32 TWO VICTORIES

The first victory at Rephidim happens when again Israel has a need for miraculous water. At Marah the water was bitter. At Rephidim there was no water—visible. God can make bitter water sweet or make hidden water come out of the rock. Verse 1 says, “The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.” Here is a repeated lesson, they journeyed according to the commandment of the Lord, led by the pillar of cloud and fire, and yet they came to a place where there was no water. We can be where we are supposed to be and yet meet with troubles into which God brings us for the trial of our faith and that God may be ultimately glorified.

They had no water and it is explained that they thirsted for it. Verse 3 says, “But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?'” If they had no water to drink, of course they were thirsty, but the narrative suggests not only that they wanted water and felt the inconvenience of that need, but that their passion sharpened their appetites, and they were violent and impatient in their desire; their thirst made them unreasonable. Natural desires, even legitimate natural desires, have need to be kept under the self-control of Christian faith, reason and patience. Notice their language. They did not pray and they did not politely ask. Instead they challenged and demanded Moses to supply them as verse 2 says, “So they quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’” Because they were supplied with bread, they insist that they must be supplied with water too. One’s desire can be right yet the attitude is wrong. To those that by faith and prayer live a life of dependence on God, one favor can give us hope for another, and may be humbly pleaded, but we must be careful to maintain a good attitude. They quarreled with Moses for bringing them out of Egypt, as if, instead of delivering them, he designed to murder them. Their complaint was most untrue, unfair and unkind. Verse 3 says, "But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?’” Many leaders that have not only designed well, but done well for their generation, have had their best services misconstrued and their patience tried by unthinking and unthankful people. We are studying leadership principles and Moses furnishes us four of them here. First, we, as he, may experience a vicious threat. “Then Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me’” (4). We must ask ourselves if we are willing to endure that for our Lord. Second, He reproved the murmurers according to verse 2 “Moses replied, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?’” Observe how mildly and reasonably he answered them. It was good that he was a man of extraordinary meekness, or else their tumultuous conduct would have made him lose control of himself. It is foolish to answer passion with passion, because that makes bad worse, but soft answers turn away anger. Third, He showed them on whom their murmurings reflected; that the accusations they cast at him fell on God himself: You tempt the Lord. By distrusting God’s power, you try His patience, and so provoke His anger.” Fourth, He made his complaint to God as verse 4 says, “Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people?” When men unjustly quarrel with us, it will be a great relief to us to go to God, and by prayer lay the case before Him and leave it with Him. If men will not hear us, God will; if their bad conduct towards us cause us distress, God’s consolations will compose them.

Then we see also a record of what God did for Moses. He orders Moses to go before the people, and place himself in his position as their leader even though they spoke of stoning him. He must take his staff with him, not as God might justly have ordered, to summon some plague or other to chastise them for their distrust and murmuring, but to bring water out for their supply. “The Lord answered Moses, ‘Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.’ So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.” (5, 6). Scripture teaches us, if our enemy hungers, feed him, and if he thirsts, as Israel did now, give him drink. God answered in the words of Psalm 78:15, 16, “He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas; he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.” How does this apply to us? Will He fail us that trust Him, when He was so liberal even to those who tempted Him? Furthermore, God wants us to remember the lessons learned from these experiences. So then a new name was given to the place, preserving the remembrance of the sin of their murmuring—Massah, temptation, because they tempted God, and Meribah, strife, because they argued with Moses. There was in this way a memory kept of their sin for warning to their offspring as verse 7 says, “And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”” There was nothing wrong with asking for water and we may have to do that, but let us keep our attitude right in the asking. As Christian leaders may we always give soft answers to complainers and kindly show them God’s solution and provision as Moses did.

We move next to the war with Amalek for the second victory at Rephidim. Amalek started the fight as verse 8 explains,  “The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.” The Amalekites were the posterity of Esau, who hated Jacob because of the birthright and blessing controversy. This attack may have been because the Amalekites, Esau’s offspring, saw that the decendants of Jacob were moving toward the promised land. Yet there is another issue. Israel had been quarreling with Moses and now God sends Amalekites to quarrel with them. Wars often are just punishment for the sins, strifes and discontents at home. This war is referred to later in Deuteronomy 25:17, 18, “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.” They evidently did not boldly attack in front, but without any provocation or challenge given by Israel, fell on their rear, and attacked those who were faint and feeble and could neither resist nor escape. In this they defied the God Who had so recently ruined the Egyptians. However, in vain they attacked a camp guarded and defended by a miracle-working God; they did not know what they were doing.

This is the first time to see Joshua mentioned as he is appointed commander-in-chief in this expedition, that he might be trained and raised up for leadership after the death of Moses. Christian leader, this is the beginning of the lesson to prepare a successor. Joshua is ordered to draw out a detachment of choice men from the thousands of Israel and to drive back the Amalekites. “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’” (9). When the Egyptians pursued them, Israel must stand still and watch God work, but now it was required that they should arouse themselves. God sometimes works alone and at other times He is to be trusted in the use of means.

Verse 9 also says that Moses had his own assignment. See how God qualifies His people for, and calls them to, various services for the good of His people: Joshua fights, Moses prays, and both minister to Israel. Moses went up to the top of the hill, and placed himself, probably, so as to be seen by Israel. There he held up the staff of God in his hand, that wonder-working staff which had summoned the plagues of Egypt, and under which Israel had passed out of the house of bondage. This staff Moses was held up for Israel, to encourage them; the staff was held up as the banner to make the soldiers strong, who might look up, and say, “There is the staff and the hand that used it, when such glorious things were done for us.” It is good to reflect on the great things God has done for us, and review His favors. Moses also held up this staff to God, by way of appeal to Him: Is not the battle the Lord’s? Is not He able to help, and engaged to help? Moses was not only a standard-bearer, but an intercessor, pleading with God for success and victory. Moses, however, was human and old and became tired, “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” (12). The strongest human arm will fail if lifted for a long time. It is only God whose hand is stretched out still  as Isaiah famously says. We do not find that Joshua’s hands were heavy in fighting, but Moses’ hands were heavy in praying. The more spiritual any service is the more apt we are to grow weary or even fail in it. Praying work, if done with due intenseness of mind and vigor, will be found hard work, and, though the spirit be willing, the flesh will be weak. By contrast, our great Intercessor in heaven faints not, nor is He weary, though He attends continually to this very thing.

Verse 11 makes it graphically clear that Moses’ work of prayer had its good effect. “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning” This is such an important verse. It teaches us of the importance of prayer in the life of the leader and it also affirms that there are things God does if we pray that He does not do if we do not pray. Prayer makes a difference. Leader, let this burn deeply into your heart, soul and spirit. To convince Israel that the hand of Moses, with whom they had just now been arguing, contributed more to their safety than their own hands and his staff than their swords, the success rises and falls as Moses lifts up or lets down his hands. It seems, the scale wavered back and forth for some time, before it turned to Israel’s side. Even the best cause may experience disappointments as an alloy to its successes. Even though the battle be the Lord’s, Amalek may prevail for a time. The reason was Moses let down his hands. When Moses could not stand any longer he sat down, not in a chair of state, but on a stone, “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” (12). Moses, the man of God, is glad of the assistance of Aaron his brother, and Hur. We should not be hesitant to ask for help from others or to give help to others, for we are members of one family, one team, one army.

Moses is commanded here in Exodus 17 to write about this battle evidently because God wants people to remember what He has done and what He plans. Verse 14 says, “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.’” What might Moses write in such a scroll? Perhaps what Amalek has done against Israel, their bitter hatred and cruel attempts against Israel, what God has done for Israel in saving them from Amalek, that God fights for His people and He who touches them touches the apple of His eye, and that in the process of time Amalek will be totally ruined. We know that Amalek, is listed in Psalm 83:7 as one of the nations that wants to remove the name of Israel from the face of the earth. They say, “Come . . . . let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more” (Psalm 83:4). But instead, Amalek is destroyed and will be remembered only in history. So, Moses, writes it for the encouragement of Israel, that whenever the Amalekites are an annoyance, they may know that Israel will at last triumph in their fall. We do not know what Moses wrote in that scroll, but we do know that partly by Saul and completely by David, Israel flourished while Amalek disappeared.

Moses took care that God would have the glory from this victory. Verse 15 says, “Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.” Instead of setting up a triumphal arch, to the honor of Joshua or the men who fought, he builds an altar to the honor of God. We may guess it was not an altar without sacrifice, but what is recorded by Moses is evidently its most peculiar and important feature. The inscription on the altar is: Jehovah-nissi—The Lord is my banner. This may refer to the lifting up of the staff of God as a banner in this action. The presence and power of Jehovah were the banner under which they fought and by which they were empowered. Psalm 20:5 says, “May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.”

Lord, give Christian leaders today the grace to give soft answers to complaining people and to raise the banner of intercession to help God’s people win many battles. We still need these two kinds of victories today.