Ex. 17:8-16
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
We’re still in Rephidim - “Testingville”
We’re moving now from Israel’e internal conflicts to external ones.
God has provided the entire time - deliverance, water, shade, food, sandals that didn’t wear out, etc., etc.
God’s Provision
Exodus 17:8–11 (ESV) — 8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 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.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
That’s a rather innocuous way to phrase it - “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim”
The Amalekites were standing in between the Hebrew’s and the promised land - what does that look like to us?
This battle between the Hebrews and the Amalekites was a sour memory for generations.
Here’s Deuteronomy 25 for some more context:
Deuteronomy 25:17–19 (ESV) — 17 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, 18 how 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. 19 Therefore 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.
The Amalekites had such a reputation for wickedness and destruction that many refer to the Nazi’s as Amalekites.
See 1 Samuel 15 — Saul was to completely destroy the Amalekites, but he listened to other voices and plundered some of their goods - even trying to offer them as sacrifice to God. It was the reason why Saul was removed as king.
Joshua, the new general, was to choose men to fight - these were former slaves, not warriors.
Moses climbed a hill and raised the staff of God. When it was raised there was victory, and when it was lowered the Amelekites had victory. Later on in vs. 15 Moses calls the altar that they build upon the hill “The Lord is My Banner”. Jehovah Nissi
They could not win this battle on their own. Over and over again we are to see that God loves to provide.
God is our banner - the one we rally to. The one we lift high in order to remember. The lack of remembering was one of Israel’s most frequent downfalls.
One last thing from this section is our reminder that the Christian life often looks like this journey from Exodus. We are delivered by God’s grace. We didn’t have to do anything - He parted the sea and broke the shackles of slavery. But before the promised land some battles will come. Some internal and other external. Ephesians 6; 1 Tim. 6:12 (good fight)
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) — 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Help
Exodus 17:12–13 (ESV) — 12 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. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.
Like Moses, we grow weary. Maybe we’re the one trying to hold up the banner for others and we’re feeling a bit tired.
We need each other. We need fellowship. We need encouragement (the giving of courage - the instilling of strength)
2 Timothy 2:1–2 (ESV) — 1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Acts 15:40–41 (ESV) — 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Romans 1:11–12 (ESV) — 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Maybe Moses asked for help or maybe Aaron and Hur noticed that he needed it. There are times when we need to ask for help, and there are times when we need to notice that others need our help.
How do we speak to each other when we gather? How do we follow up throughout the week? How much do you know, or care, or pray about what’s going on in the lives of your brothers and sisters?
Exodus 17:14–16 (ESV) — 14 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.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
We come back to Moses’ dedication of the altar and the new name given to the God of the Israelites - Jehovah Nissi
All of our battles are the Lord’s.
We are to recite it, to remember it, to rally to it...
And Christ lifted high, his weary arms fixed in place by nails and by his own will. He is the one who stamped out the Amalekites (total wickedness and sin) once and for all. He is the one who is our banner. We don’t have to hold our arms up. We don’t have to wonder if he will succeed or not based on what we do. We raise up Jehovah Nissi as seen in the face of Jesus Christ, and know that the victory is sure, every single time.
Repentance:
Maybe we are weary because of sin or doubt or grumbling
Assurance/Communion:
Romans 5:1–9 (ESV) — 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.