A 31-day Lenten Devotional Series by Rev. Dave Brown
Back in the time when Israel was traversing the wilderness, a bully named Amalek fought with Israel. The Amalekites were great grandsons of Esau. Why the fight? Perhaps Isaac’s favoritism toward Jacob at Esau’s expense had never been forgotten, though 400 years had since passed. Perhaps the Amalekites saw the arrival of the congregation of Israel in Rephidim and felt that this horde of people and livestock would eventually threaten the territory, especially the water supply they counted on in the Negev.
Whatever the case, the people of Amalek picked the fight and launched it before registering a complaint against the Israelites. Their method was atrocious. As described in Deuteronomy 25, they targeted the helpless, the weary stragglers, the women and the children who could not keep up with other pilgrims.
It was apparent that Moses would need to muster a force and go out to fight with Amalek. But by now, Moses realized that he needed something else. “Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” The sword and the staff would be Moses’ strategy.
This brief passage describes the impact of the combined strategy. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. Moses determined to keep his hands raised, but his hands grew weary. At this point we hear about the support provided by Aaron and Hur. They sat Moses down on a rock, and came alongside him to steady his uplifted hands.
The outcome of this battle was an overwhelming victory at the expense of the Amalekites. It would last in perpetuity. For God had seen Amalek as a usurper who had lifted his hands against his anointed and would not tolerate it.
In memory of this first battle, Moses built an altar and called the name of it, “The LORD Is My Banner.” What did Moses mean by this title? Ryken says, “A banner is a military standard, a piece of cloth bearing the army insignia and raised on a pole. It establishes their identity, keeps their bearings and gives them hope. When the soldiers looked up, they saw Moses with uplifted hands. The staff in his hands kept pointing to God. Thus, they would know: The LORD is my Banner. (Ryken:466)
Reflections: In what way do you acknowledge your dependence upon the LORD? How do you remember the lesson about persevering in prayer to the LORD. What causes you to recall that everyone has a part in the battle, from Joshua and the chosen soldiers on the field to Moses, Aaron and Hur on the hill?
The apostle Paul appealed to the church in Ephesus: “to take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayers and supplications…” (Eph. 6:17-18)
The sword of the Spirit and the staff (of intercessory prayer) belong together as we engage in spiritual warfare. When we hold both, we can be assured that “His oath, His covenant, His blood [will] sustain us through the whelming flood.” (Excerpt from On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, by Edward Mote)