“As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.”
Exodus 17:11-12 (NIV)
To appreciate this bible story, it helps to know some of the background. The Amalekites were a nomadic warrior tribe, dwelling in the Sinai peninsula area. They were named after one man, Amalek, who was the grandson of Esau, who was Jacob’s twin brother.
Esau bore a grudge against his brother, Jacob, and family grudges can run deep. This one ran deep enough, that generations later, Esau’s descendants, the Amalekites, were attacking his brother, Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites.
It’s rooted in something that goes deeper than mere sibling rivalry between brothers. Esau despised his spiritual birthright, rejecting his family’s faith in God, and he chose to do his own thing, and became a man of violence. His grandson, Amalek, followed in his footsteps. Jacob wasn’t perfect, but he honored the God of his parents. He tried to make peace with Esau, but it didn’t last.
Jacob had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel, and his descendants were the group of people Moses delivered from slavery under a cruel Pharaoh. He led them out of Egypt with many signs and miracles, and they were finally on the way to their promised land.
Then the Amalekites appeared, and they were the first enemy to attack the Israelites since being freed from slavery. Moses tried to avoid passing through enemy territory on their journey through the desert, but the Amalekites brazenly attacked them, even though unprovoked.
After the attack of the Amalekites, Moses told Joshua to organize an army, and prepare for battle. Moses planned to stand upon a hill with his staff in hand, his arms raised upward in prayer, telling the people that the Lord will prevail against their enemy. Joshua gathered his men and went to battle.
As long as Moses held his staff up in the air, the Israelites prevailed, but when his arms grew weak, and he lowered the staff, the Amalekites got the better of the fight. The outcome of the battle basically depended on whether Moses could keep his arms up in the air, holding up his staff, as he prayed. It was a lot for one man to do alone, to say the least.
Aaron, Moses’ brother, was the high priest of the Israelites, and Hur, was a close companion, who also had a place of authority among the people. They saw that Moses grew tired, so Aaron and Hur rushed to his side and held his wearied arms up. Joshua’s men were finally able to defeat the Amalekites and continue their journey to the promised land.
It’s inspiring to know that Aaron and Hur were there for Moses, and his staff represents the essence of our faith and trust in God. Moses used that same staff to touch the Nile River, turning the water into blood. He held his staff over the sea and the waters parted for the Israelites to walk through on dry ground. His staff represents our trust in God through every difficult time in our lives, as we turn our eyes upward in faith.
As much as I love this story, I always wondered why God didn’t just drive the enemy away in one single instant, without a battle, since God can do anything. Instead, He required them to fight the battle, with the moral support of Moses, their leader and prayer Intercessor. Keeping his arms up in the air the whole time was exhausting, but Aaron and Hur show us what the unity of faith and service can look like.
This story can be applied to the church throughout the world today, and to our life, which is a journey to the promised land. Moses received support from Aaron and Hur. Every person in the church may not be our closest friend, but we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. I think God is telling us to support one another, especially those with wearied arms.
The world wide church of believers are God’s spiritual Israelites, and we are journeying towards our own promised land, which is heaven. Whether we realize it or not, we all face enemy spirits who want to divide and derail us, robbing us of our hope. Paul reminds the church that our real battle is not with the visible enemies, but with unseen powers of wickedness. He said,
“For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
In other words, we still have our own Amalekites to battle with every day. As the Israelites looked up, they saw Moses, with his arms held up, knowing God was with them. We also look toward heaven where Jesus, our high priest and intercessor, once stretched His arms out, nailed to a cross. By His blood, he destroyed the power that evil has over us, and promised that we will overcome by our faith in His work on the cross.
Satan’s first scheme is to convince people that there is no such thing as a devil. If he cannot succeed in that, he tries to divide the people of God,
causing dissension in the church. The same spirit of the Amalekites exists today, trying to sow division among believers. We are a church called to lift one another up, as Aaron and Hur did for Moses. The devil’s greatest fear is our unity in faith and service for God. Jesus said that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.
We encounter different types of battles, on our journey to heaven. The church is composed of diverse people, cultures, ideas, backgrounds and tastes, but we still have one common denominator that spiritually unites us…we trust in Jesus as our Savior.
We may never know how weary or exhausted another person is. When we lift them up in prayer, or by listening to their story, or by doing a task that lightens their burden, we help them prevail in battle.
I believe God gave us this story to illustrate the beauty of unity and support for others in the faith. He also reminds us of the reality that we are in a battle with unseen powers at work in a spirit realm. We can easily drop our arms in exhaustion, or become discouraged by the words or actions of others. In spite of this, we are His church, and we share the same Holy Spirit who lives in each of us. If we lift each other up, we will always win the battle.
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
Lord, help us to seek unity, to hold each other up, to aim higher, and to strive for holiness. Use us to impact the world around us, by revealing your love and mercy to others, making it a better place until you come again. Amen