Purpose: To describe how Moses exalted the Lord before God's enemies.
Aim: I want the listener to determine to lift up the Lord in their everyday lives.
INTRODUCTION: "It was Sep 13, 1814. A young United States attorney secured permission to board a British warship in an attempt to arrange the release of an American prisoner detained on Board. He was forced to stay overnight on the ship and from that exciting vantage point he witnessed the British bombardment of the fort which guarded the entrance to Baltimore.
"In the dwindling light of day he could see the American flag flying over Fort McHenry and as the darkness settled over the harbor he watched intently to see if the proud banner was still there. The red glow of exploding ammunition kept bringing Old Glory in view. When the gray dawn finally broke, the morning sunlight seemed to wash away the smoke from Fort McHenry and the silver stars and red stripes wore a new look of hope and courage. It was a magnificent moment in history.
"The young lawyer, Francis Scott Key, was so moved that he pulled an old letter from his pocket and wrote on the back of it these stirring words: 'Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,/ What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,/ Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,/ O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming!/ And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air/ Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there./ Oh, say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave/ O'er the land of the free, and home of the brave?'" [1]
As Americans we are proud of our banner, the Stars and Stripes, but as Christians we have a much greater banner that is revealed to us here in our text.
Like with Francis Scott Key, times of war seem to make banners very important. So it is here in Exodus 17. Here we have the very first battle that the Israelites had to fight since they left Egypt by crossing the Red Sea.
Why did they have to have a battle? Couldn't the Lord take care of their enemies like He did the Egyptian army?
The answer is in Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (NAU)
The question for us is:
► I. Why Must Believers Battle?
Let's begin by catching up on who the Amalekites were and what happened between them and the Jews. "AMALEK [AM uh leck] (warlike) a grandson of Esau ... Amalek gave his name to the AMALEKITES."
Esau was the twin brother of Jacob who later was named Israel. Jacob, the younger twin, stole his older brother's birthright. Later in life those brothers reconciled, but the descendents of Esau never let it go. Many years have passed, but the bitterness is still there.
"The main territory of the Amalekites was in the Sinai peninsula and in the Negev, the southern part of present day Israel. But they roamed widely throughout the territory later settled by the people of Israel. Throughout the Old Testament the Amalekites were bitter foes of the Israelites.
"Eventually the Amalekites gained a mountain in the land of Ephraim. King Saul of Israel won this area back and then chased the Amalekites from the land <1 Sam. 14:48; 15:1 9>. But Saul did not destroy the rich booty of livestock as God commanded and was rebuked by the prophet Samuel <1 Sam. 15:10 33>. [Ironically, Saul was eventually slain by an Amalekite.]
"The Amalekites continued to raid Israel. David attacked and defeated them <1 Sam. 27:8 10>, but they countered by raiding Ziklag and carrying off two of David's wives. He pursued and defeated them <1 Sam. 30:1 31>, executing one of them for killing Saul in an earlier battle <2 Sam. 1:1 16>.
"In the days of Hezekiah, 500 men of the tribe of Simeon defeated the Amalekites. Consequently, the Simeonites took their land and the Amalekites became a dispossessed people <1 Chr. 4:39 43>." [3]
"It was a descendant of Agag,[a king of the Amalekites that Saul should have killed] Haman, who tried to exterminate the Jews later in Esther's day (cf. Esth. 3:1, 6)" [4] The book of Esther tells us the story of how the last of the Amalekites were finally destroyed.
Why did the Jews battle the Amalekites for hundreds of years?
► A. Because God is at war with Satan
Look at verses 14 & 16, the battle is ultimately between God and Satan. "The ongoing problem with Amalek was not merely one nation hostile toward another, it was a war between God and Amalek." [5]
Notice how the NIV translates Ex 17:16 He said, "For hands were lifted up to [or "against"] the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." (NIV) The Jews had to fight because they were identified with Jehovah, sometimes we suffer for the same reason.
Jesus told us: John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (NAU)
If Jesus is being lied about or misrepresented then His followers should be willing to give their lives in order to defend Him. If you are a Christian then you are part of this war.
► B. Because we forget God's faithfulness
The Jews had been delivered from slavery, then the bitter water of Marah was made sweet, then God took them a few miles further to Elim where there was an abundant supply of fresh water and dates. Not long after that God began the miracle of an abundant supply of fresh manna every morning. Then in chapter 17 God again provided a miraculous supply of water.
Instead of trusting the Lord, though, they bitterly complained about being thirsty. The Jews continued to react with unbelief.
Exodus 17:6--7 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us, or not?" (NAU)
Charles Spurgeon warns us with these words: "If you question God, he will soon leave you to question yourselves....If we make God a question, God will make our safety a question...." [6]
►Battling for lost souls puts our priorities in the correct order.
Doing battle for God motivates us to look to Him and depend on Him. This is one reason why the Great Commission is so important for us.
► C. Because we need an exile mindset
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (NAU) 1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. (NAU)
►We are either fighting sin, or we are serving sin.
In Vs.8 FOUGHT is in the imperfect tense in the Greek translation of this Hebrew text. This means that the fighting was a repeated action, because the Amalekites were attacking over and over again.
John Piper explains it this way: "We must cultivate the mindset of exiles. What this does mainly is sober us up and wake us up so that we don't drift with the world and take for granted that the way the world thinks and acts is the best way. We don't assume that what is on TV is helpful to the soul; we don't assume that the priorities of advertisers is helpful to the soul; we don't assume that the strategies and values of business and industry are helpful to the soul. We don't assume that any of this glorifies God. We stop and we think and we consult the Wisdom of our own country, heaven, and we don't assume that the conventional wisdom of this age is God's wisdom. We get our bearings from God in his word. When you see yourself as an alien and an exile with your citizenship in heaven, and God as your only Sovereign, you stop drifting with the current of the day. You ponder what is good for the soul and what honors God in everything: food, cars, videos, bathing suits, birth control, driving speeds, bed times, financial savings, education for the children, unreached peoples, famine, refugee camps, sports, death, and everything else. Aliens get their cue from God and not the world." [7]
"The "WORLD" represents sum total of the thoughts, ideas and actions that are opposed to God, which continually suppress His truth..." [8]
If we realize that we are living in enemy territory then we must be prepared to fight. Ephesians 6:10--12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (NAU) Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, (NAU)
Dr. Fosdick says, "The best guarantee of a character that is not for sale is this battlefield of prayer, where day by day the issue is settled that we shall live 'not as pleasing men, but God who proveth our hearts' (1 Thess. 2:4)" [9]
► II. What Resources do Believers Have?
►Vs.9a A. The strength to work "go out, fight"
God saves us so we can display God's glory through the way we live. Ephesians 2:8--10 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (NAU)
When you are doing good works, you are doing what you were created to do.
God does ask to do anything that He does not empower us to do. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (NAU)
God calls us to: Jude 3 ... contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. (NAU)
2 Timothy 2:3--4 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. (NAU)
Victory in the Christian life comes when we too combine worship and work. Joshua picked out faithful men to fight and Moses prayed. James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.(KJV)
►Spurgeon: "Go about the work as if all depended upon you, and then trust in God, knowing that all depends upon him." [10]
►Vs.9b B. The power of God "the staff of God in my hand"
Today's text does not say if the sight of Moses' rod encouraged the Jews or frightened the Amalekites. I think it was probably both. That rod brought judgment to the Egyptians. In Exodus 17:5 this staff was called the staff which "struck the Nile." This brings to mind what Moses did in front of Pharaoh in Exodus 7:17 Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood." (NAU)
Moses' staff also brought freedom to the Jews. Exodus 14:13--16 But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. "As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. (NAU)
To Christ's followers the power of God is a great comfort. Deuteronomy 20:3--4 "He shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' (NAU)
Martin Luther encourages us in his great hymn "A Mighty Fortress is our God",
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, [Lord of the armies] His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And tho' this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thro' us.
The Prince of Darkness grim--
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
Remember that when the Apostle John saw a vision of the throne of God he was told that Jesus was a Lion who was worthy to open the scroll, but when John turned and looked at the throne he saw Jesus as a Lamb. (See Revelation 5:5-6). Jesus is a terrifying lion to those who oppose Him, but He is a sacrificial lamb to those who love Him.
Jesus is our banner: John 3:14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; (NAU) 1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. (NAU)
►Vs.12 C. The encouragement of other believers "Aaron and Hur supported his hands"
Are we encouraging and helping others who are exalting the banner of Christ in this world? Am I giving aid to Christians who are fighting to good fight, but have become faint and weary? OR Do I look down on them because of their "weakness"?
►Isaiah 35:3 Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. (NAU)
Philippians 1:18--19 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (NAU)
In a sermon entitled "The Story of the Iron Gate," Clarence J. Forsberg retells a story about:
"... something that happened in a little fishing village on the New England coast. One winter's day a storm came up suddenly while the boats were out at sea. The men rowed desperately to reach the safety of the harbor. Everybody made it except for one old man named John. He had almost reached the mouth of the harbor when a great wave came along and dashed his tiny boat up against a rock. He managed to pull himself up on a tiny ledge and hang there for dear life.
"His friends saw what happened. There wasn't anything they could do about it. It was growing dark, and the seas were high. All they could do was wait. They built a bonfire on the shore and kept it burning all night. Every once in a while, someone would throw his cap up in the air, hoping that the old man would see it. At last dawn began to break, and the winds began to die down. They put out their boats and were able to get close enough so they could bring him safely back to shore.
"When the old man had been warmed by the fire and had been given something to eat, they asked what it was like out there. 'Well,' he said, 'it was the longest night of my life. I made out pretty well at first, but then a big wave came along and flattened me out and I felt myself slipping. I was worn out. I was ready to give up. My old father went down at sea, and I had decided my time had come. But just as I was ready to let go, I looked through the darkness and saw somebody's cap going up in the air. I said to myself, If there's somebody who cares enough about old John to stay out on a night like this, I guess I'm not going to quit yet. Just then the winds seemed to ease up, and I got a fresh hold, and well, here I am.'" [11]
CONCLUSION: Later Moses gave a fuller description of what the Amalekites did to Israel in Deuteronomy 25:17--19: "Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt, how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall come about when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget. (NAU)
I don't know what your experience is, but when I am tired and weary that is often the very time that the "Amalekites" mount their "sniper" attacks. This is why Jesus warned His disciples, commanding them to "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41 NAU)
Have you been faithfully lifting up Christ as your banner before the world around you? Look at your Facebook entries. Think back on the conversations you had this last week. Who have you been lifting up before those around you?
How many people outside of church know that you love and follow Jesus?
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss. [12]
[1]Submitted by Robert Strand, Pastor, First Assembly of God Church, Grand Junction, Colorado
[2]From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary) (Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers
[3]From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary) (Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers
[4]John Jr MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed., Ex 17:16 (Nashville: Word Pub., 1997).
[5]John Jr MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed., Ex 17:16 (Nashville: Word Pub., 1997).
[6]“Spurgeon Expository Encyclopedia” Vol.11 Page 183
[7]From The War Against the Soul and the Glory of God by John Piper
[8]From http://www.preceptaustin.org/jehovah_nissi_-_the_lord_our_banner.htm
[9]Maxie Dunnam and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, vol. 2, The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 2 : Exodus, The Preacher's Commentary series, 203 (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1987).
[10]“Spurgeon Expository Encyclopedia” Vol.11 Page 187
[11]Missouri United Methodist Church, Columbia, MO, February 3, 1985.Maxie Dunnam and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, vol. 2, The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 2 : Exodus, The Preacher's Commentary series, 205-06 (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1987).
[12]Robert J. Morgan, Nelson's Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes, electronic ed., 822 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000).
