Moses-The Friend of God- Part 7- A Memorable Victory

Introduction- Exodus 17:8-16

Last time we were here in the book of Exodus we saw how that God provided for the children of Israel in the wilderness.

God sent them quail and provided manna and ultimately proved Himself faithful and redirected the people of Israel’s attention back unto Him.

They were forced to affirm that it was God who had led them and it was He would provide for them.

Today we come to a significant battle in the early stages of the wilderness wanderings fo the children of Israel.

The children of Israel are facing off against the Amalekites and Joshua is leading the Israelites into battle against them.

Moses watched the battle unfold from the hill above the battelfield.

Moses had the rod of God in his hand and when he lifted his hands the Israelite army prevailed but when he lowered them the Amalekites prevailed.

The Enemy’s Attack (Vs. 8-9)

Here we have the first real battle that the children of Israel have faced after being freed from Egyptian bondage.

Whereas before God had destroyed their enemies, now they must face them and fight.

Exodus 14:14 KJV 1900

The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Moses instructs Joshua to choose out men to fight against the enemy and Moses being now well above eighty years old intends to observe the battle from a nearby hillside where he will hold the rod of God.

Joshua would lead the charge but Moses would be instrumental in the outcome of the battle.

There are times in each of our lives when God will fight for us as He did for the children of Israel as they came out from Egypt but there will also be times when we must face the enemy and fight.

The victory is still ultimately in God’s hands but God may strengthen us to fight or He may fight for us.

It is also true that some of us will be called to engage directly with the enemy while others of us may be the ones who are in the background praying and supporting those in the fight.

The Key to Victory (Vs. 10-11)

Joshua obediently does as Moses has intructed and takes the men that he has chosen and engages the enemy.

At the same time Moses makes his way to the top of the hill and Aaron and Hur go with him.

As the battle raged on Moses observed that when he held up his hand the children of Israel began to prevail and that when he let down his hand Amalek began to regain the advantage.

In this particular battle the key to victory was Moses and the lifting up of his hands.

We do not see this in any other battle but here if Joshua and the children of Israel were going to be victorious Moses must lift his hands.

We may often think that our role in the battle is insignificant. It would be easy for Moses to have assumed that because he was not on the frontlines of the battle that what he did would not make a difference.

He could not weild a sword or a spear but this is not the role God had for him to play.

What Moses could never have known before the battle began was that he would be the key to Israel’s victory.

You may not think that your contribution to the work of God is significant, but it just may be that your role is the key to victory in the battle.

The Problem (Vs. 12a)

Once Moses realized that Israel prevails when his hand is upheld he holds them up until finally he can hold them up no longer.

Moses surely must have held them high for as long as he could but ultimately his strength began to fade and his hands began to fall.

This is true in so many cases in the work of God. There are many faithful laborers and leaders who have done all that they could to see to it that the people of God would be victorious, but so many have done so much for so long that their strength has begun to fade.

No matter how strong we are given enough time and enough exertion in the work of God we will all at times grow weary and sense our strength beginning to fade.

The Solution (Vs. 12b)

The solution is a simple one. There on the same hilltop were Aaron and Hur and to this point they were only observers but now as Moses strength begins to fade there is an opportunity for them to become involved.

Moses may not have the strength to hold up his hands, but Aaron and Hur still have their strength so they come to Moses side and lift his hands and hold them up steadily until the going down of the sun.

This imagery is a beautiful picture of a servant of God who simply needs someone to come alongside him to help.

Aaron and Hur played a vital role in the victory simply by holding up the hands of Moses.

They could have attacked Moses while he was weak, they could have complained because he let his hands fall, but instead they came to his side and supported him and helped him assure that the children of Israel would be victorious in the battle.

Joshua and the men continued to fight, Moses continue to do what he could to hold his hands high, and Aaron and Hur were there to support him when his strength began to fade.

There may be times when we grow weary in the work of God and our strength begins to fade, what a joy it is when other faithful servants of God come alongside us to lift us up and to help us in the work.

The Outcome (Vs. 13-16)

In the end because Joshua, the soldiers, Moses, Aaron, and Hur all did what they were supposed to do the children of Israel were victorious in the battle.

Each had a different role to play, but each filled his role to ensure that the victory was won.

From a human perspective the children of Israel should certainly have lost the battle but God gave them the victory.

Yet the victory is not the only outcome. God also instructs Moses to memorialize the victory in writing for future generations and especially for the sake of Joshua.

God in his foreknowledge is already aware the Joshua will face many such battle in the years ahead as he leads the children of Israel into the promised land and this first victory is but a precursor of things to come for him.

Moses also builds an altar which would be a place to worship the Lord for the victory that he had given them.

This day would be remembered and would serve as a reminder that God would give victory if every man was willing to play his part in the battle.

Conclusion

We can be sure that the enemies of God will attack often and with great fervor.

We must each play a role in the battle and we must recognize that our role is no less or more significant than any other.

Sometimes what may seem an insignificant contribution to us may actually be the key to victory in the battle.

There are times when every faithful servant of God will grow weak and weary and we ought to determine that we will be like Aaron and Hur and we will be at the ready to support those who have grown weak to see the battle though to the end.

Ultimately the victory is owed to God but we must each obediently fill the role that He has called us to.