The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (v. 5-7)
They were thirsty, feeling desperate again. So again, they turned on Moses and I just have to say, somebody give that man a raise, right?
Here’s what they said as they complained: “Is the Lord among us or not?”
And I start counting how many times I’ve thrown my head back and asked “where are You, God?” when desperation has set in and I’m wondering if this circumstance is gonna kill me. When my thirst for relief has become so great and I fear He won’t come through. As though there has ever been a time when He did not come through.
But true to form, God gave them what they needed, and He did it with flair. Water from a rock. I bet they never considered that as a possibility. I wouldn’t have. Part of our desperation and doubt come from seeing no logical way that God can come through for us. Logic and faith are not friends.
God doesn’t work within our boundary of what is possible. He provides what is needed in ways we would never have considered, and this is why we cannot trust ourselves when our mind is telling us that nothing can meet our desperation. God can always meet it.
But now let’s talk about the Amalekites. It’s the first time since leaving Egypt that the Israelites have come under attack. Can you imagine how that felt? Having never experienced people coming, unprovoked, to kill you – all of you. I think of the fear that hundreds of thousands must have felt that day, especially the women and children.
Amalek was Esau’s grandson (through a concubine). The Amalekites in the scriptures are his descendants. They lived in the desert Negev, the area we know today as Palestine.
This is a quote from a critical essay written for The Christian Century: “Amalek is Israel’s persistent enemy. The Amalekites provide an explanation for the irrational and intense hatred for Jews that echoes through human history. In Jewish history the Amalekites—a tribe with genocidal intentions against God’s people—came to symbolize all those who sought to eradicate the Jewish people, from Titus to Hadrian, Khmelnitsky to Hitler. ”
As far as I can tell, this battle is the beginning of the war against the Jewish people that has continued to this day. Believe it or not, I took from it a couple of things that apply to our lives today, because you and I also have an enemy that has been bent on our destruction since the beginning of time.
“The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.”
The Amalekites came for them and the devil comes for us. I once heard a man make this statement – “I don’t bother the devil, so he doesn’t bother me.” He couldn’t be more wrong. When we ignore the devil, he still comes. When we act like he’s not a big deal, or even worse, that he doesn’t exist, he still comes. The question is not whether he comes, but what will we do when he does.
We learn a few more details about this particular battle in the book of Deuteronomy.
“Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.” (25:17-18)
They first attacked the weak, the ones weary from the journey. I dare say, oh that we would feel protective of our own weak and weary ones. This includes our children, our sick, our addicted, and our overwhelmed. We need the strong ones among us to circle up sometimes so that our brothers and sisters who are struggling don’t become prey to the enemy, who has no integrity in war.
One last point, and then I think we’ll call it a day on this chapter.
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.”
The staff. A symbol of God’s power and authority given to Moses. He lifted up the authority of God over the battle and when he grew too tired, he had people to hold his arms up for him. Notice that they did not take the staff and hold it up themselves, they simply held the arms of the one who carried the staff. I find that interesting, don’t you?
{I wonder if a leader’s weariness is not the time to step in and take the staff from them. Maybe that’s when we come alongside them and hold their arms up.}
The authority and power of God, held out over that battle, is why the battle was won. Not because the Israelites were stronger. Man, that’s something I could chew on for days.
I’ve loved sitting in this chapter with you, seeing what God might want to show us. I’ll see you in the next one.
Karla Jo Wasion 