War With Amalek
Galatians 5:17-23 & Ex.17:8-16
Intro. – What do Gal. 5 and Ex. 17 have in common.
Read Gal. 5:17-23
There are three major enemies to the Christian life.
The WORLD– Our External foe – The World is the system that is organized against God. It is a philosophy or thought.
The DEVIL– Our Infernal foe – He is real. He is not a figment of our imagination. The Bible describes him as “a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”
The FLESH– Our Internal foe – This is our carnal nature to sin which we got from Adam.
It is that internal foe – the flesh – that I would like to speak on today. The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to have victory over the flesh.
This morning I want us to go back in time 3000 years to the time of the Exodus. There is a wonderful illustration of that victory found in the OT book of Exodus.
The children of Israel had just been delivered from Egypt and the wrath of Pharaoh. The Red Sea had parted and they were now in Sinai on their way to the promised land. Everything seemed to be going for them – UNTIL – Amalek.
Ill – I remember back over 35 years ago when I became a new Christian. I was excited about becoming a Christian. I was growing in my Christian life and then – Temptation – the flesh.
Who is this Amalek?
He was the grandson of Esau. For those of you familiar with the OT you will remember that Esau was the twin brother of Jacob. Esau was the first born and held the birth rite. It meant little to him and in a time of physical hunger, he sold it to Jacob for a pot of beans. His fleshly desires meant more to him than spiritual things.
Read Exodus 17:8-16
There are 3 “Firsts” that are found in this passage.
* First mention of Joshua
* First mention of the Amalekites
* First Battle that Israel fought.
There are several things I want us to see from this passage.
I. The Certainty of our Fight – Vs 8
These Amalekites were the descendents from Amalek, the grandson of Esau. They were always the enemies of Israel. The Amalekites were an illustration of the flesh, which are those old sinful desires that remain within Christians after their sins are forgiven. This flesh is the constant enemy of the Christian.
You will find in your Christian life that after you are saved and have experienced spiritual victories in you life. – Along comes Amalek to attack you.
When Joshua went down into the valley to fight with Amalek, Amalek didn’t just lay down and give up. He had to be fought and then defeated. All day long Israel fought the Amalekites. It was a perpetual battle.
II. The Strategy of our Foe – Vs. 8
Now I want to show you how Amalek did what he did.
1st – He attacked Unexpectedly – Vs. 8
* Israel was not expecting his attack.
* They had just experienced a spiritual blessing and then Amalek shows up. (Vs. 5,6)
2nd. – He attacked Indirectly – Deut. 25:17-18
* He came from behind.
* A sneak attack – An ambush
3rd – He attacked Viciously – Deut. 25:18
* He attacked the weakest
* He attacked those that were faint and tired.
* The flesh took advantage.
4th – He attacked Arrogantly – Deut. 25:18
* “He feared not God”
* The flesh has no fear of God. It hates God.
Ill. – There is a part of me that loves God and spiritual things. But there is another part of me that hates the things of God.
* There is a part of me that wants to read my Bible and a part that says read something else.
* There is a part of me that says Pray and another part that says don’t bother.
* There is a part of me that says witness to that person and another part that says he doesn’t want to here about Jesus.
Paul wrote of this in Romans Chapter 7
Rom 7:14-25
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
III. The Victory of Our Faith Ex. 17:9
This first battle that Israel fought was no ordinary one. It was not only a Physical battle but it was to be a Spiritual battle.
It was won, not just on the physical battlefield but on the spiritual basis of Faith.
Joshua was to go down into the valley to fight and Moses was to go up to the top of the hill with the Rod of God in his hand.
1. The Rod of God - What is the Rod of God?
When It was first used it had been the rod of Moses. Moses had used it as his shepherds staff and walking stick. God had transformed it into the Rod of God when he had told Moses to throw it down and transformed it into a serpent and back again.
When God takes what we have and transforms it, then we too can be usable by God.
2. Aaron – The priest. - A priest intercedes – Prayer
3. Hur – His names means “Purity”
Intercessory Prayer and Purity go together.
Victory took place on the Mt. Top but was witnessed in the valley.
Conclusion
In its early days the nation of Israel had two great kings, Saul and David.
King Saul – He was carnal and lived in the flesh.
King David – He lived a Godly, spiritual life.
The Kingdom was taken from Saul and given to David. WHY
I Samuel 15 and II Samuel 1:1-15
NOTE- These two scripture passages are important for the effect of the conclusion. Saul lost the kingdom because he disobeyed God and spared the Amalekites. In II Samuel we see that Saul was slain by an Amalekite. His ultimate downfall was that he spared the flesh.
CREDITS - Much of this sermon was gleaned from other sources. "Joshua" by Theodore Epp and a sermon by Adrian Rodgers and other sources
