Exodus 17:8-16
~17 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 17:8-16. So far, we have learned that the children of Israel were out there in the wilderness, and their primary enemy was not external but internal. Their main struggle was from within; it was the battle of the heart. The difficulties they faced at Marah, at Massah, and Meribah were not the cause of a physical enemy, but it was due to their disbelief and disobedience. They refused to trust God, obey God, that He alone would provide for their needs. Therefore, they murmured and complained. We have learned that in our previous lessons, but now they were going to face a real physical enemy—someone who would attack them and challenge their very existence. It was the Amalekites.
Dear friend, isn't it true that often times our real enemy is not external but internal? It is the battle of the heart; it is the warfare within our hearts. We know the truth of God's Word; we know His command, His instruction. But deep down in our hearts, we just refuse to obey, and we want to do it our way. But there are also times whereby the enemy is real and physical. It could be the physical enemies we face in our workplaces who would constantly challenge our faith. Or it could be the physical enemies we face in the church—people who pretend to be believers but in reality, they are unbelievers. The Bible calls them the goats amongst the sheep or the tares amongst the wheat. But we must bear in mind that whether it is from within or from without, the only way you and I can conquer the enemy is through prayers. This is what we want to learn from today's passage. The title of our message is “Lift Up Your Hands”.
I. The Presence of God
The first point is: “The Presence of God”. Let us begin with Exodus 17:8, "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim." The Amalekites were nomads who traced their lineage all the way back to Jacob's brother Esau. Genesis 36:12 tells us that Timna was the concubine of Esau's son Eliphaz, and she bore him a son who was named Amalek. The Bible does not tell us the reason why the Amalekites attacked the Israelites. Perhaps it was due to the long-standing tensions between Jacob and Esau, or it might be because they were threatened by the sudden arrival of the Israelites in their vicinity. Or they might have seen the Israelites drinking the water from the rock, and they wanted to take the place for themselves. We do not know for sure; these are just some of the possibilities.
But one thing we do know: it was a cowardly attack. It was a dishonourable attack. Why do we say that? Because Moses said in Deuteronomy 25:17, "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God." In other words, they attacked from behind.
In those days, the men would march in front while the women and children would follow behind. So the Amalekites attacked the women and children from behind, and they attacked the Israelites when they were most weak and tired. That was why it was called a cowardly attack. And the reason why they did that was because they had no fear for God. The Amalekites were enemies of God, so the soldiers were, in reality, in Satan's army. The real enemy was Satan. Satan was determined to prevent the Israelites from entering into the promised land. Initially, he used the Egyptians, and for almost 400 years, the Israelites were kept in bondage until they were delivered from Egypt. And then he enticed the Amalekites to attack the Israelites from behind at Rephidim.
Dear friend, likewise, we are also fighting a spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Satan is our ultimate enemy. He will attack us either directly or indirectly. Satan cannot do anything against our salvation. Once we are saved, we are always saved. No one can pluck us out of the hands of God. He cannot prevent us from entering into our promised land, which is Heaven. But what Satan would do is to hinder us, to stumble us, to cause us to fear, to be doubtful, to be worried, anxious, and confused about God and His Word. So much so that we will become ineffective in the service of God. That is what Satan would do to us. This was the first battle in Israel's long military campaign to conquer the promised land.
In life, in everything we do, there will always be the first time, right? There will be the first time we go to church, the first time we drive a car, the first time we buy a house, the first time we travel in an airplane, and so forth. Likewise, in spiritual warfare, there will also be the first time when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. From that moment onwards, we are engaged in spiritual warfare, and there will be the first spiritual battle we have to fight. Remember, our life is a spiritual journey, and as a spiritual journey, there will be spiritual lessons to be learned. And the first lesson is extremely important because it will not only be the most memorable, it will also set the precedent for all the other spiritual lessons. That was why God was so emphatic to teach the Israelites in this first battle that they must never forget that He will always be with them, He will watch over them, and all they needed to do was to trust Him, and He will fight for them.
We can see the difference between the Egyptians and the Amalekites. Although God was the One who delivered the Israelites in both instances, there was a difference. When God delivered the Israelites at the Red Sea, remember, they were not commanded to take up arms and fight. All they needed to do was to stand firm and watch how God destroyed the Egyptians. But when it came to the battle at Rephidim, when God delivered the Israelites from the Amalekites, they were commanded to take up arms and fight. Verse 9 says, "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." This was the first time Joshua was mentioned. Apparently, he was Israel's field commander. The rod was a sign of God's presence, power, and authority. It was a token of His covenant promise.
Moses knew very well that without the presence of God, they could never win the battle. That was why later on, Moses said to God in Exodus 33:15, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." In other words, “God, if You don't go with us, if You don't go with me, then please do not lead us forward. Moses knew very well the Amalekites may be strong, the Amalekites might have attacked the Israelites from behind, but he knew that if God's presence was with the Israelites, if God was with them and for them, what can the enemies do to them? So he wanted the Israelites to look up to the top of the hill as they fought against the Amalekites. And when they saw the rod of God in Moses' hand, they would know that God's presence was with them.
Dear friend, this is a very important lesson for us to learn. Sometimes the enemy will attack us when we least expect it, when our guards are down, when we think everything is going smoothly. When the ministries are well attended, the spiritual programs are running regularly, our families are protected and provided for, our children are doing well in school, then all of a sudden, trouble comes. What can we do? We look up to God; He is always with us, watching us all the time. There will never come a moment in our lives whereby we are not in His presence. Knowing the presence of God is one thing; if you and I know that we are in the presence of God, then this knowledge, this assurance must lead us to pray, right?
II. The Power of Prayer
This brings us to our second point: “The Power of Prayer”. Look at verse 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." Joshua chose from within the children of Israel the best warriors, and then he went into the valley to fight against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. We are familiar with Aaron, the brother of Moses, but who is Hur? Well, he was from a godly family; he was the husband of Miriam, and later on, he became a judge.
The purpose of going to the top of the hill was to pray. How do we know? Verse 11 says, "And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed." We know Moses was praying because he was in the posture for prayers.
The Israelites would often pray when they stand, lifting up their hands to offer praises and petitions to God. For example, the psalmist said, "I will lift up my hands in thy name" (Psalm 63:4). In the New Testament, Paul said to young Timothy, "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." (1 Timothy 2:8). By lifting up his hands, Moses was acknowledging their total dependence upon God alone to win the battle, and he was appealing for God to defend His people.
At first, everything went in Israel's favour, but as things went on very well, perhaps it seemed as if their prayer was no longer necessary. So Moses gradually let his hand down, but the moment he did that, the Amalekites were beginning to win. In desperation, he lifted up his hands even higher, and then the Israelites were winning. Soon, his arms were tired, and he started to lower his rod again. The same thing happened; the moment his hands were lowered, the Israelites would start to lose, and the Amalekites would gain the upper hand.
You see, there was nothing magical about Moses' hands. Remember, the lifting up of his hands was a posture for prayer, which means their victory was solely dependent on God alone—100% dependent on trusting Him. And so they prayed and committed the battle to the Lord. Isn't this true about our prayer life? Whenever we are in need, we will pray fervently, and God intervenes, and then things go smoothly. We start to think that our prayer is no longer necessary. Why pray when everything is going smoothly? Or we become tired of praying for the same item again and again.
But the moment we stop praying, things start to change. Adversities start to come, troubles start to come, and then we go on our knees to pray again. Dear friends, we must pray without ceasing. Interestingly, the Bible does not command us to sing without ceasing. The Bible does not command us to serve without ceasing. There will be times for us to rest, but the Bible commands us to pray without ceasing. We need God at every moment of our lives; we need His presence to help us to deal with the different situations and circumstances of life. We must pray without ceasing.
Now, what happens when we ourselves no longer have the strength to pray? That is when other believers must come in to help us to pray. Verse 12 says, "But Moses' hands were heavy; and they” – referring to Aaron and Hur – “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.”
This was persistent prayer. If they started fighting in the morning, that means they were praying until evening together. Aaron and Hur assisted Moses in lifting up his hands to pray. This is a wonderful picture of corporate prayer. Isn't it true? Together, one on the left, the other on the right, lifting up his hands, and together they prayed to the Lord. Dear friend, we must pray on our own on a daily basis. That is our private prayer life. But that is not the only way we pray. Nothing can strengthen our prayer life more than praying together with other believers. And that is our corporate prayer life. Just like this Friday night prayer meeting. Perhaps you are going through the most challenging time in your family or in your workplace. Or you have some difficult decisions to make of which you do not know whether to turn right or to turn left; both seem to be dead ends. Or you are so devastated that you do not have any strength to pray. What can you do? Come to the prayer meeting, and the other brethren will pray for you and pray together with you.
Moses' hands were heavy, showing his weakness, and his weakness served to magnify the glory of God. What do we mean? You see, Israel was victorious not because Moses was a man of prayer – he was; not because Joshua was an excellent commander – Joshua was; but because God was the one who gave them the victory. I believe the reason why Moses went to the top of the hill, or he was commanded to do so by God, was that all Israel would be able to see him. To make sure that the Israelites learned this important lesson about prayers and dependence upon God.
Take a moment and consider this: what would happen if Moses did not do that? The Israelites would be thinking that they had defeated the Amalekites in their own strength, right? The same thing would happen to us. If you and I are able to defeat our spiritual enemies, conquer all the problems we have without prayers, then we will start to think that we have the power and the strength to resist temptations. We are able to overcome all the trials of life. The end result? We will become proud, self-righteous, and then glorify ourselves rather than God. God forbids; we must never do that. Prayers will help us to know that our strength, our power comes from God and God alone.
III. The Banner of the Cross
Our final point is: “The Banner of the Cross”. Let us move on to verse 13, “And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword”. To “discomfit” means to overthrow or defeat, so the Amalekites were defeated. Verse 14: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses was commanded to record this incident at Rephidim, and the purpose was to rehearse it to Joshua. But why Joshua? Because Joshua would be the person to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. By rehearsing this story to Joshua, there were two purposes.
Firstly, as the commander, Joshua would have to meet the Amalekites again. This time around, the Amalekites were not totally defeated, so he would meet them again, and he would be reminded of this divine promise that God would utterly destroy the Amalekites. And not only the Amalekites, remember, the Israelites would have to face the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Perizzites, the Amorites, and so forth. So Joshua would be reminded that God would help them to conquer all those enemies, just as He had helped them to conquer the Amalekites. That was one of the reasons why Joshua was so bold and courageous as he led the Israelites into the Promised Land, because this story was repeatedly rehearsed in his ears. Can you imagine being repeatedly told how God had protected them, defeated the enemies, fought the battle, how Moses' hands were lifted up, and they won the battle? But the moment his hands were let down, they began to lose. All these stories were rehearsed in the ears of Joshua so he knew them by heart.
Secondly, more importantly, God wanted the children of Israel to know what He did for them. He was the one who gave them the victory, so they must lift up their hands to pray, trust in Him completely, absolutely. Sadly, the Israelites forgot because, later on, about two years later when they reached the edge of the Promised Land, they encountered the Amalekites again. Instead of lifting up their hands to pray, they were so afraid. Because of that, they had to spend almost 38 years wandering in the wilderness. If you don't learn the lesson the first time, you have to learn it the second time, the third time, the fourth time, and so forth. So, they had to wander for 38 years in the wilderness, how tragic. Dear friend, when we experience the hands of God working in our lives, we tell those stories to our children. We rehearse those stories to them. Why? So that they will be encouraged to trust in the Almighty God.
Recently, some of the youths in our YPG said to me, "Pastor, you seem to have many stories to tell." And sometimes I would repeat those stories so much so that they would say, "Oh, I have heard of that one." And they will be able to repeat that story exactly how I've told them. But I'm not telling them stories just for the sake of entertaining them or for the sake of being known as a storyteller. God forbids. But to encourage them that they must always trust and believe in God. They must always pray. That is the purpose of rehearsing our stories, telling our children, telling the little ones in Sunday School. And as a pastor, I tell the congregation, I rehearse all these experiences so that people will be encouraged. Joshua, he was rehearsed this story in his ears repeatedly, so much so that he became bold and courageous. Will you not do that? To teach your children with the Holy Scriptures, telling them how faithful God is.
Finally, verse 15: “And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." True enough, later on, King Saul fought against the Amalekites. He was commanded to destroy them completely, but he did not do that. Instead, he spared Agag, the king of Amalek. Subsequently, it was Samuel the prophet who killed Agag. Finally, King David, he was the one who destroyed the rest of the Amalekites. So this phrase "from generation to generation" means from the time of Moses to Joshua to King Saul to King David, the children of Israel were always at war with the Amalekites. God's word is 100% true. Whatever God said will surely come to pass. Do you believe Him? Every word He said, all the promises He gave regarding the end times, do you believe? Whatever He said at this point in time, it came to pass from generation to generation. They fought against the Amalekites, and then God utterly destroyed them.
Jehovah Nissi means “the Lord is my banner”. A banner is often used in a military sense. It is a piece of cloth bearing the emblem of an army and then raised on a pole. Soldiers always look to the banner. It is their identity. It helps them to know who they are, especially in the battlefield. It helps them to stay focused, and it gives them courage and hope. As long as they see the banner flying, they will continue to fight. So Moses pointed to the Israelites that the source of their strength, power, and hope is the Lord. The Lord is our banner.
Dear friend, are you discouraged? Are you despairing? Are you feeling hopeless? Who can you turn to for strength, power, and courage? Who can give you hope in times of trouble? Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 11:10. He said this, "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious." The word "ensign" means banner. And who is this banner? Who is this root of Jesse? He is none other than our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said in John 3:14, “even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Dear friend, our banner is the cross. You and I are saved and given eternal life by looking to the cross where our Lord was crucified and He shed His precious blood to wash away all our sins. Today, we still look to the cross. Not for salvation from eternal damnation if we are true believers; we are already saved. But we still look at the cross nonetheless for salvation to live a sanctified life, to conquer our spiritual enemies, whether from within or from without. We look to the cross each time we face troubles. Whatever be the troubles, whether from without or from within, we look to the cross, the one who died and was risen from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ. He loves us with a perfect love. He will help us.
“The Lord is my banner, and He will always be my banner.” Will you say that? “The Lord is my banner.” That is why we must lift up our hands, as in, we must pray. We look to Him who loves us so much that He came into this world and died for us. Will He not help us? He will help us. So our victory, the strength we have, the power we have, the courage we have, does not come from us. It comes from the cross. “The Lord is my banner.” Let us pray.
Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for this opportunity, unity, that we may consider this portion of scriptures. Indeed, we are amazed how Thou hast taught us about delivering the Israelites from the Amalekites. Thou art the One who has delivered them. Thou art the One who has given them the victory. And Thou hast taught them to rehearse this so that they will not forget. Sadly, when they forget, that is when they became defeated. The same thing would happen to us. We learn Thy precious Word, and we rehearse Thy Word again and again. We go through experiences in our lives when we pray, Thou intervenes, and we experience Thy hands working in our lives. We rehearse these stories to our children so that they would be encouraged to trust in Thee.
And we pray that we will always learn this important lesson: “The Lord is my banner.” We look to the cross for salvation. We look to the cross for strength, power, and courage in times of trouble, in times whereby we are discouraged, disappointed, despaired, whereby we feel so hopeless. We look to the cross, the One who died on the cross, the One who was risen from the dead because of us. He will help us. He will give us the victory. So help us to remember how we ought to apply these spiritual lessons into our lives, all to the glory of Thy precious name. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
