ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Moses and the Amalekites (Article 10)

Updated on January 11, 2021
Learning, Leaning, Labouring
Learning, Leaning, Labouring

BATTLING THE AMALEKITES

Moses Intercession Ex. 17:8-16

Who were the Amalekites?

They were a fierce nomadic tribe that survived in the desert and were taking pleasure in attacking Israel. They were picking on the weak and the stragglers. They are a type of demonic force that attacks us when we are weak, down, depressed, sick, overcome by temptation and so on. They come upon us quickly, hitting us from behind. These are the wearing down tactics of Satan. A little here, a little there until you are defeated or trapped.

Since coming out of Egypt, this is their first encounter with any kind of threat. Joshua is chosen to hand-pick his army and to go do battle. We don’t have much information about this army, but I’m guessing that it was not very big and I don’t think they had a lot of weapons. Remember in Egypt they were captives and I don’t believe that they had an army in training or a weapons warehouse. Before crossing the Red Sea they were a fearful lot, and there is no mention of them ready to make a stand. They were in fear of being wiped out or worse being taken back into captivity. So I think that it is safe to say that there were no strong warriors and leaders amongst them yet. This would help explain the travailing during the battle, because the Amalekites were very capable warriors and explains why they had an upper hand during the fighting.

So the battle goes back and forth and the above mentioned explains the circumstances. Here is a nation however large, was without a strong contesting force to assist them as of yet. God would help them raise an army from their midst starting with the choosing of Joshua. This new army was about to be trained with a spiritual impact as well as with human strengths, being enhanced by God.

Now, we might ask, “Why didn’t God just wipe out the Amalekites as he did the Egyptians?”

For the same reason he doesn’t remove all the many things we may encounter. We need to gain confidence in ourselves as well as in him. We need times of battle to strengthen a desire in us to fight against the evils around us. God wills not to do everything for us.

Why would we be given the sword of the spirit and not be expected to know how to use it?

The intercessor must understand these things. God chooses us and trains our hands for war.

We must be able to see two things transpire:

(a) The awesome power of God on our side.

(b) The ability for the strength of God to be formed in us, making us steadfast warriors able to use the sword, shield, armaments of the Spirit with power.

Now we see Moses and the weakness of the flesh, as his arms begin to fail him and the battle goes the other way. For us, the weaknesses of the flesh, allows our guard to be down and we are suddenly struck a blow from the enemy. A dart or an arrow gets through.

The employment of Aaron and Hur; helpers in the spirit.

We must become willing to seek the assistance of others when we are doing battle. This means not being afraid to show our weaknesses and humble enough to ask others to help us minister and also allowing to be ministered to.

This has often times been a difficult area for some and it has led some good intentioned warriors right into the hands of the enemy because of their pride. There is strength in numbers and we need others to lift us up so we can stay victorious.

The rod was a symbol, a type of the Holy Spirit, a visible sign of the power of God. Before it was the pillar and cloud, now it is the rod, showing the people that God is with them. For us the sign is the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit and the fruit as evidence of his indwelling.

Moses intercession was an all day affair, it continued until there was complete victory.

We must learn this action in prayer, prevailing until the breakthrough. It may be all day, month, year; whatever. More can be accomplished if we stay at it with greater vigor; for instance, a full day of devoted prayer battle could bring victory faster than if we spent five minutes a day and went on for months on the same issue. This is all part of growing in God, being ready for the battle and following the Lords instruction instead of the whims of our faint heart.

Moses on the hill and the battle for the weak; this is a picture of Christ at Calvary.

Battles always include the shedding of blood, the wounding of the body, the taking up of arms for the cause of the weak and helpless. Even the laying down of our life for love, this is intercession.

The placement of the rock, a symbol again of Christ and we are placed upon the rock. The rod; the sign also of the cross. The people were to look to Moses on the hill and be aware of Gods intervention for their strength. We look to the hill at Golgotha and to Christ’s victory on the cross, over sin and death and Satan.

Victory, the battle is won.

There is a curse laid out by God over the generations of the Amalekites for what they did. There was a curse of the cross, against all the powers of darkness and Christ’s victory in hand for us. We are able to revel in the power of God through what he did for us in Christ Jesus. Victory is ours to live in, and here we have Israel, about to become a great nation, entering into the salvation and provision of God. They are about to enter God’s school of the Spirit.

There will be much to endure before entering the Promised Land, but God is determined to have a people unto himself. Theirs will be a cleansing process, and so it must be with us. We come to the cross and from there God takes us to the place he desires for us; death and the desert. For the intercessor as for all, this is not necessarily a pleasant experience.

The Amalekites are mentioned once again in the time of Saul. (see 1Sam.15) the command of God not followed and they are allowed to survive until David destroys them.

(1Sam. 27:8-9)

The Amalekites are a type of things that get into our lives that God wants us to destroy or have no part in, but they keep showing up and are able to live because of carelessness, or disobedience. We are to literally blot out, hate and destroy those things that are against Godliness in our lives. We are to tear down with violence the strongholds we encounter within us, our families, and our church. They could be attitudes, doctrines, fear, self-centredness, hatred, lies, deception, spiritual wickedness, and the list goes on.

This at times has been difficult because of family, friends, etc. We allow the remnant to live and we suffer because of it. This spirit continues to attack us from behind. Saul had to repent because he feared the people. (1Sam.15:24)

Our intercession becomes repentance first with us and then for the church. We must be sure we stand in purity and in the fullness of Christ. When God chose the Levitical priesthood, he was very specific in their functions and duties.

Should we be any different?

The holiness of God has not changed, even though we are covered by Christ and his shed blood, this does not give us license to be neglectful. If as intercessors we desire more from God, more of his glory, then our walk must be fully in tune with him. Not to the point of legalism and far reaching fanaticism, but one guided and overshadowed by Holy Spirit. He is the promise to us, not us promising anything to God, except to be yielded to him. As intercessors we are to seek the best that God has for us and deliver this back to him in intercession woven together with Christ Jesus our great intercessor, filled with love, life and fullness in the Spirit.

Questions:

1) Will the enemy give you a break?

2) Can you expect to do warfare?

3) What do battles do for your spiritual growth?

4) What types of things might be in our lives bringing subtle defeat?

______________________________________________________________________

QUERY From Handbook

Moses and the Amalekites

Intercession as Warfare

Now, we might ask, “why didn’t God just wipe out the Amalekites as he did the Egyptians?” For the same reason he doesn’t remove all the many things we may encounter. We need to gain confidence in ourselves as well as in him. We need times of battle to strengthen a desire in us to fight against the evils around us. God wills not to do everything for us. Why would we be given the sword of the spirit and not be expected to know how to use it?

1) Battle: Apathy – Passivity – Fear?

There is a strong need to understand intercession and the warfare that we might have to participate in.

Are you willing to look to God and trust him or are you fearful, therefore avoiding going to war over things that come against your life, family, church, or nation?

2) What 2 things must we see transpire?

3) Do you welcome or ask others to help in time of warfare?

4) The story and things to reflect upon. Jewish history and the actions of God were told again and again throughout the generations so they would not forget what God has done for them. We have the same reminder today in the printed word, to reflect upon these same themes.

5) The battle is won but not over, because the Amalekites continue nagging at Israel for generations later.

6) The Amalekites are a type.

The Amalekites are a type of things that get into our lives that God wants us to destroy or have no part in, but they keep showing up and are able to live because of carelessness, or disobedience. We are to literally blot out, hate and destroy those things that are against Godliness in our lives. We are to tear down with violence the strongholds we encounter within us, our families, and our church. They could be attitudes, doctrines, fear, self-centeredness, hatred, lies, deception, spiritual wickedness, and the list could go on.

7) Are there things in your life still bringing you defeat?

What are you going to do about them?

8) Training for battle and knowing whose battle it is. How do you find out? What will be your involvement? Are you to join with others?

9) Many times God fights the whole battle for us, but we may need to take a step in faith with a word or prayer.

Also do not take on battles that are not yours to participate in.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)