“Into the Wilderness”
A Sermon Series in the Book of Exodus
“A Hand Upon the Throne”
Exodus 17:8-24
Introduction
In the wilderness God was teaching His people to trust Him; He would take care of them (manna and quail), that He would guide them and His presence would be with them (pillar of smoke in the day, pillar of fire by night), that He would give them rest (a weekly Sabbath). All of which were inward battles (grumbling, trust, following, etc.) But, in Ex. 17 they face their first external battle. It would be the first of many to conquer the Promised Land. But as we will see it is not an entirely physical battle, but it is also a spiritual battle. What makes the difference in the battle is God’s people seeking God.
“A tale is told about a small town that had historically been “dry,” but then a local businessman decided to build a tavern. A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. It just so happened that shortly thereafter lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible, but the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not responsible. The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated that “no matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not.”[1]
We will see today that what we think about prayer is very important, because it is what moves the needle in very difficult circumstances.
Prayer
One Hand on the Sword and the Other Hand on the Throne (vv. 8-13)
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 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.” 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. 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.
“The Amalekites were nomads who traced their lineage back to Jacob’s brother Esau (Genesis 36:12), and thus there were long-standing ethnic tensions between the two tribes. . . Rephidim was an oasis, and the Amalekites must have been dismayed to watch so many people with so many animals come and drink “their” water.”[2]
Deuteronomy 25:17, 18 helps us understand what is going on, “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.” They attacked them when they were faint, weary, and from behind. The attack was unprovoked and would have been against the weak, stragglers, and the helpless who were pulling up the rear. The enemy attacked them where they were weak.
God’s people have been set free from slavery and are on their way to the Promised Land – but along the way they are ambushed. This is a spiritual lesson for us – those who have placed their faith in Christ have been set free from their sin, and they are on their way to heaven – but in this life we are regularly attacked by the enemy. He won’t attack you where you are strong. He waits until He can get you when you r back is turned, and you are tired, and weary, and faint.
In Ephesians 6:12 the apostle Paul is discussing believers putting on the full armor of God, because “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.” The real battle is the unseen spiritual forces of this world.
God won the victory and all glory goes to Him for showing pharaoh through plagues, miracles, signs and wonders, that He is the One true God – and then completely destroyed their enemy with the waves of the Red Sea. God fights for His people – but once we have been freed from sin and death, He wants them to join in the battle. But how do we fight an unseen enemy, who attacks us when we are weak?
Moses’ answer has two parts: 1) Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek.” Joshua was to choose men to go and engage the enemy in battle. Joshua is introduced as though we already know who he is, but Joshua was Moses’ assistant. Joshua, himself, goes down and fights with the men. (v. 13) “And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword,” God could swallow up the enemy – the ground could open up and taken them under – instead God chose to us his people as part of the plan to defeat the enemy.
2) Secondly, Moses, Aaron, and Hur[3] went up a mountain so that they overlooked the battle. Moses held the staff of God in his hands, and “Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.” Moses was “holding his staff, the instrument of divine power and the token of God’s covenant promise. By holding it up to Heaven, he was appealing for God to defend his people.”[4]
So what is Moses doing by lifting his hands to God? One of the first things Moses is told to do is stretch out his hand (picking up the staff when it was a serpent, stretching out his hand that was leprous, stretching out his hand over the Red Sea, etc.) With the plague of hail, Moses said to Pharoah, “I will stretch out my hands to the Lord” (9:29). When Moses stretches out his hands God’s power is shown.
Hannah and Jehoshaphat both stood at the temple to pray (1 Samuel 1:9-11; 2 Chronicles 20:5,6). The psalmist said, “In you name I will lift my hands” (Psalm 63:4b). 1 Timothy 2:8 says, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands” (1 Timothy 2:8). Moses shows his desire for God to intervene on behalf of the people, to fight for them, by praying with lifted hands.
Later in v. 16 “A hand upon the throne of the LORD!” – Moses reached up from earth and placed his hand upon the thrown of God and pleaded for his people. Because of Jesus’ blood shed for us, Hebrews 4:16, says “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We draw near, we place our hand upon the throne of God through prayer.
The day went on and on, and battle stretched out over hours and then suddenly the enemy begins to win. The Amalekites begin to push forward, what has happened? Moses’ arms begin to drop, he can’t hold the weight of the staff up any longer. His hand is removed from the throne.
The spiritual principle here is – when we stop praying we begin to lose the battle. If we go back to the Ephesians 6 passage, It is a picture of a soldier with the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, belt of truth, etc. and then as the soldier stands in the face if the enemy, he is “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Even with a full set of armor – he needs to al be praying. We see two examples of how the battle was won, “Even if we fight like Joshua, we will not win the battle unless we pray like Moses.”[5] “Divine sovereignty and human responsibility were linked in carrying out the will of God.”[6] Martin Luther once said, “Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you.”
Engage the Enemy with the Sword, and Touch the Throne of God by Prayer.
Why did Moses go up to the mountain where all the men could look up and see him? They knew that as Moses lifted up the staff, that he was praying for them. So later when the battle was won, the men were not sitting around saying what mighty warriors they were – no, the glory was the Lord’s.
God won the battle through Why does God require us to pray? Because ultimately, we could talk about how we in our own strength overcame the temptation, won the battle – but when we seek to do the big impossible things God has called us to – we cry out to Him, and He wins the war – He gets all the glory. Prayer helps us to keep the glory where it should be at the throne of God.
Moses was known to be a man who went to God and talked with Him about things going on with their wilderness travels (the tent of meeting for example). But on the mountain side, as the day wore on, their deliverer grew tired, and needed help. Even the Moses’ of this world need someone to come beside them and lift them up in prayer. It was Moses’ wisdom to take two men with him – Moses knew he needed to surround himself with men he trusted.
We gather to pray because we know our weaknesses. Like Moses we need people to surround us with prayer and lift us up. Prayer, especially corporate prayer, is the best defense against the evil one.
But our Deliverer does not grow tried. Hebrews 7:25 says that Jesus, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Jesus prays for us and He does not get tired.
“Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”[7]
Remember the Victories (vv. 14-16)
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.”
(v. 14) God tells Moses to write it down, as a memorial in a book, say it over and over, but there is someone who especially needs to hear it, “recite it in the ears of Joshua,” – Why does Joshua above all the others need to hear it, again and again? Yes, he will eventually be the leader of Israel, but I think it was because he led the battle on the ground. Yes, they were victorious but it was the hand touching the throne of God that moved the needle one way and then another. God won the battle, he used prayer to do it, and Joshua’s troops on the ground. Don’t get it twisted Joshua thinking you won the battle. God fought the battle through you and He used the prayer of His people.
God’s people will face the Amalekites again in two years, but instead of remembering their victory and how God won the battle they are scared when the spies brought back a report of the Promised Land, “Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron” Numbers 14:1-2. They didn’t remember how God had been with them before against this same army.
This battle would not be the last time that God’s people will be under attack. There will be several more battles before they settle in the Promised land. So God wants them to remember how He was with them against the Amalekites.
(v. 15) “The LORD IS My Banner,” is a name of God, Yahweh-Nissi, it reminds His people that his banner flies over them in battle. A banner is an insignia on a piece of cloth. It shows who they are, who they identify with.
“Flags serve many purposes. Over the centuries, military units have carried flags and colors. Colors and flags affirm group identity. They build pride and morale, and represent the group’s honor. In battle, flags served as a rallying point when a formation was broken. Troops gathered around the flag to regroup, attack or retreat. Flags marked specific individuals, locations and functions such as hospitals and ambulances.
A guard of non-commissioned officers usually protected flags and colors. Held in great reverence, a regiment’s honor was embodied in its colors. The entire regiment was humiliated if its colors were lost in battle.
From the establishment of the United States Army in 1785, US regular infantry regiments carried colors. Regiments didn’t carry the United States flag, as it was felt that no one unit could carry the national honor into battle. By the 1840’s, the infantry carried the United States flag with the regimental number or title printed on one of the white stripes. If the flag was lost in battle, only that regiment’s honor, and not the national honor, was lost.[8]
Everyone has a banner that you stand under, a banner that you identify with – where you rally to when the lines are broken, and the enemy is pressing forward.
Later in the OT, God’s people as they are in the wilderness will regularly be bitten by serpents. So God tells Moses to fashion a bronze serpent and place it in the camp. So that whenever they are bitten they can make their way and loo upon the serpent and be healed. When God’s people were struck by the enemy, they could rally, and look up and see the bronze serpent. In the NT, John 3:14, 15 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” The banner over me is Jesus – I can rally to Him. I identify with Him. Our banner is the cross. I can take courage in the fact that the cross is empty.
(v. 16) “The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation,” – There is a battle that rages between God’s people and the Evil One, from generation to generation.
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[1] J.K. Johnston, Why Christians Sin (Discovery House, 1992) 129.
[2] Philip Graham Ryken, Preaching God’s Word, Exodus (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015), 421.
[3] Hur was Caleb’s grandson and would later serve as a judge (24:14).
[4] Ryken, 424.
[5] Ryken, 426.
[6] Walter C. Kaiser, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1990) 408.
[7] https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/prayer.htm
[8] https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/symbols-of-battle-civil-war-flags
