Israel's Fight Against Amalek

I. Introduction

The last time we saw the children of Israel, they were in the wilderness on there way to meet with God after being freed from slavery in Egypt and seeing the Egyptian army decimated by Yahweh in the Red Sea.

In the wilderness they experience hunger and thirst and we saw God’s provisions for Israel in the wilderness in the form of flocks of quail for meat, bread from heaven they called “manna,” as well as water from a rock when they got thirsty.

Moses used the staff of God with which he struck the Nile and turned it to blood to strike a rock to cause it to give water for all the people to drink in the wilderness. These obstacles in the wilderness were used by God as tests:

Exodus 15:26 ESV

26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

So the LORD gave his people necessary provisions for them to travel the wilderness.

Now we will see again that the LORD personally defends Israel from its enemies out in the wilderness.

II. Amalek fights with Israel (vs. 8-13)

A. Amalek started it! (v. 8)

Exodus 17:8 ESV

8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.

B. Moses leads his captain to prepare Israel for battle (v. 9)

Exodus 17:9 ESV

9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”

Joshua who?

Exodus 24:13 ESV

13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.

Exodus 33:11 ESV

11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

C. Moses takes an uncommon fight stance (v. 10)

Exodus 17:10 ESV

10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

1. Moses stands on the top of the hill

2. Moses uses the staff of God

3. Aaron and Hur helped Moses to keep his hands raised

D. Israel defeated Amalek (vs. 11-13)

Exodus 17:11–13 ESV

11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

III. Victory is memorialized (v. 14-16)

Exodus 17:14–16 ESV

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

A. A written record commemorates the LORD’s war against Amalek.

Deuteronomy 25:17–19 ESV

17 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, 18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. 19 Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.

B. Moses built an altar called “The LORD Is My Banner” or “Yahweh-Nissi”

IV. What to we see about God?

A. The LORD personally protects His people.

B. God is the judge of all the earth.

1 Samuel 15:1–3 ESV

1 And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

C. There are intimations of Christ here for us!

1. Joshua is a “type” of Christ.

What is a type?

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. τύπος

of the types given by God as an indication of the future, in the form of persons or things

2. Jesus is the commander/captain of the LORDs hosts!