of faith to teach them about His faithfulness. God is faithful even when we are not.
I just love it when God gives me a verse or a story from His word that I can carry with me as holy encouragement. God is so good. In my life I often feel defeated. My heart has uttered the words, “is there no victory?” Have you ever felt like that? It has been something that has plagued my walk at times. Frankly, it’s been hard for me to admit. God always knew it was there… lurking in my heart and wanted to do something about it.
When God wants something done He does it. There is no messing around. He has used my doubt in the victory of Christ to grow my faith. I am always amazed at the sheer creativeness the Lord uses to grow me and make me more like Jesus.
The backstory: The Amalekites were a bad bunch. When the Israelites left Egypt and were traveling to the promise land the Amalekites attacked them from behind. They attacked all that were lagging behind. This meant women and children. God told the Israelites that the Amalekites had no fear of God. The Amalekites represent all that is evil. Amalek was the grandson of Esau who was Jacob’s older brother. This is not the only biblical account of the terror the Amalekites imposed on the Israelites. It is very interesting and I want to encourage you to read more about the history of the Amalekites as it pertains to biblical history.
So, now that we have an idea of who the Israelites were fighting against we can use it to help us understand our own battles. In Ephesians Paul tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12).
I tend to focus on the problem, which can be anything and everything from something my husband or children did or did not do, to interpersonal problems at work, church or in my community.
The goal is to shift my thinking from what the problem is (you name it) to first seeing it as a spiritual battle and then realizing it is the Lord’s battle. As long as my focus is on Christ I will see victory.
It may not look the way I thought it should but it will look exactly the way God KNOWS it should.
An example: We have a child that struggles with alcohol abuse. That’s the problem. I have spent much time ruminating over this problem. According to Exodus 17:10-13 and Ephesians 6:12 what should I do?
Well, the first thing I have to do is see the problem as a spiritual one. The second is focus on Jesus. I have to keep my eyes on the one who saves.
What does this look like in my everyday life? Good question… We have to Pray. Praying keeps us focused on the maker, the all powerful, all knowing ever present savior who is ABLE.
Next, we have to stay in God’s word. Really! The first thing we tend to do is give up reading our Bibles when times get tough. That is exactly what Satan would like us to do. Don’t do that.
Then, share your burdens with other believers. Satan loves isolation. When I keep my troubles hidden the light can’t shine on them. They are shrouded in darkness. Bring your hurts and failures into the light.
Finally, TRUST a faithful God who loves you and your situation more than you can imagine. If you don’t trust God to work on your behalf then tell Him about it. God is so good to change our heart if we are actively seeking Him and desire transformation.
