Exodus 17:9-13
9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
In what may be the first biblical concept of uplifting spiritual leaders, the Bible gives us a synopsis of the play-by play of Israel’s first battle encounter after leaving Egypt. It is of no coincidence, I believe, that Israel finds themselves in this situation right after voicing their complaints to Moses in regards to their thirst. I am sure many pastors have experienced the frustration that Moses spoke earlier in the chapter, “What shall I do unto this people?” I wonder if the wilderness expedition could have been avoided all together with thankfulness and gratitude. How many battles have we brought upon ourselves from discontentment and unrecognized blessings?
It wasn’t an ordinary enemy that came upon them. It was bad blood, descendants of Esau fueled by malice because of the birthright/blessing and perhaps a little unhappy about how God was fulfilling the promise unto Jacob. Moses introduces us to Joshua, nominating him commander-in chief. He gives Joshua instruction on battling Amalek. Moses is going to the top of the hill with the rod of God. Two separate men, two distinct ministries. One fights in the heat of the battle field while the other appeals to God. Both minister to Israel. Some of us are used in the pastoral while others are used in specific ministries. Some are in the trenches while others are on the mountain top. Some are raising the rod of God while others are battling demons. Some are building altars while others are building nations. While some find themselves in lifelong pastorates, others are just trying to reach those in the city that they are in this weekend; hoping to survive to the next opportunity to fight. But they are all fighting the same war!
Moses became tired. Even those with the strongest walks and relationships with God grow weary when they are holding out their arms on their own. It never states that Joshua became weak in fighting, but Moses’ hands were heavy in praying. The more spiritual the battle, the more likely we may be to pack it in for another day. The Church will always ride its successes and failures in relationship to its commitment to prayer. And I can assure you that with the support of each other (from minister to minister, from pastor to evangelist, or from ministry worker to pastor), there are many victories to be had for our movement.
Aaron and Hur give us an amazing testimony of the effects of uplifting our brethren. They stood along side their brother, their leader, their mentor. And with their help, Moses was able to stay the course with his hands steady to the end of the day. It’s not always a one man battle. We should not be shy to either ask for help from others or of giving help to another. Some victories are dependent on our cooperation with each other. It was not only an encouragement to Moses, but the people of Israel were also encouraged; not only by the victory that was transpiring on the battlefield, but also seeing their leader, hands lifted high, supported by his brethren. What can our churches and congregations do today with the encouragement they see from ministry and leadership that are holding each other up?
So, I ask, who have you uplifted today?
9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
In what may be the first biblical concept of uplifting spiritual leaders, the Bible gives us a synopsis of the play-by play of Israel’s first battle encounter after leaving Egypt. It is of no coincidence, I believe, that Israel finds themselves in this situation right after voicing their complaints to Moses in regards to their thirst. I am sure many pastors have experienced the frustration that Moses spoke earlier in the chapter, “What shall I do unto this people?” I wonder if the wilderness expedition could have been avoided all together with thankfulness and gratitude. How many battles have we brought upon ourselves from discontentment and unrecognized blessings?
It wasn’t an ordinary enemy that came upon them. It was bad blood, descendants of Esau fueled by malice because of the birthright/blessing and perhaps a little unhappy about how God was fulfilling the promise unto Jacob. Moses introduces us to Joshua, nominating him commander-in chief. He gives Joshua instruction on battling Amalek. Moses is going to the top of the hill with the rod of God. Two separate men, two distinct ministries. One fights in the heat of the battle field while the other appeals to God. Both minister to Israel. Some of us are used in the pastoral while others are used in specific ministries. Some are in the trenches while others are on the mountain top. Some are raising the rod of God while others are battling demons. Some are building altars while others are building nations. While some find themselves in lifelong pastorates, others are just trying to reach those in the city that they are in this weekend; hoping to survive to the next opportunity to fight. But they are all fighting the same war!
Moses became tired. Even those with the strongest walks and relationships with God grow weary when they are holding out their arms on their own. It never states that Joshua became weak in fighting, but Moses’ hands were heavy in praying. The more spiritual the battle, the more likely we may be to pack it in for another day. The Church will always ride its successes and failures in relationship to its commitment to prayer. And I can assure you that with the support of each other (from minister to minister, from pastor to evangelist, or from ministry worker to pastor), there are many victories to be had for our movement.
Aaron and Hur give us an amazing testimony of the effects of uplifting our brethren. They stood along side their brother, their leader, their mentor. And with their help, Moses was able to stay the course with his hands steady to the end of the day. It’s not always a one man battle. We should not be shy to either ask for help from others or of giving help to another. Some victories are dependent on our cooperation with each other. It was not only an encouragement to Moses, but the people of Israel were also encouraged; not only by the victory that was transpiring on the battlefield, but also seeing their leader, hands lifted high, supported by his brethren. What can our churches and congregations do today with the encouragement they see from ministry and leadership that are holding each other up?
So, I ask, who have you uplifted today?
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