HELPING HANDS-Exodus 17:8-16
INTRODUCTION: A lot gets accomplished when people work together. In the summer of 1904, at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, it was hot and people were searching for something to help cool them off. A vendor named Arnold had just what they were looking for…ice cream. People lined up for what seemed like miles to get some of his cool and satisfying ice cream but there was one problem-Arnold was not prepared for the demand and ran out of paper bowls. Next to Arnold’s ice cream booth was a man named Ernest, a pastry chef who was making a Persian wafer desert. Ernest also had a problem, his pastry was not selling. He noticed the problem Arnold was having and took some warm pastry and rolled it into a cone shape. He then went over and showed Arnold how the cone could hold a scoop of the ice cream. On that hot day during the World’s Fair in St Louis the wafer ice cream cone was born. These two vendors worked together to solve problems and serve a purpose. It’s no different when it comes to the church. In order to get things done people need to work together. When the Israelites faced their first battle after the exodus they needed to work together in order to be victorious.
1) Attack! (8-10).
“The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.”
The Amalekites background: The Amalekites were a nation who lived in the desert. They were cousins of the Israelites. Abraham’s son Isaac had 2 sons–Jacob and Esau. Esau was the eldest, but sold his birthright to Jacob for some lentil stew. Jacob had 12 sons and from them we get the 12 tribes of Israel who had multiplied in Egypt, but had been set free and were now wandering around the desert. Esau also had several sons; the eldest was Eliphaz and one of his sons was–Amalek.
So Amalek was a third cousin to Dan, Judah, Benjamin and Joseph and all the other brothers. However, since Jacob had the birthright that rightly belonged to Esau there obviously was enmity between the descendants of Jacob and Esau. So it’s no surprise that the Amalekites came to make war on the Israelites.
Deut. 25:17-18, “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.”
We learn here that the Amalekites attacked them at a weak point. Satan will attack us when we’re at our weakest point. At a time like this we can be emotional which means we can be vulnerable. We can feel drained and that can open us up to Satan’s assault. We need to be aware of that so we can be prepared for battle. We don’t want to be found ‘lagging behind’. We will need to keep our spiritual fervor and serve the Lord. We will grieve and we will be melancholy but we can’t let that debilitate us; we can’t allow that to stop us.
What’s with Moses going up on the hilltop with a staff? The battle with the Amalekites was a shift for God’s people. Up until now, God fought their battles for them. Now, they are told to be proactive and fight their enemies. But it was okay. Moses was their leader and encourager and the staff was no ordinary piece of wood. This was the staff that had become a snake. This was the staff that when Moses stretched it out the plagues on the Egyptians came. When Moses held out his staff the Red Sea parted. This was the staff that had brought forth water when Moses struck the rock.
But they knew the staff itself had no power. The staff was a symbol of God’s power, protection and provision. Today we have a different piece of wood that we can look to as our symbol-the cross. The cross behind me has no power in itself-it is simply two pieces of wood. Yet what it represents is the power of the resurrected Christ. It represents the ascended Christ. It represents the power of the Spirit of Christ that empowers the followers of Christ.
If we remember that every time we’re in battle we will be victorious. When we lift holy hands to God and ask for his power, protection and provision we can get through anything. In the midst of the tragedy, in the heat of battle, we know that greater is Christ who is in me than the evil one who is in the world. When we stand together we will stand firm.
2) Helping hands (11-13).
“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
Aaron was Moses’ brother. Hur-Jewish historian Josephus says he was the brother-in-law of Moses, having married his sister Miriam. They were people in whom Moses put much confidence; for he left them as governors over the people when he went to confer with God on the mountain.
Ex. 24:13-14, “Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, “wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”
It’s important to have people working with you to share the load. Moses could be confident in knowing that when he was away from the people that they were left in capable hands. Responsible people are helping people. Capable hands are helping hands. Everyone in the kingdom is capable if they give themselves over to God’s control and make themselves available for service.
One of those services is prayer. We see that when Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning but when they dropped they started losing. What’s interesting is that in Adam Clarke’s commentary, “The Jerusalem Targum says, "When Moses held up his hands in prayer, the house of Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hands from prayer, the house of Amalek prevailed." We may therefore conclude that by holding up the hands in this case these two things were intended: 1. That hereby a reference was made to God, as the source whence all help and protection must come, and that on him alone they must depend. 2. That prayer and supplication to God are essentially necessary to their prevalence over all their enemies. It is indisputably true that, while the hands are stretched out, that is, while the soul exerts itself in prayer and supplication to God, we are sure to conquer our spiritual adversaries; but if our hands become heavy-if we restrain prayer before God, Amalek will prevail-every spiritual foe, every internal corruption, will gain ground.”
Are we lifting one another up in prayer? When we know our fellow brother or sister in Christ is fighting a battle are we ‘reaching up to the heavens’ and calling upon God for help and intervention for them? Praying for one another is a key element in being a helping hand.
Vs. 12-Moses grew tired. I know Moses was an old man (80), but couldn’t God have given him the strength to keep his arms up without the need for Aaron and Hur? Of course, but that wasn’t his purpose; he didn’t want Moses to work alone. Such as it is with us. There are some things God will equip us to do alone and there are other things where we will need help. When Israel was facing this unexpected battle from the Amalekites, it affected the whole nation. Thus, it was going to take a group effort to pull it off. We, too, are facing an unexpected battle. And it’s going to take the whole nation of Cornerstone working together to overcome and be victorious.
Moses sits down. How’s that going to help? Two reasons-one, by standing in conjunction with keeping your arms raised it will wear you out quicker. So we see that compassionate hands are helping hands. Aaron and Hur saw Moses getting tired and they did something to help. A helping hand is someone who’s sensitive to noticing when others are overwhelmed and offer to help.
Plus, I think the stone was for Aaron and Hur too. If I’m holding up your arms while you’re standing then I have to raise my arms higher to support yours; especially if I’m shorter than you. But, if you’re sitting down I can keep my arms lower, putting less strain on my arms, while holding yours up. Not only helping hands but smart hands. Work smarter; not harder.
And we see that the battle with the Israelites lasted all day (sunset). Some of our battles may be long and strenuous. It may be a while before our current battle is over so we have to be prepared to keep up the fight and persevere. But we see in vs. 13 that when everyone works together there is victory. The formula for being victorious in battle is everyone doing their part. Only with helping hands.
3) Remember this (14-16).
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, “For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”
“Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered”. What’s interesting is that this is the first time we see God giving the instruction to write something down. God wanted this event to be recorded and remembered for future generations to be encouraged; ours being one of them. When people work together and are prayerfully looking to God for support and God comes through; it’s something we need to write it down; we need to speak of it later.
If we come together and stay together and work together in the tragedy we’re facing now we will see (and in some ways are already seeing) God work. And the positive things we see God do in the aftermath of this horrific event needs to be told to the future members of Cornerstone; especially when we face the next battle.
“The Lord is my Banner” Jehovah-Nissi. When you think of a banner you think of something designed to draw your attention. Often it’s for a celebratory event. When the Lord gives us victory over the enemy or delivers us from our troubles, we should raise our banners and declare the great and wonderful things God has done for us so that others would hear and be drawn to it.
Cornerstone has faced battles before; albeit nothing like what we’re dealing with now but we have faced and dealt with them; unfortunately they’re part of church life. I’d like them to be avoidable but they just aren’t. But when they come typically one of two things happen as a result-growth or decay. We saw how when Aaron and Hur helped Moses, as Moses was helping Joshua and the troops, as all were working together, the battle was won. That’s what it takes; all of us working together-working in unison for the cause of Christ.
I’ve seen work both ways. I’ve known of church battles where the church didn’t make it-didn’t work together, didn’t pull through. And I’ve been a part of churches where a battle was faced, and the damages were repaired and the church continued. How a church responds to a tragedy will have an impact on people’s future. I know of people who stopped going to church after seeing their church destroyed through a tragic event.
Then I’ve seen it go in the other direction-where it makes a person stronger. Mike Brown story-Beth, new in the faith, wanted to seek out other churches but I, having been through this before, knew it was better to stay put. Once the battle has passed and the dust settles and the damages are assessed there can be aftermath or there can be after-growth; depending on how people conduct themselves. I believe that we are a people who will band together and work together to bring about positive results that will be remembered and shared with the future generations of Cornerstone
CONCLUSION: We need to be rooted and working together in order to grow big and strong and withstand the storms. The huge redwood trees in California are considered the largest living things on earth and the tallest trees in the world. Some of them are over 300 feet high and over 2,500 years old. One would think that trees so large would have a tremendous root system, reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth. However, the redwoods actually have a very shallow system of roots. So how do they get so big and stand so long? Although it’s a shallow root system; they all intertwine; they are locked to each other. So, when the storms come and the winds blow, the redwoods stand. And it’s because they don’t stand alone, for all the trees support and protect each other. The same is true for the church. How will we stay strong and be able to withstand the storms? By staying connected and working together. It’s how we will get through this storm and every one that follows it. If we do not stand together then we will surely fall apart.
