When Israel emerged from Egypt after years of bitter, painful slavery, the Amalekites were the first to attack. Now, the Amalekites were descendants of Esau. Were they glad to see their relatives the Israelites free from Pharoah’s yoke? No, the Bible tells us in Exodus 17 that when Israel camped at Rephidim, the Amalekites attacked them – without any provocation – when the Israelites were just camped there, minding their own business. I wonder if these Amalekites had a penchant for surprising weary or vulnerable people? They were the same ones that attacked and burned Ziklag when David and the men were out, carrying off the women and children!
Moses told Joshua to select men to fight the Amalekites and he went to the top of a hill to raise his rod above the battle. As long as Moses’ hand was raised, the battle went in favour of the Israelites. However; when Moses got tired and his hands fell, the Amalekites began to win. Aaron and Hur came to support Moses and held up his hands until evening when the Amalekites were finally defeated. I wondered about that. This was the only battle in the Bible that I recall was so evidently influenced by a person’s upstretched hands. Other battles were won in different ways. For this one, Moses had to position himself, arms raised above the fight.
Now, Moses’ upraised hands may have symbolized different things; however, I believe that one important lesson they teach us is our need for sustained prayer, intercession and just utter dependence on God in the face of Amalekite attack. Some problems will never go without prayer and fasting. In response to His disciple’s question in Mark 9:28 as to why they could not cast an evil spirit out of a boy, the Lord Jesus responded in verse 29 “this kind can be cast out only by prayer” (Mark 9:29 b; NLT). This physical battle with the Amalekites showed a spiritual principle that upraised hands are the only answer for certain types of spiritual forces.
It is instructive too, that the battle favoured the Amalekites when Moses’ hands fell. Some enemies are particularly effective and persistent when we are our most tired, weak and vulnerable. They gain an evil strength when our hands fall. They thrive on discouragement and fatigue and lance us when we are distracted, burdened and at our lowest points. Interestingly, the Amalekites have been seen by some as ‘our inner enemy’. Some of these enemies are doubts, anxieties, fears, inner torment and a sense of discouragement and failure. These are persistent, negative conditions of the mind that have the reputation of weakening even the strongest of saints. They have an evil tendency to recur and return even after being defeated in battle. The Amalekite spirit will ambush you, persist in its attack and resurge in times of vulnerability.
That’s why we need the upraised arms. It is the Spirit of God, working in our obedience and trust that will overthrow Amalek. Now, Moses couldn’t have persisted on his own. Aaron and Hur didn’t stand by and say, ‘Poor thing; he can’t keep his hands up’. They got around him and saw him through to the end. They helped him to do the only thing he needed to do to win. Dear friends, some of us are facing Amalek. Let us do everything we can to strengthen the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s love them, refresh their spirits through gracious words, get in beside them and help them to do what it takes to win. At the end of the day, it is God’s will that all the Amalekites be defeated in our lives. No, not one little seed of Amalek. No doubts, no fears, no unbelief but the victory that comes from faith in God and an unbroken love connection with Him. With relentless persistence in prayer, even if we need to be ‘propped up’ one way or another, let us defeat each Amalekite by the power of the Holy Ghost.
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