Exodus 17:14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in the Book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven.
In recapping of the symbolism and events of Chapter 17 of Exodus, we find the symbolism to be amazing and extremely relevant to our personal lives, the condition of the Church and the state of our nation and the world, today.
1. God’s people, led by Moses, were in the desert, a spiritually dry and thirsty place without water, a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
2. The people complained to Moses and were about to stone him to death. In their unbelief and lack of faith, they lashed out at their leader.
3. The Lord instructed Moses to take the Elders and go to the Rock and strike it. The Rock represents Jesus, and the striking of the Rock symbolizes the beating Christ took on the Cross. God’s leaders must always return to Christ and the Message of the Cross.
4. When they struck the Rock, Water gushed out symbolizing the Holy Spirit coming with great force after Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross.
5. Immediately upon receiving the Water (Presence of the Holy Spirit), the people came under the attack of Amalek, the symbol of the flesh and legalism. The flesh was now at war against the Holy Spirit.
6. Moses called Joshua to form an army and fight the enemy while he stood on the top of the hill with the Rod of God in his hand. Until that time, God had fought FOR the people. Now, with the Holy Spirit, God would fight IN them.
7. Joshua and his army fought Amalek, and as long as Moses held up his hand, they prevailed, but when he became tired and let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. Moses’ friends, Aaron and Hur, guided him to a Rock where he could sit down and rest, and together they held his hands up until sundown. Our rest is found in the Rock, Christ.
8. The name Aaron means high and exalted (Christ). The name Hur means light (the Holy Spirit). Together, Aaron and Hur, symbolize Christ and the Holy Spirit. As Moses found rest in the Rock (Christ), he allowed Aaron and Hur (Jesus and the Holy Spirit) to be his strength and hold up his hands.
9. Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) as Moses rested in Christ and allowed God (Christ and the Holy Spirit) to be his strength.
After all this had happened, the Lord told Moses to write this all down in THE BOOK as a memorial and tell it over and over again and again to Joshua. This is the first account of the Bible being written, and it’s very interesting that it is the lesson of the battle between Good and evil; sin and the Power of God to overcome it.
In the final verses, 15-16, we read that at that place, Moses built an Altar and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: For he said, Because the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
The war between the flesh (sin) and the Power of God will never end, but God has shown us here how to overcome the enemy and find Victory over the sin in our lives. Rest in and believe in the Rock (Christ). Receive the Holy Spirit and let Them be your strength. Your faith in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, together with the Word of God as your weapon, will bring Victory over anything the enemy throws your way.
What a lesson for each of us personally, the Church, our Nation, and the entire world! To God be the glory!
Only God can……..turn the tide
Trusting in Christ, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
