Scripture: Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Exodus 17:8-16 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, having grumbled against Moses and God regarding bitter water at Marah and the lack of meat in the wilderness of Zin, the people now whine about their lack of water at Rephidim. So Moses seeks resolution from the Lord, who tells him to take his staff and gather some of the elders. Then, proceed down the wadi to a rock at Horeb, where the people will congregate, and the presence of the Lord (in the cloud pillar) will settle over them. Finally, strike the monolith (as he struck the Nile), and water will gush from it, quenching their thirst. So Moses follows instructions, and Israel witnesses yet another Yahweh miracle. Hence, Moses named the rock Massah (Hebrew for testing) and Meribah (Hebrew for quarreling) because the people questioned Yahweh’s presence.
Today’s reading continues this first leg of the wilderness journey toward the Promised Land. Having refreshed themselves with the miraculous water flow from the rock at Meribah, Israel’s next test would come at the hands of their distant cousins. The Amalekites, descendants of Esau, unwisely traveled some distance from their homeland north of Sinai to initiate war with Israel at Rephidim. Orchestrated by God, Moses appoints Joshua to lead the troops while Moses, Aaron, and Hur overlook the battle from the crest of a hill. Noticing that Israel succeeds in combat when Moses (holding the staff of the Lord in hand) keeps his arms upright, Aaron and Hur come to his aid. And the victory is the Lord’s for Israel.
This brief story ends with Yahweh’s curious directive to Moses: make a written record and speak in Joshua’s ear that the Lord will “utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (v.14c). Then Moses commemorates God’s promise to fight against the future generations of the Amalekites by building an altar and naming it “The Lord Is My Banner” (v.15): Hebrew Yahweh Nissi.
Takeaway: Sadly, the Amalekites could have lived in peace with neighboring Israel if their ancestors had faithfully communicated to the next generation the terms and blessings of God’s covenant with their common patriarch, Abraham. Nevertheless, the Amalekites wage war to their demise. Foolishly, they fail to learn their lesson, setting up their heirs to face a similar fate, for Yahweh Nissi will continue the fight against this enemy of Israel when he later commands Saul to dedicate the Amalekites to destruction. But Saul fails to eliminate all of them (1 Samuel 15). So David continues the conquest (2 Samuel 1–8).
Lastly, during the Babylonian/Persian Exile, God raises Esther to the position of queen, where she thwarts the plan of Haman, a descendant of the Amalekites, who attempts to destroy all the Jews, only to meet his fate on the gallows he designed for her Uncle Mordecai (Esther 7).
Our takeaway? God orchestrates; we execute. God directs Moses, Saul, David, and Esther to engage in the conflict, but the source of their and our victory is always the Lord. Apart from him and his Son, we can do nothing to resist the world, the flesh, and the devil. And while God may anoint us to lead the charge, he calls the community of believers to act together as one body under his direction. Indeed, Joshua needed Moses, Moses needed Aaron and Hur, Saul and David needed their fighting men, and Esther needed Mordecai. Similarly, we, the church, press into conflict as one body in Christ, executing the battle plan sourced and orchestrated by our Lord and powered by the Holy Spirit.
Our part? There are two aspects. First, we draw on Scripture, prayer, and each other as the body of Christ to discern the Holy Spirit’s leading while seeking unity in faith, worship, and practice. Secondly, we tell the story of God at work in our lives and our failures and successes so that the next generation may avoid our pitfalls and replicate our victories.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for rescuing us from the warring penalty of sin through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. As for the ongoing battles against the power of sin, would you please help us remember that you orchestrate, and we merely execute? So please help us rely on your Holy Spirit and the community of believers to wage war against worldly evil, our carnal desires, and the devil’s temptations. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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