Year One, March 30

Watch and Pray1

Exodus 17:8-16

8Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. (These violent nomads attacked Israel without warning. It was a cowardly and unprovoked act and came when the Israelites were least able to defend themselves. They seem to have been the most cruel and mean of all Israel’s enemies. As such, they are examples that teach us about sin and Satan.) 9So 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.” (We must fight as well as pray. Though effort without prayer would be pride, prayer without effort shows disrespect for God. Joshua must go to battle and Moses must go to pray. Jesus said, “Watch and pray.”)

10So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But 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. (Let all of us make great effort to support the prayerfulness of the church, because if that becomes weak everything becomes weak. “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees.”2 Spiritual evil can only be conquered by the life of prayer. When we fail to pray, the enemy easily defeats us.) 13And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

14Then 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.”

It has been suggested by an old writer, that the Lord’s reason for this special command to record this event is so his people will follow the example. We are to fight against sin and to expect victory over it by the help God gives us in answer to our prayers. Our Lord Jesus is both our Joshua who puts our sins to death and our Moses who prays for us to overcome them. His hands never need holding up. “He will not grow faint or be discouraged.”3 Amalek will be totally destroyed and we will be freed from sin forever.

15And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD is my banner, (because when Moses raised his staff, it was like a holy banner to Israel. Whenever we win victories we should bring thank offerings to the Lord and give glory to God alone.) 16saying, “A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (This war was still going on when King Saul reigned and he was instructed to remove that nation completely.)

Because of the sinfulness of Amalek, as well as its unprovoked hostility against the tribes of Israel, the nation was doomed by divine justice to complete destruction. In the same way, our sins are doomed by divine grace to be crucified with Christ, so that we should not serve sin any longer. Let us read:

  

Deuteronomy 25:17-19

17“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, 18how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. (God will not tolerate attacks on his people. Injuries to them are seen as injuries to him.) 19Therefore when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.

With the help of the Eternal Holy Spirit let us carry on war against all sin to complete victory, whether it is in ourselves or others. All sins are our deadly enemies. No ceasefires or coming to terms of peace are allowed.  Death to them all, because they all aim at our death. Our sins were what crucified our Lord Jesus.

  

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¹ Matthew 26:41

² Hebrews 12:12

³ Isaiah 42:4