Exodus 17:8-16 - Triumph over Enemies of God’s People

Exodus 17:8-16

Victory over the Amalekites (Genesis 14:7; Numbers 13:29; 14:25)

8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

While winding their way to the promised land through the bleak wilderness, the people of God approached Rephidim near Mount Sinai.  There Amalek, descendants of Esau, attacked them.  Moses dire the armies of the LORD to choose a few good men to fight them the next day while he held up the rod of God for His victory in the battle.  As long as Moses held the rod high, they were victorious; as soon as his arm weakened and he began lowering it, the tide of battle turned.  Finally, they had him sit on a rock and helped him hold up his aching arm that the battle would be won by God’s hand holding them all up by His strength.  By sundown, Joshua had led the army to victory over the Amalekites and Moses recorded their removal from the book of the LORD forever (Deuteronomy 25:19, Exodus 32:33) to come because they had not reconciled with Jacob (Genesis 27:41, 33:16, Joshua 24:4, Obadiah 1:18, 21) as Esau had said but attacked his descendants instead.  This led to their defeat as Jacob was loved and Esau hated (Romans 9:13) for this.  It is likewise true that those not chosen by God such as Amalek of Esau’s descendants will be defeated and their names not recorded in the Book of Life in Christ the Lamb of God for opposing the people of God in Him, but blotted out while those who remain of God’s people will remain recorded in the book (Revelation 13:8, 3:5) of the Lamb of God forever.  At that time in the defeat at Rephidim, Moses spoke of this defeat of the enemy of the LORD so Joshua could hear and later complete the task to wave the banner of the LORD over them when he would command the armies of God as promised here.  The victory over the enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ is just as certain because the battle belongs to the Lord alone and we are used by Him to gain this triumph in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57-58, 2 Corinthians 2:14) in the end.  This is the ultimate triumph over the enemies of God’s people who oppose Him and them at the final judgment.