The book of Exodus chapter 17, and we may read again at verse 8.
Exodus chapter 17, reading at verse 8.
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
When the Israelite people were miraculously delivered from their Egyptian oppression,
the first enemies they faced were not external, but internal.
Their first enemies were themselves.
Their struggle was with themselves, as the Lord showed them, their own hearts.
And I would like to suggest that it is still the same to the present hour.
Our struggles are mainly from within and not from without.
Now, you may challenge that, but I think if you are any length of time on the Christian path,
you will know the truth of that statement.
You remember how the Apostle Paul writes about the inward strife that left him struggling time after time.
I see, he says, and my members, another law waging war against the law of my mind,
and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
It wasn't just that he saw it, but that it brought him into captivity.
Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death,
as if he were carrying about a dead body attached to his person.
Well, Israel, during their relatively short period in the desert,
had encountered genuine difficulties.
They came to Mara, and the water was undrinkable, causing them to complain.
And you can appreciate how precious water was when you were in a dry, arid area.
And they must have been looking forward to arriving at this place,
only to be bitterly disappointed by the quality of the water.
God made it drinkable by another miracle.
Then it was lack of food that made them grumble.
And again, God provided them with manna.
The difficulty experienced earlier in this chapter
was that they were faced not with undrinkable water,
but with a lack of water,
either because the water was not there,
or if it was there,
they had no access to it.
And you can make your mind up.
Which of these two possibilities is true?
Because the Bible doesn't really disclose what it was.
Such was their ire that Moses was fearful for his own life.
He thought they were going to stone him.
They didn't trust God to provide.
In fact, they wanted God put on trial.
As they interpreted matters,
God had failed them miserably.
And yet again,
God graciously and marvelously provides
by bringing water from a most unexpected source,
a rock.
And you know from your New Testament
that the New Testament interprets the rock
as Christ.
And there is a sermon there.
Incidentally,
there is no indication of thanks
for such fulsome and gracious provision.
And I wonder how often
are we guilty of the sale
when the Lord has intervened
marvelously and miraculously in our lives,
when we have been pleading,
perhaps for help,
and how forgetful we are
to give thanks when he responds.
Well, I'd like to bring three thoughts before you.
That's just the background
to our text this evening.
First, conflict at Rephidim.
Secondly, countering hostility.
And thirdly, celebrating
the celebration of victory.
Conflict at Rephidim.
Countering hostility.
And the celebration of victory.
Conflict at Rephidim.
The writer tells us,
Moses, we accept as the writer.
The people of Israel
were physically attacked
from without
by those who were hostile to them.
Remember?
Up until now,
their problems arose from themselves.
We read,
Amalek came and fought with Israel
at Rephidim.
This was Israel's
first experience
of our military encounter.
The Amalekites
were a nomadic people.
They could trace their ancestry
back to Jacob's twin brother,
Esau.
In the book of Genesis,
we find this information.
These are the names of Esau's sons.
Eliphaz, the son of Adah,
the wife of Esau.
And then you find Timnah
was a concubine of Eliphaz,
Esau's son.
She bore Amalek
to Eliphaz.
And I suppose
you could argue
that there was a long-standing
ethnic tension
between the two peoples,
given their ancestry.
People of Israel
tracing their ancestry
back to Jacob
and the Amalekites
back to his twin brother.
The writer doesn't suggest
a specific reason
why these Amalekites
attacked Israel
at this precise moment.
May have been
because of the long-standing
ethnic tensions.
It is also possible
that they may have felt
threatened by the
sudden arrival
of all these people
in their territory.
They may have seen them
as a threat
to their own existence
by coming
to the places
which they themselves
frequented for water.
Water being such
a precious commodity
in the desert,
Rephidim,
was an oasis.
But the writer
doesn't tell us
why they were attacked.
There may be one more reason
for the attack.
The impression created,
at least in my own mind,
is that it was,
that it happened
very unexpectedly.
Then Amalek came
and fought with Israel.
When did Amalek
come
and fight
with Israel?
Was it not just
after the Israelites
had given expression,
vehement expression,
to their disgruntlement
with God,
threatening to stone
their leader?
So,
I cannot rule out
that this
unexpected,
sudden attack
was indirectly
provoked
by themselves
on account
of their behavior.
Be that as it may,
we cannot
remind ourselves
too often
that the Bible
does not record
historical events
just for the sake
of giving us
a history lesson.
The history
in the Bible
has spiritual meaning,
from which
spiritual applications
can be made.
And I would
therefore like
to suggest
a reason
from the New Testament
for this
actual
physical attack
by Amalek.
In Paul's letter
to the Ephesians,
he writes
twice in the same
context
of the need
of putting on
the whole
armor of God.
He is addressing
the church,
believers,
and the reason
he gives
for the need
to put on
the whole
armor of God
is
that you may
be able
to stand
against the
schemes
of the devil.
And then
he goes on
to tell,
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.
Now remember,
the people
of Israel
represent
the church
of Christ
in the world,
a people
who are
a direct
result
of divine
intervention
and deliverance,
a people
who are
being led
by God
and who
are actually
instructed
by the
Lord to
come to
Rephidim.
Verse 1
in the chapter
tells us,
all the
congregation
of the
people of
Israel
moved on
from the
wilderness
of sin
by stages
according to
the commandment
of the
Lord
and
camped
at Rephidim.
They didn't
choose
to come
to this
destination
in
flagrant
disobedience
to the
command of
God.
They
moved there
in accord
with God's
instruction.
What could
possibly
go wrong?
They were
merely
following
divine
instructions.
And then
we read,
Amalek
came
and fought.
Why?
Well,
could I
suggest
it is
because
the devil
hates
God
and
he
hates
those
who
represent
God
in the
world.
He
seeks
to
destroy
God's
workmanship.
You
know how
peoples
tend to
be proud
of their
ancestry
and that
pride
can lead
to jealousy,
envy,
and opposition
and very
often along
with pride
you get
greed and
selfishness.
And you
can see
that
in many
of the
wars
that
have
started
in the
world,
how
you
can
find
these
elements
as it
were
foundational
to the
beginning
of such
wars.
But
if you
dig
down
deep
enough
and
you
discover
that
all
of
these
reasons
are
the
forces
of
darkness
seeking
to
hinder
and
even
repress
the
work
of
light.
Spreading
confusion
is a
tactic
favored
by the
forces
of
darkness.
The
attack
in this
instance
was
somewhat
cowardly.
How do
we
know?
Well,
in the
book of
Deuteronomy
you find
Moses
writing,
remember
what
Amalek
did to
you as
he's
speaking to
Israel,
on the
way as
you came
out of
Egypt,
how he
attacked
you on
the way
when you
were fed
and weary
and cut
off your
tail,
those who
were lagging
behind you,
and he
did not
fear God.
not only
was the
attack
unprovoked,
humanly
speaking,
in the
sense that
Israel didn't
go out of
their way
to provoke
Amalek,
but the
attack was
aimed
against the
weak,
the
vulnerable,
the
helpless,
the
strugglers
at the
tail end
of the
procession,
usually
defenseless
women and
children,
and possibly
the frail
elderly.
Now,
it may
have been
that Israel
thought there
was no real
danger to
those at
the end
of the
procession.
The
pursuing
Egyptian
forces had
been destroyed
at the
Red Sea.
But you
note it
was the
most
vulnerable
who were
attacked,
and it
happened
possibly
where it
was least
expected.
Now,
we can
apply
that.
Many
things in
life can
leave us
vulnerable to
spiritual
attack,
our pride,
an inflated
view of
ourselves,
lack of
prayer
dependency,
and when we
are vulnerable,
you can be
sure that
these attacks
will
intensify.
will be
the
clue,
surely,
to what
lay behind
this
cowardly
attack
lies in
the words,
he, that
is Amalek,
did not
fear God.
What a
coup for
Satan,
if he
could
prevent
the
children
of Israel
from
reaching the
promised
land.
Here are
the forces
of darkness
using
guerrilla
tactics to
ambush
and deter
the
progression
of the
church
in the
world.
And that,
I believe,
is still
ongoing.
It would
be a huge
mistake
on our
part to
think
otherwise.
Our
real enemy,
it's not
other people,
it's the
forces of
darkness
who will
keep
attacking
you,
yes,
even use
people to
further their
aims, and
of course,
you don't
have to
go further
than Calvary
to see
how the
forces of
darkness
manipulated
people
seeking
to destroy
Christ
in the
world.
And they
do that
to you
and me
in the
hope that
we will
do something
to dishonor
God.
Our
demise
then becomes
the food
of those
hostile
to the
cause of
Christ.
One
glaring
example in
the Bible
is a
man who
began
well,
who had
a great
reputation,
a man by
the name
of Samson.
And the
Bible tells
us the
Philistine
seized him,
gouged out
his eyes,
because in
a moment
of weakness,
rather than
trusting the
Almighty,
he trusted
his fellow
creature,
gouged out
his eyes
and brought
him down
to Gaza
and bound
him with
bronze shackles.
This is the
point.
And he
ground at
the mill
in the
prison.
Now there
he was
being used
as a
source of
providing
food for
the very
people he
had been
engaged in
destroying.
And now
they were
being fed
by his
efforts.
Well,
that hasn't
changed.
The world
still feeds
on the
fall of
God's
people and
the world.
Conflict
at
Rephidim.
A hostile
encounter
and brings
me to
my second
point,
countering
hostility.
The
chapter
informs
us how
Israel
launched a
counter-attack.
Moses
addressing
Joshua,
choose for
his men,
go out
and fight
with Amalek.
Tomorrow I
will stand,
says Moses,
on the top
of the hill
with the
staff of
God in
my hand.
So
Joshua
obeyed.
He did
as Moses
told him,
fought with
Amalek,
while Moses,
Aaron,
and her
went up
to the
top of
the hill.
Fascinating
how the
writer,
well,
Aaron,
we know,
was related
to Moses,
but her,
he's just
introduced
as if we
ought to
know who
he is.
Joshua
goes to
the
battlefield.
The
hostile
forces
had to
be
engaged.
They
fought in
the
valley.
Moses
was up
on the
top of
the hill.
Verse
11 tells
us,
whenever
Moses held
up his
hand,
Israel
prevailed.
When
his hand
lowered,
Amalek
prevailed.
And does
that not
indicate to
us,
whatever
Moses was
doing on
the hilltop
is connected
with the
fortunes
of the
fighting men
on the
battlefield in
the valley.
Some might
suggest that
he was
merely
directing
the fighting
men in
the valley
below from
his vantage
point on
the hilltop.
and when
I
think of
that view,
I think
of Moses
almost like
a choir
conductor.
And I
would
discount
that
immediately
for one
simple
reason.
Moses
held the
staff of
God in
his hand.
Tomorrow I
will stand
on the
top of
the hill
with the
staff of
God in
my hand.
member
of the
staff has
history.
It was
instrumental
in the
displays of
divine power
connected
with the
exodus.
And so
therefore I
understand
Moses'
uplifted
hand to
be symbolic
of
intercessory
prayer.
Now you
may tell
me there
is no
word of
prayer in
the passage.
but if
you look
through your
Bible you
will find
that the
uplifting
of the
hand is
a symbol
for prayer.
For example
in the
Psalms,
the very
first Psalm
that we
sang this
evening,
so I
will bless
you as
long as
I live
in your
name.
I will
lift up
my hands.
What was
the psalmist
doing there?
He was
engaging in
prayer,
engaging in
wrestling with
God.
And then
the second
Psalm that
we sang,
let my
prayer be
counted as
incense before
you,
and the
lifting up
of my
hands as
the evening
sacrifice.
What took
place when
the evening
sacrifice was
being offered
up?
There was
prayer on
the part
of the
priests.
And although
there is no
record of
what Moses
said,
the inference
is that
Moses' actions
on the
hilltop
were an
unmistakable
sign of
dependence on
God alone
to win the
battle.
In holding
the rod up
to heaven,
he was
appealing for
God to
defend his
people.
Yes,
men were
selected for
battle.
And again,
the writer
doesn't go
into detail
of their
skills or
their
suitability.
None of
that is
revealed.
Yet despite
having selected
men to
fight,
the outcome
was not
determined by
the bravery
and fighting
skills of
these men
on the
battlefield,
but by
what happened
on the
hilltop.
It depended
on the
God he
was being
pled with
in prayer.
Whenever
Moses held
up his
hand,
Israel
prevailed.
Whenever he
lowered his
hand,
Amalek
prevailed.
Now remember,
God answers
prayer.
Oh,
how thankful
every believer
ought to be
that God
answers
prayer.
Moses saw
this
firsthand
as he
watched the
conflict
in the
valley.
The success
in battle
depended on
the God
who answers
prayer.
I'm sure
everyone has
heard the
phrase,
the pen,
is mightier
than the
sword.
But in
this example,
it was the
petition that
was mightier
than the
sword.
And prayer
is an
effective
weapon in
the hands
of the
believer.
In fact,
Paul counsels
the church.
I could put it
stronger.
He instructs the
church in the
letter to the
Ephesians,
pray at all
times in the
Spirit,
with all
prayer and
supplication.
prayer.
And when
he writes
that, it's
after putting
on the
whole armor
of God.
What does
that tell
us?
Does it
not tell
us this,
that we
may put
on the
whole
armor,
the belt
of truth,
the breastplate
of righteousness,
the shield
of faith,
the helmet
of salvation,
and the
sword of
the Spirit?
But if we
do not
entrust
ourselves to
God in
prayer,
then we
will not
stand.
We'll be
led away
into error.
we'll give
way to
temptation.
We'll be
dragged down
into doubt
and discouragement.
We could
fight valiantly
like Joshua,
but unless we
pray like
Moses,
we'll not
overcome in
the battle.
So how do
we fight
back against
the forces of
darkness?
Do we not
do what
Moses did?
He engaged
in prayer.
It is by
persevering and
prevailing in
prayer that we
become victorious
on the
battlefield of
sin and
temptation.
If you ask
me, why
is prayer
of such
huge importance?
Why is it
such an
effective
spiritual
weapon?
My answer
would be
this, that
God is the
difference
between victory
and defeat.
It is by
prayer that
we depend
on him
to win the
battle.
prayer.
Does that
mean that
it is the
power of
prayer that
is important?
Is it that
prayer itself
is the
important
factor?
If we pray
long enough,
if we pray
hard enough,
or often
enough,
then God
will do
what we
are asking
him to
do.
The power
of prayer
is not
the prayer
itself,
but the
power of
God.
In prayer,
we are
acknowledging
our absolute
dependence
on God.
Reminds me
of a
definition
of prayer
that I
read many
years ago
in a book
written by
a man
called
Octavius
Winslow,
and the
title of
the book
was The
Work of
the Holy
Spirit.
This is
what he
wrote on
prayer.
Prayer is
the expression
of want,
the desire
of need,
the acknowledgement
of poverty,
the language
of dependence,
the breathing
of a soul
that has
nothing in
itself but
hangs on
God for
all its
wants.
That
definition
of prayer
greatly
appealed to
me when
I first
read it,
and it
still does
years later.
Prayer is
also for
the glory
of God.
It glorifies
God by
showing that
the victory
belongs to
God alone.
Some have
suggested
that is why
Moses was
on the
hilltop,
because you
could say,
could he not
have prayed
in the
valley?
On the
hilltop,
he was
making sure
that Israel
learned the
power of
prayer.
Had he not
been visible
on the
hilltop,
Israel might
have concluded
that they
themselves were
responsible for
the victory.
They would be
celebrating their
own strength
and military
power.
We are so
prone to
this type
of failing,
of thinking
that we
ourselves
have done
it all.
When you
read this
book of
Exodus
carefully,
you cannot
but be
struck by
the frequency
of prayer
in the life
of Moses,
the servant
of God.
Again and
again you
find him
talking over
his problems
with the
Lord.
Here he
intercedes
on behalf
of Israel.
When he
lifted his
hand on
the hill,
top as I
believe in
prayer,
he was
elevating the
entire nation
before the
throne of
grace.
Given the
many wonderful
answers to
prayer that
he received,
many might
have thought
of him as
a prayer
warrior.
But what
I believe
this chapter
shows about
Moses'
prayer life
is not
its strength
but its
weakness.
As long
as he
interceded,
the Israelite
forces had
the upper
hand.
But there
came a
time when
Moses'
hands grew
weary.
Verse 12.
He was
unable to
persevere
in prayer.
And that
surely points
to the
need of
one greater
than Moses
who is a
better
mediator,
even the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
The writer
to the
Hebrews
reminds us
that he
always lives
to make
intercession
for his
people.
He requires
no one
to hold
up his
hands.
There
came a
time for
Moses
when
sheer
exhaustion
set in,
unable to
keep going.
And I
am sure
that every
person
who engages
in prayer
will agree
that
persistent,
continuous
prayer
can be
wearisome,
can be
exhausting.
it is
difficult
to remember
what is
recorded
of the
disciples
who were
with Jesus
in
Gethsemane.
Remember,
Jesus had
gone a
stone's
throw from
them.
He had
taken
three with
them.
And we
are told
he came
to the
disciples
and found
them
sleeping.
And he
spoke
particularly
to Peter.
So could
you not
watch with
me one
hour?
And then
he goes
on to
say,
The spirit
indeed is
willing,
but the
flesh is
weak.
The flesh
is always
weak.
But the
weakness
of Moses
only served
to highlight
and magnify
the glory
of God.
It showed
that Israel
was victorious
not because
Joshua was
a good
military
leader or
because Moses
was a man
of prayer,
but because
God was
their captain
in the
battle.
We read
Moses'
hands grew
weary,
so they
took a
stone and
put it
under him,
sat on
it while
Aaron and
her held
up his
hands,
and so
on.
And what
this picture
sets before
us and
suggests,
is that
Moses was
given
support in
persevering in
prayer by
these two
individuals,
Aaron and
her.
With their
help,
his hands
remain steady.
Even prayer
warriors
require
assistance.
prayer.
And I
think it
demonstrates
to us
the need
of corporate
prayer.
Yes,
individual
prayer
ought to
be a
constant
feature and
mark of
the believer
in life,
but there is
a need for
corporate
prayer.
That's a
feature of
the New
Testament
church from
the very
outset in
the book
of the
Acts of
the
Apostles.
You find
the early
Christians
engaged in
prayer and
groups.
At
Pentecost,
for example,
they were
all together
in one
place.
Can you
find this?
They devoted
themselves to
the apostle
teaching and
the fellowship,
to the
breaking of
bread and
the prayers.
When choosing
men to
the diaconate,
you remember
the disciples
said,
we will
devote
ourselves
to
prayer and
to the
ministry of
the word.
And again
remember when
Peter was
imprisoned by
Herod,
earnest
prayer for
him was
made to
God by
the church.
When he
was miraculously
released from
imprisonment,
he went to
look for his
friends, and
you remember
what was
true.
when he
came to
the house
of John
Mark,
they were
engaged in
all-night
prayer.
Many were
gathered
together and
were praying.
The strange
thing is,
in that
example,
they didn't
even believe
that the
Lord had
done what
they were
praying for.
And sometimes
we're like
that too.
we ask
for something,
and when it
happens, we
can hardly
believe that
does happen.
There was
Peter knocking
frantically at
the door.
And you
remember
how
Rhoda came
to the
door.
She ran
back in,
such was her
excitement.
And they
weren't
believing it.
that required
some convincing.
Well,
prayer is the
spiritual weapon
of the
church.
Cannot be
emphasized
enough how
we need
to meet
in prayer.
Remember,
the promise
of Jesus
to the
church,
where two
or three
are gathered
in my
name.
There am
I among
them.
there is
need,
as I
said,
for
private
intercession.
But there
is a
great need
for
corporate
prayer,
where we
pray for
and pray
with
other
Christians.
And you
know,
that can
be very
encouraging
to people
when they're
praying for
and with
one another.
Countering
hostility,
the importance
of prayer,
conflict,
and
referendum,
a hostile
finally celebration
of victory.
The narrative
tells us
Joshua
overwhelmed
Amalek and
his people
with a
sword.
Does the
writer tell
us
how they
celebrated
the victory?
A huge
victory
party was
held.
That's not
what we
read.
But what
we read
is this,
or what
is implied
by what
we read.
They
offered
thanksgiving
to God.
They
worshipped.
How
appropriate.
Moses is
instructed to
write
what took
place,
and
significantly
instructed
to bring
this to
the attention
of Joshua
as the
future leader
of the
nation.
Not so
much that
he might
read the
report,
but to
have it
read out
to him.
Write this
as a
memorial in
a book,
and recite
it in the
years of
Joshua.
You know,
write it as a
memorial and
let him read
it.
That's not what's
said in the
context here,
but recite it
in the
years of
Joshua.
And then
there is
this message,
a very
solemn message
that I will
utterly blot
out the
memory of
Amalek from
under heaven.
The report
was to
act as a
reminder to
the future
leader and
to the
nation what
God had
done, what
he still
intended to
do regarding
the Amalekites.
Israel would
face these
peoples again.
God wanted
Israel to
remember what
he had done
for them in
the past, so
when they
came under
attack again,
they would
look to the
Lord for
deliverance.
And not only
that, but
that these
people were
to be
destroyed.
And yet
so often,
we tend to
disregard or
forget the
lessons of
the past.
Is that not
true?
And we
repeat the
same mistakes
again.
Israel sadly
did just
that.
They
encountered
the Amalekites
again when
they reached
the borders of
the promised
land.
Instead of
looking to
the Lord in
prayer, they
were afraid.
As a result,
they spent the
next 38
years wandering
in the wilderness.
However, to
come back to
my third
heading, the
celebration of
victory, they
built an
altar.
Moses built an
altar.
That was a
common practice
amongst those
who would
probably be
regarded as the
patriarchs.
For example,
Noah, when he
came out of the
ark, he built
an altar.
Abram built an
altar at
Shechem when
the Lord
appeared to
him.
Now, you
will probably
tell me there
is no
mention of
an offering
made in this
context.
There is not.
but there is
no mention
of an
offering not
being made.
The very
word altar
is derived
from the
idea of
sacrificial
slaughter.
It's on the
basis of
sacrifice that
fellowship with
God was
maintained.
and this
altar, I
would suggest,
was erected
in order to
thank God.
But it also
serves as a
memorial to
the assistance
given by the
Lord in
enabling the
Israelite forces
to overcome
the Amalekites.
The name
which Moses
gives to the
altar is most
interesting.
The Lord
is my
banner.
Yahweh
Nisi.
There is
acknowledgement
that God
is banner
and strength
of his
people.
A banner
in the
conventional
military sense
is usually
military standard
with a piece
of cloth
or a flag
bearing the
regimental
insignia
and raised
on a pole
that usually
becomes a
rallying point
in battle
reminding soldiers
of their
identity
but also
giving them
encouragement
at hope
as long as
the banner
is displayed
they know
the battle
is not
lost.
And Moses
by this
name
is saying
to the
nation
the staff
for my
upraised
hand
is not
your source
of encouragement
but God
himself.
This was
to be the
rallying cry
of the people
of Israel.
It's the
rallying cry
for the
church to
the present
hour.
There's a
need for
vigilance
in our
daily life
as we
encounter
the world
the flesh
and the
devil.
That may
be an
old truth
but all
truths
require
constant
emphasis.
Can we
say this
evening
that Jesus
is our
banner
and that
we
are
walking
under
him
as our
banner.
Conflict
at
Rephidim
a hostile
encounter
countering
hostility
the importance
of prayer
celebration
of victory
they give
thanks
and declared
that the
Lord was
their
banner.
Let us
pray.
Almighty
God
we
thank
thee
that
thou
art the
hearer
and the
answerer
of prayer
that thou
art even
the
instigator
of prayer
in the
lives of
those
who have
been imbued
with new
spiritual
life
and we
bless thy
name
that however
feeble
they might
feel
that they
come to
a strong
and a
powerful
God
even to
one who
is omnipotent
who is able
to turn
matters
around
even
when
these
situations
may seem
so bleak
so hopeless
and so
lost
that thou
art able
to turn
them around
help us
to look
increasingly
more to
thee
to trust
in thy
power
to seek
thy face
and the
glory shall
be thine
in jesus
name we
ask it
amen
let us
conclude
by