Standing With Arms Raised!
- francis-fais
- Feb 22, 2019
- 3 min read
"The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 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.”
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 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. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword." -Exodus 17:8-13
The text describes an attack suffered by the people of Israel. It was the first battle after the liberation of Egypt. This account, with its wealth of detail, has much to teach us about how to act in the battles we face. Regardless of the fight we have, we can not miss:
Spiritual discernment: Moses knew that the conflict would not be decided at the head of the dispute, but on the mountain. So he headed there. Of course it was necessary to send warriors into battle, but the most important place in that fight was the hilltop. The great leader discerned that it was, above all, a spiritual warfare. He himself had already experienced similar experience when he sought Pharaoh for the first time to ask for the release of the Israelites. The Egyptian sovereign, however, instead of summoning his army, summoned his sorcerers. It was a spiritual battle.
Intercession with the Lord: The dynamics of the fighting were the result of what happened at the top of the hill. When Moses kept his hands up, the Israelites prevailed; when he lowered them, it was the Amalekites who won the fight. What does this teach us? Raised hands mean intercession and, logically, hands down, lack of intercession; Moses was at the top of the hill asking the Lord for his people. We must realize the power of intercession and the influence of the spiritual world upon the natural world. This is what happened when Daniel sought God fasting for 21 days, Dn 10. In the meantime, there was truly a battle in the spiritual sphere, until the answer was given to the prophet.
Cooperation: Alone, Moses could not endure that battle of prayer. His arms grew tired and his hands lowered, declares the Word. The defeat was imminent. However, the picture was changed by the attitude of Aaron and Hur. These, realizing the problem, began to support the leader, placing a stone to sit down and holding his arms so that the hands remained upright until achieving the complete victory. The great deliverer was not alone; he could count on the brothers' help. We need each other. We need to help each other.
Let's reflect a little more. What was the role of each of the characters? What is the lesson to learn from the attitude of the leaders? Who was responsible for the victory? How important is team intercession? Moses was the leader of the people. Their struggle was the struggle of all. Likewise, his victory was the victory of all. Moses, Aaron and Hur were together, with the same vision and purpose. Aaron and Hur were instrumental in achieving victory.
Let's stay with our arms raised? Are we going to raise a cry for our land, constantly attacked by enemies? Shall we help our brethren stay with their hands raised?
