AMALEK, A TYPE OF THE FLESH

Part 16

Exo. 17:8-16

Morning Meditation 11/17/16

Verses 8-16 say, “Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 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, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

I do desire to move faster through studies like this. But as we move along, there are so many things that are important that I cannot pass without dealing with them. And I am certainly not dealing with everything. I am sure many of you could contribute good ideas that are evident to you that I miss. Thank you for your patience. Some of you use these studies for devotional studies. That is good if you have the time. They are too long for most to use for devotional studies. They are good to file for future help on these texts when lessons or sermons are prepared. This is the reason I call them Morning Meditations instead of Morning Devotionals. They are actually what comes to me in my morning devotionals as the Lord gives me a passage or thought to develop. So they do go beyond the devotional. Our present study deals with life principles and needs to be meditated on and the principles memorized. Because they have to do with LIFE not just incidentals along life’s way.

Back to our text. This is the first fight Israel had after leaving Egypt. Israel did not participate in the battle at the Red Sea. God fought that battle by himself (while His people ran like scared rabbits!). The battle with Amalek is also the Lord’s battle, but it is fought through Joshua and the armies of Israel, and in such a way that we recognize that it is still the Lord’s battle (the armies of Israel were just picked men totally untrained in warfare. They were a slave people just redeemed from slavery who were not even allowed to have a weapon. These typify the believer just delivered from the slavery of sin, totally unprepared from battle with the flesh, but nevertheless can win through the Intercessor on the hill). All our battles are the Lord’s or we shouldn’t be involved in them. This is the reason we lose when we do. We fight many battles that are not His and when we do, He will not be there with the rod of God raised. Or, He will be there with hands down and watch us fail. Another verse before we go through our present passage. Numbers 24:20 says, “And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.” This is Balaam speaking to Barak. Barak wanted Balaam to curse Israel and God wouldn’t let him. He said “Amalek was the first of the nations” which probably means that Amalek was the first of the nations to do battle with Israel on her exodus from Egypt. The words “but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever” means flesh and blood will not enter the kingdom of heaven. The flesh will not be in heaven. Jesus did not come to save our flesh. He came to create a new race out of the old and His creation is that of the inner man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:24). This is the miracle of the New Birth. Some choose not to call it a miracle. It is totally a supernatural work. It is not an evolution but a creative act. To me it is a miracle. Just as much as the creation of the first man.

Our text says, “Then came Amalek and fought with Israel at Rephidim.” We learned in our last study that “Rephidim” means “resting place.” Here is where Israel gets water from the rock, a type of Christ. Salvation is called rest. Heb. 4:2-3 says, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” There are THREE RESTS spoken of in Hebrews four. First the rest of salvation. This is where the believing sinner rests in the finished work of Christ. Then there is the rest of victory. This is the rest of Canaan (not heaven) where we enjoy the experience of salvation and face all our enemies in His finished work and claim His victory as ours while we are alive on this earth. Then there is the millennial rest which is yet to come for Israel and the people of God. Our text is speaking of the first rest and is teaching how to rest in the second rest.

Verse 9 is Moses instructing Joshua in the rules of the battle. He tells Joshua that we will choose us out men and they will go out and fight with Amalek. The fight with Amalek is unavoidable. Moses tells Joshua that He will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in his hand. We have Joshua leading a newly created people in a fight against Amalek (a type of the flesh) and winning against Amalek as long as Moses has the rod of God lifted in the air. Moses tires and lets the rod down. Aaron and Hur (the priests) support Moses hands, put a rock for a seat under him, and sustain his hands as he holds the rod of God in the air. We are told that as long as Moses held the rod in the air, Joshua won the battle and when he let the rod down, Amalek won. We are told in verse 13: “And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” I want to ask you a question. Where was the battle won? On the hill top or in the valley? It is obvious that the battle was won on the hill with Moses (a type of Christ) interceding, and Aaron and Hur (types of believer priests) supporting Moses hands as he held the rod of God in the air. When Moses held the rod of God in the air, Joshua was fighting a battle already won. When his hands were down, he was fighting a battle already lost.

The lesson is that we cannot win against the flesh. Only Christ can win that battle. I must confess, though I have studied this truth from early in my ministry, I have found myself trying to train my flesh to be better only to discover the flesh is untrainable. It is deceptive. The flesh says, “Train me. I can do it if only you will train me.” Jeremiah put it like this: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). He is speaking of the natural heart, i.e., the depraved heart inherited from Adam (Rom. 5:12). Jesus came and overcame the flesh through His death on the cross. It took His death to free us from our marriage to Satan through the law and free us to be married to ANOTHER (Rom. 7:1-4).. Someone hold my mules!!! I died to Satan and the flesh (the principle of indwelling sin) in the death of Jesus and was raised in His resurrection where I live in Him at the present time, and am seated together with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6), and am now enjoying His victory over the world, the flesh and the Devil. As I daily encounter Amalek, I fight a battle already won, as He intercedes on the top of the hill (in the heavenlies), and applies the victory already won through the applied blood of the Passover Lamb. There is something else that needs to be said before we close today’s meditation. What about Aaron and Hur. They typify the believer priests who carry on a ministry of prayer. I know Jesus does not get tired holding up the rod of God like Moses did. But we do learn an important lesson. Moses is interceding and it is important for others to intercede with him. We are called a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9) and priests pray. “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38). Does this not teach that our prayers count as we pray with Him for laborers? We have an illustration of the application of this truth recorded in Acts 13:1-4. Just to quote verse 2 as it tells what the church leader were doing: “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” I have wanted to know for years what it means when it says, “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted. . .” I now know. Just as Aaron and Hur ministered to Moses and supported his tired hands while Joshua fought the battle in the valley, we as believer priests join with Jesus in His resurrection life and minister to Him in His intercessory ministry. I see in this a new reason for intercessory prayer. We actually minister to the Lord as we join Him as our great High Priest and pray with Him as He holds the symbol of authority (His Cross) in the air, as the saints of God engage the enemy on earth. We engage the enemy on earth but the battle is won on the hill.. And we do not have to be skilled in battle. But we must put on the whole armor of God. No wonder James had a reputation for prayer and tradition says that his knees were calloused like the knees of a camel.

Verse 13 says, “And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” Amen.

May the Lord bless these word to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White