The Battle is the Lord’s

Exodus 17:8-16 The Amalekites were semi nomadic people that were in the habit of looting the peoples that passed by their territory. They proved to be a thorn in the sides of the Israelites in their early history. It wasn’t until David became king that they were finally defeated for good. It was only shortly before this first battle with Israel that the Israelites had complained about the water situation and God had commanded Moses to strike the rock and provide water for His people. When the Amalekites attacked, Moses Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill and Joshua with his men engaged the enemy. As long as Moses held up his staff, Israel would be winning, but if he lowered it Amalek would prevail. Aaron and Hur moved a stone into position for Moses to sit on and then supported his arms so that the staff could be held up. What does all this mean to us? Basically, the upraised staff represents recognition and an appeal to God for aid in the battle. It was especially important because of the recent show of unbelief and rebellion on the part of the Israelites. It shows us how important prayer is in the struggles that we go through. It is an indication that the real battle is in the heavenlies and not just in the local situation. It reminds us that not only must prayer be going up, but that we may often need help in the process of praying. Could this be why we sometimes seem to be failing in our dealing with some of the issues we struggle with? One commentator noted that the staff raised with both hands was in the form of a cross which looked forward to the victory of the cross of Calvary. When the battle was won, Moses built an altar and called it “the Lord is my Banner”. The Lord is our Banner! Let’s get things into perspective as we go through the struggles of life.