April 15, 2019
Tired Arms Need Helping Hands
Exodus 17
Sara Fusco
Central Truth
Surrendering to the Lord is hard and not something we can do in isolation. Community helps us keep seeking God when we get tired or when we lose focus.
Key Verse | Exodus 17:11-12
Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 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.
Exodus 17
Water from the Rock
1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah 1 17:7 Massah means testing and Meribah, 2 17:7 Meribah means quarreling because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
Israel Defeats Amalek
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 3 17:16 A slight change would yield upon the banner of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Dive Deeper | Exodus 17
Have you ever painted a ceiling, installed a ceiling fan, or held up that framed picture while someone else checked if it was just right? If so, you know the burn that shortly creeps into your shoulders as you hold your arms up for too long. Moses felt that burn, but instead of it just slowing down his project, Moses dropping his arms resulted in the loss of lives. Say what?!
God had given Moses the staff (Exodus 4:17) as a symbol of His power. For Moses, the staff was a sign of his dependence on God. When Joshua led the men of Israel into battle, Moses watched from a hilltop, holding the staff up to the heavens and displaying Israel's dependence on God to win the battle. However, just like ours do, Moses' arms got tired. When Moses lowered his hands to get a rest, Amalek, Israel's enemy, prevailed. Thankfully, Moses had community with him. Aaron and Hur were there to support him, encourage him, and struggle alongside him. We all need that kind of community!
As I go through seasons in my life where the plan is not clear and the end is unseen, I have to choose to depend on God daily. I must surrender my life and my will to Him and trust in His plan. Just like Moses, I don't have the strength to do that on my own. I have others around me who help me hold up my arms in surrender to the Lord. Community, friends, and wise counsel all encourage me to follow God's lead and raise my hands in dependence on him. And to be honest, I sometimes need their encouragement and admonishment more when things are seeming to go well than when things are tough. When things are going well, I sometimes forget how much I need Him.
Dependence changes us. When we realize we are dependent on something outside of ourselves, we can respond with grumbling and getting angry like the thirsty Israelites did, or we can go humbly to the Lord. Your choice!
Discussion Questions
1. How long can you hold your hands above your head? Even without a staff in our hands, our arms get heavy, and our determination fails. What are you trying to lift on your own that you need to let others help you?
2. Who in your life helps you hold up your hands in surrender to the Lord? You can only do it on your own for so long. Thank those who help you, send them an encouraging text, let them know how the Lord is using them in your life.
3. How does your prayer life and time studying God's Word show your dependence on Him? Can you make it through a day without praying or seeking God's truth? If so, you may want to question your dependence on Him.