The Amalekites (Exodus): Battles, struggles, conflict, and strife are just part of the fabric of this broken world. As followers of Jesus, how do we fight our battles? When the Amalekites attacked the Israelites at Rephidim, the people, led by Joshua, had to fight. But the Lord brought the victory through the intercession of Moses, acting as a mediator. In our battles, we must trust our Mediator, lean on our friends, and find our victory in Yahweh Nissi (the Lord is my Banner). Recorded on Dec 1, 2024, on Exodus 17:8-16 by Pastor David Parks.
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This message is part of our Exodus series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation — of God working to rescue and redeem a people for himself, freeing them from slavery and leading them to the land he promised to the family of Abraham and Sarah. Exodus is also a picture of the gospel and the Christian life. In Christ, we, too, are freed from captivity to sin and death and led through the wilderness of life by God’s Word and Presence as we make our way to the Promised Land of the world to come. Join us as we make this journey to find true and lasting freedom.
Sermon Transcript
So, we’re working through the book of Exodus in a sermon series called Journey to Freedom. Exodus is a story of liberation, of God rescuing and redeeming a people for himself. After freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Yahweh God led them through the desert wilderness by his word given through the prophet Moses and by his own holy Presence. For the last three weeks, we saw three tests in the desert on the way to Mount Sinai designed to teach the Israelites to listen to God, obey his word, and learn to follow his way (whether they understood it or not). But the Israelites didn’t pass any of the tests. In our text for today, the Israelites don’t just have a need; they’re in real danger when the Amalekites come and attack them. Have you ever felt like you were in a battle? Have you ever realized you needed God to save you? Battles, struggles, conflict, and strife are just part of the fabric of this broken world. Sometimes, there’s real violence, but sometimes, the battle is in your mind, heart, or relationships. Sometimes, the battle is physical, but often, it’s spiritual, too. As God’s people, as followers of Jesus, how do we fight? How do we win? Our text today offers many lessons on what to do on the day of battle. If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Exodus 17:8.
Exodus 17:8–9 (NIV), “8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 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.” It turns out there were more dangers in the world than Pharaoh and his army. Now, we know four things about the Amalekites: First, they descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother, so they were distant cousins of the Israelites. They should’ve been allies, not enemies. They should’ve helped Israel, not come to steal, kill, and destroy. Second, they lived in the desert. The Israelites struggled to survive, but the Amalekites knew what they were doing. They were like the Fremen in Dune. These were desert people, which didn’t bode well for a battle with them in their home. Third, the Amalekites carried out this unprovoked attack on the Israelites here at Rephidim. Maybe they heard this huge mass of people, animals, and possessions had somehow escaped Egypt and thought they’d be an easy target. Or maybe this was just a normal day for violent people who survived in a tough environment by being tougher than anyone or anything else. (Maybe both?) Later, Moses reminded the Israelites about this attack, saying, “When you were weary and worn out, they [Amalekites] met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.” (Dt 25:18). Fourth, the Amalekites would be enemies of Israel for hundreds of years — all through the time of the Judges and until the time of King David. We don’t know how large their army was when they attacked the Israelites, but clearly, they would have the advantage. So, how would the Israelites handle this attack? Remember, they were not trained or organized for battle. They had been slaves who were most likely discouraged from learning the art of war. They were not well-armed. Plus, they’d only known Egypt, so they were barely familiar with desert survival, much less ready for desert warfare. Would Yahweh fight for them as he did at the Red Sea? We’ll see. Moses put Joshua in charge of their army, but Joshua only had one day to prepare for battle. Now, this is our first meeting with Joshua in the Bible. Joshua was Moses’ younger aide and the head of the Israelite military. Eventually, after Moses’ death, Joshua would become his successor in leading the people of Israel when they entered the Promised Land. We know Joshua’s father was Nun (N-u-n, not n-o-n-e), and they were from the tribe of Ephraim. Initially, his name was Hoshea, but Moses named him Joshua. However, this was more of a theological statement than just a nickname. Hoshea means “salvation” in Hebrew, but Joshua means “Yahweh is salvation.” So, Joshua’s name was a statement of faith in Yahweh, the God of Joshua’s ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God who rescued Israel from captivity in Egypt; and the God who was leading and providing for them day by day in the wilderness. Yahweh had saved Israel in the past, and he would save his people in the future. Would he save them on this day and prove Joshua’s name to be true? And where would Moses be in all this? Moses said he’d oversee the battle from a hilltop “with the staff of God in my hands.” As we saw last week, Moses had used this staff to bring water from the rock. It was a symbol of God’s power and authority. Could it be used as a weapon somehow? After a sleepless night, it was time.
Exodus 17:10-13 (NIV), “10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 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. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” So, the battle was fought, and against all the odds, the Israelites had won. But the way they won, only winning when Moses held up his hands, made it clear that, again, it was God who provided the victory. At the Red Sea, Moses told the people, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Ex 14:14). And it was the Lord who fought. The people only had to cross the sea. Here at Rephidim, they needed to do more than be still; they needed to fight. So, Joshua had chosen his warriors; they cobbled together some swords and went out and fought. But even though they did more than at the Red Sea, their victory was completely dependent on the Lord, symbolized by the power and authority of God in the staff. Only when Moses raised the staff up was Israel able to win. But even though Joshua’s name proved true and Yahweh was indeed salvation, the battle lasted all day, which led to a problem: Moses couldn’t hold his hands up all day. He was an old man, but it wasn’t for lack of strength on his part. No one can hold their hands up all day. (Some of you can’t even hold your hands up for four songs!) Moses needed help. So Aaron, Moses’ brother, and Hur, Moses’ brother-in-law, according to Jewish tradition, stood with him on the hilltop. When his back started to hurt, they got him a stone to sit on. And when his arms grew weak, and his hands grew tired, they stood on each side of him and held up his hands. In this way, Moses could endure till sunset when Joshua and his warriors finally won. Imagine how they felt when they saw the enemy flee. Their journey between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai started and ended with a battle, with three desert tests in the middle. This exodus was going to be a hard journey. But at every point, the Lord God Almighty was with them, protecting and providing because of his great love for them. Would the people learn this lesson? How about future generations?
Exodus 17:14–16 (NIV), “14 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 name of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” This is God’s word. So, because of this unprovoked attack, but also consistent with his promise to Abraham to bless those who bless you but to curse those who curse you, the Lord said that Amalek would remain an enemy of God and his people, but they would eventually be destroyed. Blotted out. This is why the Lord asked Moses to write down this account and that Joshua needed to hear about it. Joshua, the leader of Israel’s army, needed to prepare for future attacks. Besides writing down this account, Moses also built an altar to worship the Lord and offer sacrifices in praise and thanksgiving for the victory. He named the altar Yahweh Nissi, meaning The Lord is my Banner. On the day of battle, it was Yahweh, symbolized by the staff, who served as the banner or signal pole. Today, we might say flag. To understand the power of the Lord being a banner, think of the iconic picture of the Marines who raised the flag at Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945, at the end of WWII. On that day, the flag represented the power and authority of our nation. During a battle, the flag represents our history and identity; it gives strength to tired soldiers, and it can serve as a rallying point. This is what Yahweh Nissi means. It was God’s power and authority that won the victory. He gave the Israelites their identity. He gave tired soldiers the strength to fight. And he served as the rallying point for their victory. The Amalekites lifted their hands up against the throne of the Lord but were defeated when Moses lifted his hands up in prayer and faith on behalf of Israel, and the Lord provided the victory.
The most important lesson from all this is the exact same lesson the Lord has been trying to teach his people: that they can trust him and listen to him because he is with them and will provide what they need. When they needed bread and water, they could trust him to provide. When they needed victory over a more powerful enemy, they could trust him to provide. But a unique lesson from this particular story is the role of a mediator. Moses had functioned as a mediator between God and the Israelites as a prophet ever since God called him from the burning bush back in chapter 3. God didn’t usually speak to Israel directly; he spoke through a mediator. But here, even though the text doesn’t make it explicit, I believe we can understand that Moses was lifting up his hands as more than just lifting up the staff over the people. Moses was again serving as a mediator between God and God’s people by interceding for them in prayer as they fought their battle. His hands were lifted in prayer. This story points forward in Israel’s history to a time much later when Yahweh promised another who would come and serve as a banner for God’s people, one who would be a mediator between God and mankind. Just one example is when the prophet Isaiah wrote, Isaiah 11:10, 12 (NIV), “10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious…12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.” Later, Isaiah wrote that this banner would suffer and die for sinners. He would bear the sin of many, and, like Moses, he would intercede for them (Is 53:12). But who would this banner be? Who would this mediator be? Well, years after the victory over the Amalekites at Rephidim, there would be another Joshua in Israel — one who would not only lead the people but would fight and win the victory on behalf of his people. Now, you might not know who this Joshua was by that name, but the Hebrew name “Joshua,” meaning Yahweh is salvation, when translated into Greek and then again into English, is none other than the name of Jesus. In the gospel, we discover that this promised banner, this mediator was none other than Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews says that Jesus is “…able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Heb 7:25). The Apostle Paul says that “… there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1Ti 2:5-6). Moses points to the greater intercession and mediation of Jesus. Joshua points to the greater leadership of Jesus in facing and winning the victory over the greater enemies of God’s people — that of sin and death. And until his return, battles, struggles, conflict, and strife are just part of the fabric of this broken world. As God’s people, as followers of Jesus, how do we fight our battles? How can we see victory on that day? Learn the lesson of the Amalekites. You can trust the Lord to provide for your needs. He might provide victory the same way he has in the past, like at the Red Sea. Or he might provide victory through a new means, like at Rephidim. But never forget that you, too, have a mediator. Christ is seated on his throne and is interceding for his people, for you today. Turn to him. Look to him. Get your identity and strength from him. But, like Moses, you might need some help, too. You might need a couple of brothers or sisters to stand by your side and hold your hands up when you get tired. This is the church. It’s our responsibility to love and support and offer strength to one another every day, but especially on the day of battle. If you’re in a battle today, keep fighting. Christ will give you strength. Trust in him and lean on your friends. And rest secure in the victory your King has already won. Yahweh Nissi — the Lord is my banner. Let us pray.
