How Do You Engage in Battle?

How do you engage in what we would refer to as battle?

It is helpful to have a little background about who Israel is at battle with. They are attacked by the Amalekites, who are descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau, while they are camping at Rephidim. The Amalekites are people who were nomads and were known to roam around and attack then live off of the riches of those who they defeated. We see this take place in Judges 3:13 where the Amalekites overtake Israel and take all of their possessions.

As we get to verse 9, we see the first point this morning.

There is a battle being fought at any given moment

From the moment Israel has been released from Egypt, there has been battle after battle. First the battle at the end of Exodus 15 is with thirst and bitter water. Then in Exodus 16 it is a lack of food. Then the beginning of Exodus 17 is once again a lack of water. But now there is a whole different sort of battle, this time against an enemy rather than just a lack of sustenance.

With everything that has taken place this week in our world, I want to offer the reminder that we have in Ephesians 6:12 .

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

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.

It is not man that we are in battle against. It is a darkness that is far more threatening than the violence that man can bring about and the battle against Amalek is no exception. The people of Israel did not anticipate battle but here they are facing these nomads. There is a necessary preparedness that we must have for spiritual battles of all shapes and sizes. We move from the imminent manner of battle to the fact that

There is a role for everyone in the battle

There are just four people named in this passage but that doesn’t mean that they are the only ones involved in the battle. We will come shortly to Moses’ role but this is the first place where Joshua is mentioned in the bible. At later points he is mentioned as the assistant to Moses and eventually takes over as the leader of Israel at the point of Moses’ death in the end of Deuteronomy. Joshua is tasked with choosing men to go and fight. However, this is not as if He is going through and picking warriors to go into battle. Instead, it is more likely that Joshua is determining who is able to go and fight for the Lord. This takes discernment and probably some convincing.

The others, Aaron and Hur, go to the top of the hill that overlooks the battlefield and their job here is to support Moses. The idea here is that the support seems physical but there is a spiritual element that needs to be understood to this as well that we will have a better understanding of with the next point.

As we think about the roles of these men, I want you to consider the roles that you have played in spiritual battles. Of course, there have been moments where each of us have been in the midst of spiritual warfare, but there have also been times where we have been in support roles as well. It isn’t just Moses with hands lifted high. It is Aaron and Hur supporting Moses in the midst of this battle. It is Joshua leading the army. It is the warriors carrying the load of the battle. Everyone has a role. Take your role seriously, my friends.

But what is the key to this battle that is ultimately won?

The key to any spiritual battle is engaging the power of God through prayer

We read in verse 11 that the level of Moses’ hands determined the success of Israel on the battlefield. There are several points of explanation for this. Some would say that a hand in the air would either signal the beginning of battle or the instruction to advance. However, I can’t be convinced it is anything but lifting the hands of Moses in prayer. I want to use scripture to support the idea of hands being lifted in prayer from Psalm 63:4.

Psalm 63:4 ESV

So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

We speak often about the power of prayer but this passage of scripture points to the fact that without the power of the Lord, Israel would have been defeated. But the power of prayer is not just to be focused on in the midst of the battle. The prayer prior to the battle is vital. The prayer in the midst of the battle is vital. And the prayer afterwards is important as well.

Moses places his hand on the altar that was made in honor of this battle. As we consider past battles, we praise the Lord for what He’s done in the past and pray for His power in the future as well.