The Christian's Battles Series

THE CHRISTIAN’S BATTLES

Exodus 17:8-15

D. The Steps to Sinai

2. The Marauders

The Church, and we ask individual Christian,s fight a war on two fronts, Satan attacks from the inside. That is what we have seen in the journey to Sinai thus far. But as he did with Pharaoh’s army, he also attacks from the outside. Trying to reach our goals Satan will always show up to stop us,

The three month trip from Egypt to Sinai was about over. In their tenth and final encampment (Nu. 33:5-14), they were almost in sight of their goal - Mt. Sinai.

Then it happened, as it always does in the Christian life Satan, who had not stopped them with internal conflict attacked from without. He used the Amalekites, wild desert warriors, descended from Esau (Gen. 36:12),

From their hiding places in the desert and the mountains they attacked from the rear to kill the tired people, who were exhausted and lagging behind. They killed everyone. (Dt. 25:18).

Why they did this we don’t know. Maybe they liked to kill and steal. Maybe they were protecting their watering holes. What we do know is they are an example, a type, of the battles we Christians face in the wilderness journey of life and the battle plan we are to follow for victory.

Amalek, descended from Esau (Gen. 36:12), the man who lived for his appetites and pleasures (Gen. 27). One good thing about the devil is that he is persistent, he never gives up. Thus the Amalekites lived on as Israel’s constant enemy in Canaan (Jud. 3:13; 1 Sam. 15:8) as a picture of the world’s hostility to us.

I. THE BATTLE WE FACE

1. The War (2 Tim. 2:3; Mt. 10:34).

When people become Christians we are sometimes too prone to tell them to sit down and enjoy the peace and blessings of God. The Bible, however, tells them also to stand up and fight the battles of God.

Paul told Timothy, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3). Jesus told His disciples, “Do not suppose I have come to bring peace to the earth, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Mt. 10:34).

Sometimes, like Jesus, we are ON THE ATTACK, as when He stood nose to nose with the Pharisees and exposed their hypocrisy (Mt. 23). The church is to fight drugs, abortion, gambling, prejudice, alcohol and all evils that plague our world.

Sometimes, as here, we are UNDER ATTACK as when Satan enticed Jesus to sin (Lk. 4) and when the temple guard came and arrested Him in the garden (Mt. 26:47).

2. The Warriors (1 Pet. 5:8; Rom. 12:2; Gal. 5:13-17).

Amalek wanted Israel to go back to Egypt, to leave the will of God, to disobey, to sin. Our three Amaleks- Satan’s unholy trinity - the devil, the world and our own sinful nature, wants the same.

Satan and his world launch their attack on out sinful nature in two ways. They use pain they try to DRIVE US from the will and ways of God. That’s what happened to Job. Satan, through his wife, who also suffered and who said, “Curse God and die!” (Job 1-2). They also use pleasures to DRAW US. That is what happened to David (2 Sam. 11)

1) The Devil (Lk. 22:31; 1 Pet. 5:8)

The Christian faces three enemies, a trinity of evil. First and foremost we face the devil. This is the powerful, personal spirit of evil who can get men like Hitler to do what he did and find so many “ordinary” people to follow him.

When we see the awful depths of evil with its acts of senseless, unbelievable, unnecessary cruelty it is easy to believe in some powerful voice that suggests such things and gets people to do them. We see this in the crowd around the cross who mocked Jesus as he was dying.

This week we saw where two “ordinary” teenage boys from “nice” homes tortured and killed two ten year old boys for no reason, for the “fun” of it.

God’s people are not immune. We cannot do wrong as a way of life (1 Jn. 3:1-10) but Satan is so powerful that he can get us to do horrible things. That is why David took another man’s wife when he could have had one hundred beautiful women brought to his harem. That’s why Jimmy Sw

When Peter denied knowing Jesus with cursing Jesus, who predicted it told him, “Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail.” (Lk. 22:31).

That’s why Peter later warned First Century Christians, “Be self-controlled. Be on guard (like soldiers). Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).