THE POWER OF LIFTED HANDS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."

Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."

Exodus 17:8-16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After leaving Pharaoh and Egypt behind at the Red Sea, the Israelite people had traveled through the desert without confrontation as they journeyed to Canaan and the land God had promised them. But as we see in today’s passage and our continued study of Exodus, chapter 17, that all changed as they faced their first conflict with another people, the Amalekites, who attacked them at Rephidim. Look again at those verses here:

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under Heaven."

Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." Vv.8-16

Now we know that there was special power in the staff God had given to Moses, power that allowed it to be turned into a snake, part a great sea in two, and bring water from a rock. But in this instance, the staff allowed the Israelite forces, under the command of Joshua, to gain victory over the Amelekites. All Moses had to do was to hold it up with raised hands.

Have you ever tried to lift your hands over your head and keep them raised for a long time?

If so, you know that it does require muscle strength to do so and depending on how well your muscles are conditions will dictate how long you can keep your hands lifted up. In the case of Moses, as he stands on top of a hill with Aaron and Hur, observing the battle below, we see where he had some difficulty keep the staff raised up to the heavens without assistance.

It became evident very quickly that Moses couldn’t afford to allow his hands to lower because when it happened, the tide turned in the fight with the Amalekites gaining the advantage. And so everything was done to make sure Moses’ hands stayed up.

The scriptures tell us that first, Aaron and Hur “took a stone and put it under” Moses and as he sat on it, each man stood on one side and helped Moses keep his hands held up steadily until the sun set and the victory won.

Well, after the war was won, we read where the Lord gives Moses the following directions:

"Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under Heaven."

And so Moses did as God commanded but also "built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner" because “hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord.”

From that point forward, the Lord will be “at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation” and He wanted Joshua in particular to remember the events of this special battle, where lifted hands had led to a special sent from the heavens by God to bring the Israelites victory over their enemy.

You know, sometimes we can find ourselves in a place like the Israelites were in, facing an enemy who wishes to confront us and do harm. This enemy could be another person or people but more often than not is just Satan coming after us as we walk onto the spiritual battlefield day after day after day.

In the midst of these times we all go through, we find good news within this passage for today because like Moses, we can always raise our hands to Heaven and seek the power of God from above, a power that will lead us to victory. The truth of the matter is that we’re not fighting through this life alone.

For God is with us and for us, and in Him, we will always find all the strength and power we need to make it through whatever challenges come our way. When we reach up to Him with lifted hands, we find Him reaching down to us, providing His almighty help and the ability to overcome and gain victory over our enemies.

Friends, today and every day, let is praise the Lord with thanksgiving for His amazing goodness and power, provision and providence, and mercy, grace and love.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.