Stand Together
Last week we discussed that the only way we will be able to find rest is through Jesus Christ. We need to accept His sacrifice, be redeemed on His works alone, and when we struggle we need to allow Him to lead us through this life. Today, I want to expand upon this topic but in a slightly different context. And that is the importance of having support in our walk with Jesus Christ.
Oftentimes, the Old Testament seems to be overlooked. We focus so much on the words of Jesus Christ, a very important thing, that we almost forget that there is so much more we can learn from God and about God in the Old Testament. For example, in Exodus 17 we are given a very applicable example of the importance of having support from those around us, while allowing God to lead us where He wants us to be.
“Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 Joshua did just as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 And Moses’ hands were 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 one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner; 16 and he said, “Because the Lord has sworn, the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”
Exodus 17:8-16
God has already provided for the Israelites a means of escape from Egypt, He has fed them, He has provided water, and now we see that He is providing them protection. Amalek sought the Israelites out and attacked them, but the Israelites knew that they had God on their side and so they were able to face the challenge. Moses, the leader of the Israelites and their representative to God, went forward with the staff of God and with it raised’ changed the tides of the battle. However, the weight of it began to take its toll, and so two others stepped forward to help. First is Aaron who would become the priestly line for the Israelites, second is Hur. Not much is known about this man other than he was held in good standing and became a leader when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, Exodus 24:14. It was thanks to the support of these two people that Moses was able to hold up his arms long enough for Joshua to defeat the enemy.
Today, we can look at this and see that without the support of a church (Aaron) and those who are also following God’s will (Hur) we will not be able to be as successful in following God’s path for us. God could have easily allowed the Israelites to defeat Amalek without any assistance from Him. Instead, God used the opportunity to provide another example of how we must be first dependent upon Him, and second must surround ourselves with those who will hold us up when we become unsteady in our walk with God.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex