Then Came Amalek

Exodus 17:8-13

This passage chronicles the only fight that Israel had between Egypt and Sinai. Once they go under the Covenant of Law they are found fighting constantly, but here, while still under the Abrahamic Covenant of promise, they have one fight that defines the position of the believer under God’s grace and favor.

Israel arrives at Rephidim, which is “resting places” in Hebrew, showing us the place of rest that we have in Christ. Immediately, Amalek comes to fight with Israel in the resting place, which makes sense due to the fact that Amalek comes from the Hebrew root word “amal” meaning “worrisome labor; pain”.

The chief fight for the believer is not against Satan or the forces of the darkness of this world, but it is against “worrisome labor”. In a nutshell, our battle is to enter into the “resting place” while everything around us tells us to worry and work. The Apostle Paul knew this when he instructed the believer to “labor therefore to enter into that rest” (Hebrews 4:11). This is the token statement in the entire New Covenant where Paul tells the believer to labor for anything. Isn’t it interesting that our one labor is to stop laboring?

Moses sends Joshua into the valley to confront the Amalekites while he goes to the top of the mountain to stand with the rod of God. Moses understood the symbolism of the rod, as it had been held up to part the waters of the Red Sea, signifying God’s arm of strength. With the arm of God fighting for Israel, Moses knew that they could not lose. As long as the covenant keeper was lifted up, there would be victory then, and if we hold up covenant now, the victory is ours through the covenant that Jesus made with His Father at Calvary.

No matter how much we know about covenant and grace and God’s goodness and kindness, as we labor to enter into rest, our own works will most likely become involved. Moses’ hands began to grow heavy (Exodus 17:12) as a sign of our own works growing more and more wearisome. Though we know the answers, sometimes we falter and fail in their application. We need something more to help us than our own knowledge and intelligence.

“There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:9, 10). This is not to insinuate that you will not cease from your works until you enter into His rest, but rather that you will not enter into His rest UNTIL you cease from your own works. When the hands grow heavy, it is time to sit down, just as Moses did. Look at what he sits on, and who helps him:

“But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up His hands” (Exodus 17:12). Moses sits upon a stone, which is the solid rock of Christ, which Jesus said if we build our house upon, it will stand during the storm (Matthew 7:25). Aaron and Hur are a type of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, holding up our hands. In this position, the believer is off of their own feet and being supported completely by the finished work of Jesus. Only here will we see victory in our valleys, when we are resting on the mountain.

One final note: the word “steady” which describes how Moses’ hands remained until the going down of the sun is the same word in Hebrew as “faith”. Let your faith rest on the perfect, finished work of Jesus until the setting of your sun, when you meet Him in glory.

Destroy All

1 Samuel 15:3, 8, 9

“Destroy all” was a simple command from the LORD to King Saul. Amalek had attacked Israel in Exodus 17 while Israel was on the journey to the Promised Land. God is not slack in His judgment, so He now orders Saul to repay Amalek by destroying everything that they have, animals included. Saul had other plans though.

Typical of man operating under rebellion, Saul felt that he had a better plan, which included the destruction of the people of the Amalekites, but the sparing of the best of the sheep and the oxen and the fatlings, and the lambs, “and all that was good” (15:9), as well as King Agag.

Where Saul failed in his discernment of spiritual things is found in his failure to understand that there is nothing good with that which God has cursed. Amalek was under the judgment of God’s hand, thus they had nothing to offer God’s chosen people. By destroying Amalek, God was not only judging them for their actions, but He was sparing His own people and their future generations from dealing with these heathens again.

Saul leans to that side of himself that is still prevalent in mankind to this day: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Saul felt that he could identify that which was good and that which was evil. This is why he refused to destroy things that he felt could be useful to him and to his army, though God had specifically order such extermination. He even categorizes other things as “vile and refuse” and thus worthy of destruction. He did not know the heart of God in this matter which viewed ALL of it as “vile and refuse”.

Amalek is a type of the flesh and of sin, and thus all of it is deemed unusable by God. Christ came to completely destroy the power of sin and the flesh, leaving none of it unresolved at the cross. His death was a complete and total victory over the forces of darkness, not even sparing Satan himself. Jesus said of the devil that he was cast out as a source of power when God’s judgment came pouring into the body of Christ (John 12:31). Paul also said that Jesus “spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).

As if to show us what happens when sin is left unresolved, Saul is ultimately killed at the hand of an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:13), in an enormous piece of Biblical irony, that was not at all coincidental. Thank God that we do not have to fear the return of our old man of sin, but that Jesus has already destroyed Satan’s power in our life. Our heavenly Saul “hewed Agag in pieces” just as old Samuel did when he arrived (1 Samuel 15:33). We are free from the fear of tomorrow because our Amalek has been dealt with today.

Then Came Amalek

Exodus 17:8-13

This passage chronicles the only fight that Israel had between Egypt and Sinai. Once they go under the Covenant of Law they are found fighting constantly, but here, while still under the Abrahamic Covenant of promise, they have one fight that defines the position of the believer under God’s grace and favor.

Israel arrives at Rephidim, which is “resting places” in Hebrew, showing us the place of rest that we have in Christ. Immediately, Amalek comes to fight with Israel in the resting place, which makes sense due to the fact that Amalek comes from the Hebrew root word “amal” meaning “worrisome labor; pain”.

The chief fight for the believer is not against Satan or the forces of the darkness of this world, but it is against “worrisome labor”. In a nutshell, our battle is to enter into the “resting place” while everything around us tells us to worry and work. The Apostle Paul knew this when he instructed the believer to “labor therefore to enter into that rest” (Hebrews 4:11). This is the token statement in the entire New Covenant where Paul tells the believer to labor for anything. Isn’t it interesting that our one labor is to stop laboring?

Moses sends Joshua into the valley to confront the Amalekites while he goes to the top of the mountain to stand with the rod of God. Moses understood the symbolism of the rod, as it had been held up to part the waters of the Red Sea, signifying God’s arm of strength. With the arm of God fighting for Israel, Moses knew that they could not lose. As long as the covenant keeper was lifted up, there would be victory then, and if we hold up covenant now, the victory is ours through the covenant that Jesus made with His Father at Calvary.

No matter how much we know about covenant and grace and God’s goodness and kindness, as we labor to enter into rest, our own works will most likely become involved. Moses’ hands began to grow heavy (Exodus 17:12) as a sign of our own works growing more and more wearisome. Though we know the answers, sometimes we falter and fail in their application. We need something more to help us than our own knowledge and intelligence.

“There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:9, 10). This is not to insinuate that you will not cease from your works until you enter into His rest, but rather that you will not enter into His rest UNTIL you cease from your own works. When the hands grow heavy, it is time to sit down, just as Moses did. Look at what he sits on, and who helps him:

“But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up His hands” (Exodus 17:12). Moses sits upon a stone, which is the solid rock of Christ, which Jesus said if we build our house upon, it will stand during the storm (Matthew 7:25). Aaron and Hur are a type of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, holding up our hands. In this position, the believer is off of their own feet and being supported completely by the finished work of Jesus. Only here will we see victory in our valleys, when we are resting on the mountain.

One final note: the word “steady” which describes how Moses’ hands remained until the going down of the sun is the same word in Hebrew as “faith”. Let your faith rest on the perfect, finished work of Jesus until the setting of your sun, when you meet Him in glory.

Destroy All

1 Samuel 15:3, 8, 9

“Destroy all” was a simple command from the LORD to King Saul. Amalek had attacked Israel in Exodus 17 while Israel was on the journey to the Promised Land. God is not slack in His judgment, so He now orders Saul to repay Amalek by destroying everything that they have, animals included. Saul had other plans though.

Typical of man operating under rebellion, Saul felt that he had a better plan, which included the destruction of the people of the Amalekites, but the sparing of the best of the sheep and the oxen and the fatlings, and the lambs, “and all that was good” (15:9), as well as King Agag.

Where Saul failed in his discernment of spiritual things was in his failure to understand that there is nothing good with that which God has cursed. Amalek was under the judgment of God’s hand, thus they had nothing to offer God’s chosen people. By destroying Amalek, God was not only judging them for their actions, but He was sparing His own people and their future generations from dealing with these heathens again.

Saul leans to that side of himself that is still prevalent in mankind to this day: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Saul felt that he could identify that which was good and that which was evil. This is why he refused to destroy things that he felt could be useful to him and to his army, though God had specifically order such extermination. He even categorizes other things as “vile and refuse” and thus worthy of destruction. He did not know the heart of God in this matter which viewed all of it as “vile and refuse”.

Amalek is a type of the flesh and of sin, and thus all of it is deemed unusable by God. Christ came to completely destroy the power of sin and the flesh, leaving none of it unresolved at the cross. His death was a complete and total victory over the forces of darkness, not even sparing Satan himself. Jesus said of the devil that he was cast out as a source of power when God’s judgment came pouring into the body of Christ (John 12:31). Paul also said that Jesus “spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).

As if to show us what happens when sin is left unresolved, Saul is ultimately killed at the hand of an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:13), in an enormous piece of Biblical irony, that was not at all coincidental. Thank God that we do not have to fear the return of our old man of sin, but that Jesus has already destroyed Satan’s power in our life. Our heavenly Saul “hewed Agag in pieces” just as old Samuel did when he arrived (1 Samuel 15:33). We are free from the fear of tomorrow because our Amalek has been dealt with today.