The First Battle

calendar_today February 5, 2023
menu_book Exodus 17:8-16
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Sermon 41 in Series

Exodus 17:8-16
[8] Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. [9] So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” [10] So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. [11] Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. [12] But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. [13] And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

[14] Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” [15] And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner, [16] saying, “A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How would you summarize the sin of the Israelites in chapters 15-17? What is the alternative way of dealing with trials?
2.   What role does the staff play in this narrative? Why does it need to be held up, and what is God communicating to his people?
3.   What does it mean to say that only Yahweh can win our battles, but we still have to put on the armor and go out to fight?
4.   How does the scene on the hill with Moses, Aaron, and Hur illustrate our need for others? How are you tempted to go at it alone in the Christian life?
5.   Who were the Amalekites? How did God view their sin?
6.   What were the consequences for the Amalekites? What does this teach us about the seriousness of sin and the certainty of judgment?

References: 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11; Philippians 4:6; James 1:2-4; Exodus 13:17; Genesis 36:15-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19; 1 Samuel 15:2; Exodus 24:13; 9:23; 14:16; Ephesians 6:10; Exodus 15:14-15; Esther 3:1.

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