Praying and Fighting the Spiritual Battle

<Ex 17> 8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 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.”

10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 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. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

14 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 name of Amalek from under heaven.”

15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

Complementary, not conflicting, teachings of God.

• God-driven vs human efforts (God’s sovereignty vs human responsibility)
• Passive vs active
• Prayers vs actions (Faith vs deeds)
• Two sides of the same coin; check and balance.
• Today’s passage: Must depend on God, yet must also do the fighting.
  • Only prayer no actions  complacent, indifferent
  • Act on our own without prayer  hard to trust God and let Him take control
• Not ‘doing to earn God’s grace’, but since received grace, should obey God.
• Charles Spurgeon: Go about the work as if all depended on you, and then trust in God, knowing that all depends on Him. 
• The battle belongs to the Lord, but we are also called to fight the good fight <1 Tim 6:12> and be soldiers of Christ <2 Tim 2:3-4>.

Inevitable spiritual warfare.

• Amalekites attacked the Israelites suddenly and unprovoked; devil too does that.
• Spirit and flesh wage war inside Christians <Gal 5:17>.
• We are told to put on the full armor of God, and take our stand against the devil’s schemes <Ep 6>.
• At war with false teachings < Ac 20:28-31; 2 Pe 2>.
• If we do not fight, there will be no victory nor peace, but the constant harassment and assaults by our spiritual enemies.

How do we win the battle?

1) God’s help.

• God’s power matters more than human ability; the glory solely belongs to the Lord.
• “The Lord is my Banner”: Jehovah Nissi.
• “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain…” <Ps 127:1>
• The cross of Christ is like a banner to us.

2) Intercession by Moses and the co-working of Israelites.

• Moses held up the staff in his hands.
• We have a better intercessor than Moses – Jesus Christ.
• Moses was a mere man with limited strength, needed support from fellow brethren.
• If we cannot be Moses, we can be Aaron. If we cannot fight at the frontline like Joshua, at least be Hur.
• “Aarons” and “Hurs” may not seem to be doing very difficult thing, but it is surely important too.

3) Actual fighting by Joshua and Israelites.