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Adam Clarke · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Clarke - In the most treacherous and dastardly manner; for they came at the rear of the camp…The baggage, no doubt, was the object of their avarice; but finding the women, children, aged and infirm persons, behind with the baggage, they smote them and took away their spoils.” Lockyer - By guerilla warfare, there was a deliberate effort to defeat God's purpose at the very outset when Israel was most feeble, having recently come out of bondage (Deuteronomy 25:17, 18). No wonder God caused Israel to be victorious! On so many occasions, Israel proved that the battle was not theirs but God's. The numerical and material strength of contending hosts counted for nothing. God gave the victory. Matthew Poole suggests "The ground of the quarrel was the prosecution of the old hatred of Esau against Jacob, and the revenging of themselves and their father upon the posterity of Jacob; for which they thought this the fittest season, they being now great and potent people (Nu 24:20), and Israel now weak, and unarmed, and dispirited with long servitude." BACKGROUND ON THE AMALEKITES - LeBron Matthews summarizes the Amalekites - A nomadic tribe of formidable people that first attacked the Israelites after the Exodus at Rephidim. Descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12), they inhabited the desolate wasteland of the northeast Sinai peninsula and the Negeb. They were the first to attack Israel after the Exodus (Numbers 24:20). Israel won the initial battle (Exodus 17:8-16 ), but later was driven back into the Sinai wilderness by a coalition of Amalekites and Canaanites (Numbers 14:39-45). Thereafter the Amalekites waged a barbaric guerrilla war against Israel (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Fighting continued after Israel settled in Canaan. Because of their atrocities, God commanded Saul to exterminate the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:2-3). Saul disobeyed, and the Amalekites were not defeated completely until late in the eighth century B.C. (1 Chronicles 4:43). No archaeological data concerning the Amalekites has been discovered to date. See also Exodus and Negeb. (Holman Bible Dictionary) Amalek apparently means “dweller in a valley”. Moses records the first mention of Amalek (and it is assumed for purposes of the present discussion that this same Amalek is the father of the "Amalekites" although some dispute this interpretation) "Timna was a concubine of Esau's son Eliphaz and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Esau's wife Adah." (Genesis 36:12) Thus the Amalekites were direct descendants of Isaac. Yet they became the persistent enemies of Israel (Jacob), a thorn in their flesh, and a constant menace to their spiritual and national life. Balaam (see note) says that "Amalek was the first of the nations, but his end shall be destruction." (Numbers 24:20) As the first nation to attack the newly redeemed Israel (and thus typical of all who later hated God’s people), the Amalekites received the full impact of God’s curse upon "“the one who curses you I will curse.” (Genesis 12:3) (Summary of Abrahamic Covenant) Expositor's Bible says "The Amalekites lived in the desert, south of Canaan around Kadesh (Genesis 14:7), otherwise known as the northern part of the Negev (Numbers 13:29, 14:25, 43). Amalek was the son of Eliphaz (Esau's eldest boy) by a concubine named Timna (Genesis 36:12) and became a "clan" or "chief" in the tribe of Esau (Genesis 36:15). Thus the Amalekites were distant cousins to the Israelites. There is every possibility that they had known about the promise of the land of Canaan that had been given to Esau's twin brother, Jacob; therefore, they should not have felt any threat to their interests in the Negev had this promise been remembered and taken seriously. After all, the promise was to be a means of blessing Amalek along with all the other nations (Genesis 12:3) if only they, like Abraham, would have believed. Instead they "came" (wayyabo') and attacked Israel at Rephidim--some distance south of the north-central district of the Sinai where they lived. Amalek's assault on Israel drew the anger of God on two counts: (1) they failed to recognize the hand and plan of God in Israel's life and destiny (even the farther-removed Canaanites of Jericho had been given plenty to think about when they heard about the Exodus-- Joshua 2:10); and (2) the first targets of their warfare were the sick, aged, and tired of Israel who lagged behind the line of march (Dt 25:17-19). Thus Amalek became the "first among the nations" (Nu 24:20)--in this case, to attack Israel. They are placed in juxtaposition with another group of Gentiles in the next chapter (Jethro's Midianites Ex 18:1-2ff) who believed in Israel's God (Ex 18:9-12). These two chapters illustrate two kingdoms (Amalek and Midian) and two responses to the grace of God from the Gentile world." (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary) During the period of the judges, the Amalekites joined forces with the Ammonites and the Moabites to capture Jericho (Jdg 3:12,13+). Later the Amalekites joined the Midianites and the people of the East in harassing the Israelites, and this evil coalition comprised a force "in the valley as numerous as locusts". (Jdg 7:12+) There were too many Amalekites for Gideon’s army of 300 but not too many for Jehovah Who had promised Gideon "I will deliver you with the 300 men" (Jdg 7:7+) "lest Israel become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me.'" (Jdg 7:2+). And so Gideon and his band of 300 defeated the Amalekites in the Valley of Jezreel ("God sows" or "God scatters" - future site of the gathering of the armies at Armageddon - Rev 16:16+) (Jdg 6:3+, Jdg 6:33+; Jdg 7:12-22+), once again graphically illustrating the importance of man's responsibility and God's sovereignty in achieving victory over the "Amalekites". Despite this defeat by Gideon, Amalek still had not faced the crushing judgment that the Lord had foretold to Moses (Ex 17:14, 15, 16). That task was assigned to Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites... Thus says Jehovah Sabaoth, LORD of hosts (of armies), 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. (1Sa 15:2, 3). Saul attacked and chased the enemy from the land, but he failed in his mission by sparing the Amalekite king Agag (See discussion of one consequence of Saul sparing Agag) and by holding on to some of the spoils of battle (1Sa 15:6-9). As a result of Saul's partial obedience which was in reality complete disobedience (in contrast to the unquestioning, complete obedience of Joshua in Exodus 17), Saul was told that the Lord would tear the kingdom from him and give it to "his neighbor who is better than you". (1Sa 15:10-33,28) (Why is obedience better than sacrifice?). Saul killed himself when he fell on his sword (1Sa 31:4) but in a bitter and ironic twist an Amalekite reported to David that he had killed Saul (2Sa 1:8,13). It appears that the Amalekites' story is a fabrication for the first Samuel passage makes it clear that "Saul took his sword and fell on it". Perhaps the Amalekite sought recognition or reward from David by claiming to have slain Saul. Later in Israel's history, the Amalekites who escaped from Saul (1Sa 15:7) were smitten by David "And David slaughtered them from the twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled." (1Sa 30:17) The Amalekites who escaped from David were destroyed by the descendants of Simeon in the days of King Hezekiah - (circa 715-686 BC) when 500 men from the tribe of Simeon defeated the Amalekites and dispossessed them from their land and "destroyed the remnant of the Amalekites who escaped, and have lived there to this day." (1Chr 4:43).
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Clarke on Joshua - Both in the Septuagint and Greek Testament he is called Jesus: the name signifies Saviour; and he is allowed to have been a very expressive type of our blessed Lord. He fought with and conquered the enemies of his people, brought them into the promised land, and divided it to them by lot. The parallel between him and the Saviour of the world is too evident to require pointing out.” Related Resource: Who was Joshua in the Bible? Easton's Bible Dictionary Joshua Fausset Bible Dictionary Joshua Holman Bible Dictionary Joshua Hitchcock Bible Names Joshua Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Joshua Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Joshua Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary Joshua Whyte's Bible Characters Joshua Wilson's Bible Types Joshua Watson's Theological Dictionary Joshua nternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia Joshua (3) Joshua (2) Joshua (1) Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Joshua Go out...fight - Both of these Hebrew verbs are imperatives indicating that they are not suggestions but commands. Given Amalek's lineage from Esau, in a sense this battle was a renewal of the age old rivalry between Jacob and Esau (Ge 25:27-34, Ge 27:41). Joshua was called to fight in the valley and Moses would be on the hill. Notice that this unusual strategy met with no grumbling or disputing from Joshua (See discussion of doing all things without grumbling in Php 2:14 [see note]). THOUGHT - Would I have been so trusting and so obedient, especially given the unorthodox nature of the "strategy"? In these seemingly small details we begin to learn much about the heart of this one name Joshua, who is living up to his great name which means "Jehovah is salvation". Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand - Joshua in the valley and Moses on the hill. We see here a principle that weaves through both testaments, the principle of Divine sovereignty and human responsibility. God's part and our part are inextricably, mysteriously linked. It is interesting that in Exodus 17:5 Jehovah told Moses "to take in your hand your staff." Walter Kaiser explains it this way - He was to muster an army to fight against the Amalekites while Moses, with the staff of God in his hand, would stand on top of one of the nearby hills overlooking the plain. Both elements were to be operating: (1) the sword in Joshua's hand and (2) the staff (symbol of divine intervention) in Moses' hand. Once again divine sovereignty and human responsibility were linked in carrying out the will of God. (The Expositor's Bible Commentary) Related Resource: "Paradoxical Principle of 100% Dependent and 100% Responsible" (100/100) Ligon Duncan sets the context - Now consider this situation. You’re going into armed combat for the first time with former slaves with no military training against experienced desert dwellers on their own turf. Your people are completely untested and their morale has been exceeding low for the last six weeks to two months. Your number one guy is on a hillside with a stick. Do you like those odds? That is the circumstance that the Lord has placed His people in deliberately, because God is positioning His people to learn something about Him and consequently to depend on Him more. We see, in other words, even in this passage the wise providential hand of God at word. (Sermon) John MacArthur on the staff of God - It became the symbol of God’s personal and powerful involvement, with Moses’ outstretched arms perhaps signifying an appeal to God. The ebb and flow of battle in correlation with Moses’ uplifted or drooping arms imparted more than psychological encouragement as the soldiers looked up to their leader on the hilltop, and more than Moses’ interceding for them. It demonstrated and acknowledged their having to depend upon God for victory in battle and not upon their own strength and zeal. It also confirmed the position of Moses both in relation to God and the nation’s well-being and safety. They had angrily chided him for their problems, but God confirmed his appointment as leader. Ken Hemphill comments on the "staff of God": THE LORD IS MY BANNER - It was not simply Moses' dramatic and visible posture on the hilltop that inspired confidence in his troops; it was the rod of God held aloft that brought them victory. Though the rod was likely nothing more than a shepherd's staff, God had used it as an object lesson to show Moses His power to accomplish His work. Back in Exodus 4, when God called Moses to lead Israel out of captivity, and Moses objected that no one would believe him or listen to what he had to say, God asked what he had in his hand. It was his shepherd's staff. God then instructed him to throw the staff on the ground, whereupon it became a serpent. The Lord then instructed Moses to take the serpent by the tail and once he did, it again became a staff. This staff was to be used as a sign that the God of Israel had appeared to Moses (Ex 4:5). When Moses obeyed God and departed for Egypt, he took the staff of God with him (Ex 4:20). From this point forward, this simple staff became the rod of God, which Moses used to effect various plagues in Egypt and the striking of the rock that provided water for the thirsting Israelites in the wilderness (Ex 17:5-6). It is this same rod that is now called "the Lord is my Banner" This visible symbol was intended to illustrate graphically to all of Israel's warriors that the victory over Amalek belonged to God. Israel could do nothing in themselves to defeat the Amalekites, but under the banner of the Lord, victory was assured. You might be surprised, as I was, to find a simple staff depicted as a banner. A banner in ancient times was not always a flag, as we think of a banner today. Often it was a bare staff with a shiny metal ornament that would glisten in the sun. In fact, the word translated BANNER means "to glisten." In Psalm 74:4 , the psalmist speaks of the enemy setting up their standards or banners in their camp as a sign of victory. "Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy meeting place They have set up their own standards for signs." In Psalm 60:4-6 , we have a wonderful picture of God's protection and deliverance under the imagery of a banner: Thou has given a banner to those who fear Thee, That it may be displayed because of the truth, That Thy beloved may be delivered, Save with Thy right hand, and answer us! When we understand that Jehovah has become our Banner, we can come under Him for our victory. This banner in the hand of Moses was a visible image of the protection and the power of God, who would provide the victory over Amalek. The Israelites were to understand that their victory was a miracle provided by Jehovah. . (The Names of God) Exodus 17:9 The Mentor by Dr. Woodrow Kroll And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand." Webster defines a mentor as a "trusted counselor or guide." He comes alongside you not to control, but to advise. He is a source of wisdom and counsel. He does not live your life for you, but gently guides you through the potholes and the obstacles so that you can live successfully. Mentoring may be a new concept for many Christians today, but it's an old idea rooted in biblical tradition. Moses acted as a mentor to Joshua. He advised and trained this young man in all areas of life until, when it was time to receive the mantel of leadership, Joshua was ready. The Church today needs to return to the practice of mentoring (ED: WHILE I AGREE WITH THE PRINCIPLE, I WISH WE WOULD CALL IT MAKING DISCIPLES. THAT IS THE SPECIFIC COMMAND JESUS GAVE US IN HIS GREAT COMMISSION IN Mt 28:19+. AND ACTUALLY THE WORD MENTOR IS NOT FOUND IN THE BIBLE. I CHECKED ALL THE MOST POPULAR TRANSLATIONS). Paul was a mentor to such young men as Timothy and Titus, whom he called "sons" (1 Tim. 1:2,18; 2 Tim. 2:1; Titus 1:4). To the senior women of the church he commanded, "the older women likewise, that they . . . admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed" (Titus 2:3-5). If you are mature in the faith, find someone of the same gender who would be interested in learning from your experiences. If you are a new Christian, seek out the companionship of a believer who demonstrates by the fruit in his life that he has a dynamic relationship with Christ and then seek his counsel. This is God's plan for leadership training. Every Christian should either be mentored or be a mentor. In helping others, we help ourselves. Exodus 17:10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Amplified: So Joshua did as Moses said and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the hilltop. (Amplified Bible - Lockman) NET Exodus 17:10 So Joshua fought against Amalek just as Moses had instructed him; and Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. NLT Exodus 17:10 So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. KJV Exodus 17:10 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. ESV Exodus 17:10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. NIV Exodus 17:10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. Joshua 11:15; Matthew 28:20; John 2:5; 15:14 Exodus 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Joshua - Portrait of the Man God Uses Aaron & Hur Hold Moses' Hands OBEDIENCE THE SECRET OF SUCCESS And Joshua did as Moses told him - This is the first mention of Joshua in the Bible. Note his immediate obedience. Obedience is the "secret" for success and blessing in the spiritual life and in (spiritual) warfare. THOUGHT - Are you being defeated by your "spiritual enemies" the world, the flesh and the devil. Are you being obedient? Are you "keeping short accounts" quickly confessing your sins? And fought against Amalek - As alluded to above "the battle is the LORD's" (1Sa 17:47, 14:6, 2Chr 20:15, 16, 17, Ps 46:11, Zec 4:6, Pr 21:31 Ro 8:31+, Ro 8:37+) but saints are responsible to "fight the good fight of faith" (1Ti 6:12+). (See Good Soldier 2Ti 2:3, 4+) The armies of Israel would fight with normal combat techniques, but the victory was assured because of God’s power on His people’s behalf. Therefore in the final analysis "victory belongs to the LORD." (Pr 21:31). Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill - This would allow them to see the battle and for the Israelites to see their leader and specifically to see his hands uplifted holding the staff of God. (see discussion of helping hand). Walter Kaiser on Hur - Josephus (Antiquities III, 54 [ii.4]) preserves a Jewish tradition that Hur was the husband of Moses’ sister, Miriam.” J Ligon Duncan has some very "Berean like" (Acts 17:11+) interpretative remarks ... Now tons, tons of ink have been spilled by commentators attempting to explain the significance of Moses holding this staff aloft. Let me give you an example of six suggestions that have been given by the commentators. (1) Many of the old devotional commentators speak of this as a representation of prayer. Moses is on the hillside praying and so often times their sermons will be about the prevailing power of prayer. I don't want to denigrate that in any way though I do want to mention that most of the day Moses is sitting and you will find no examples of praying seated in the Old Testament, except possibly one reference to the King of Israel. Other than that you always pray standing in the Old Testament, so that may weigh against that particular interpretation. (2) Others have suggested that the staff is a sign of general military advance. It's sort of like the general commander lifting up his hat and signaling the armies forward. Again, this doesn't make sense. Moses’ job on the mountain isn't a military job, that's Joshua's job. Moses has already ceded that responsibility to Joshua. (3) Other commentators say that it's the sign of Moses putting Amalek under a curse with the staff of God. (4) Others suggest that it's the focusing of mysterious magical powers on Israel in order to make them able to defeat the Amalekites. But we pointed out all along that the staff itself, God has made abundantly clear, has absolutely no mystical, mysterious, magical powers or properties. It is the physical representation of the activity of God. It's not a magic staff. It's not like a wizard's wand that he's going to do great things with. (5) Fifth, some have indicated that the staff is a sign of the presence of God and when it goes out of sight, the people lose sight of the presence of God, and others have suggest that it's a symbol of encouragement to the Israelite army and there are other interpretations as well. (6) Without getting lost in the trees of suggestion, let's look at the big picture, let's look at the forest. The general significance of what Moses is doing here is crystal clear. Notice that there is one common denominator between this story and the previous story in Exodus 17. What is it? The rod, the staff, the staff of God. That is the one common denominator. Do you remember the rod had been used to do what? To strike the rock and bring forth the water at Rephidim. Now, once again the rod is center stage. In fact it is so center stage because Moses has been removed from the thick of the battle to the hillside so that the rod itself becomes the focus of Israel. Secondly, notice that when the rod is held up Israel wins, and when the rod comes down, Israel is losing. So it's pretty clear that God wants our focus of attention to be on the rod. (ED: AMEN TO THIS STATEMENT!) Once you've decided that, then all you have to do is ask, "What's the message?" If He wants me to look at the rod and think about that, then what's the message that He wants me to get? Again it's very, very clear. The rod, he's already taught you, is both a symbol of the presence and power of God. It is the physical sign of the might that God wields on behalf of Israel. So the point is that it is God who is fighting for Israel. His power is going to be more important than theirs, and thus He is the one that they should depend on for victory, and the one to whom they should give the glory. On the one hand, they might be tempted to despair, given their odds, given their morale, given their lack of training, given their inexperience, all the things were against them, they might have been tempted to despair. On the other hand, after winning this victory, they might have been tempted to think, "Hey, we're pretty good." Do you remember those songs in the sixties where the singers used to start the songs by telling you how cool they were? Maybe you don't remember those. Do you remember Archie Bell and the Drells? Do you remember the beginning to Tighten Up? "Hello, I'm Archie Bell and these are the Drells from Houston Texas, and we not only sing good, but we dance just as good as we walk." I mean, they are celebrating themselves. Well, the Israelites may well have been ready to celebrate themselves after this victory, and the whole point is, "You didn't do this. I did. I'm the one who gives victory. I'm the one who has the power and I'm the one to whom you are to give the glory." The very next phrase you see in Ex 17:12 beautifully highlights the power of God. Why? Moses’ hands are heavy. He's on the hillside, he can't even keep his hands up and so they have to contrive the rock and the assistance to keep the hands up in the air. What better way can you think of to emphasis the sole power of God? Not even Israel's exalted leader was the source of strength and victory, God was. But again, even in verse 12 we see that balanced emphasis on human activity. This time it's Aaron and Hur giving Moses a place to sit and holding up his arm. Israel must be faithful, Israel must do her part. She must be faithful in response to God, but God will supply the power and the result you will see in verse 13, where Joshua mops up the Amalekites and God clearly gave the victory and deserved the credit. What's the lesson? Israel must learn dependence on the Lord for victory, for those who will worship the Lord aright, must worship Him in faith, and if your dependence is not on the Lord, you can't worship the Lord in faith. My friends, that's a lesson for us. That's not just a lesson for the Israelites. We can't worship God unless we worship Him by faith. We can't worship God if we are not in utter dependence on Him. If we are not depending on Him, then we can't worship Him because He called on us to depend on Him. He only wants worshipers who worship Him in spirit and in truth. So, if we are going to worship Him, we have to worship Him in faith. (The Lord is My Banner) Related Resources: Who was Hur in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Who was Aaron in the Bible? Baker Evangelical Dictionary Aaron Easton's Bible Dictionary Aaron Fausset Bible Dictionary Aaron Holman Bible Dictionary Aaron Hitchcock Bible Names Aaron Whyte's Bible Characters Aaron Wilson's Bible Types Aaron Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Aaron Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Aaron International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Aaron Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Aaron Easton's Bible Dictionary Hur Fausset Bible Dictionary Hur Holman Bible Dictionary Hur Hitchcock Bible Names Hur Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Hur International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Hur McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Hur The Jewish Encyclopedia Hur Exodus 17:8-16 INVISIBLE SUPPORT So it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed --Exodus 17:11 Prison guards couldn't understand how Irina Ratushinskaya could be so joyful. She was cold, sick, and hungry in a cruel Soviet prison camp. But Irina says she understands how: People were praying for her. Irina is convinced that she and other prisoners experienced God's presence like "the sense of delicious warmth in a freezing land" because Christians all around the world were asking God to help them. After she was set free, Irina wrote a poem to express her gratitude to God and fellow believers. She included the words, "My dear ones, thank you all." In our Scripture lesson we see that the Israelites prevailed over the superior Amalekite army when Moses lifted his staff toward heaven -- a symbol of intercessory prayer. His praying on the hill, possibly unseen by the Israelites, gave them the invisible support they needed. Sick, suffering, sorrowing people cannot see their fellow believers who are praying for them. But many people have told me they are amazed at the sense of God's presence in their affliction, and they know this to be the result of the prayers of their friends. Support for people who're in need Comes when we pray and intercede; God's strength is given to His own When we go to the Father's throne. --Sper God's intervention is often the result of our intercession. Exodus 17:11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. (NASB: Lockman) Amplified: When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. (Amplified Bible - Lockman) NET Exodus 17:11 Whenever Moses would raise his hands, then Israel prevailed, but whenever he would rest his hands, then Amalek prevailed. NLT Exodus 17:11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. KJV Exodus 17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. ESV Exodus 17:11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. NIV Exodus 17:11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. Ps 56:9; Luke 18:1; 1 Ti 2:8; James 5:16 Exodus 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Joshua - Portrait of the Man God Uses VICTORY COMES FROM THE LORD So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed - Note the phrase held his hand up indicating one hand (hand is singular in the Hebrew text), undoubtedly the one holding the rod or staff of God. THOUGHT - In Exodus so far the staff of God is the token of the power of God. When Moses used it, God demonstrated His power. To use the staff of God was to say that God did it. To fight without the rod was to face defeat. For more detailed discussion of the significance of Moses holding up his hand and Israel prevailing click discussion of helping hand. To use the rod of God was to say that God did it; to fight without the rod was to face defeat. -- NET Note In Israel's first battle with Egypt at the Red Sea, we see that the uplifted staff in the hand of Moses was the key to Israel's victory just as it is here with the Amalekites! In both battles the uplifted staff was clearly a symbol of the power of Jehovah. First Moses divided the sea so that the sons of Israel could go through on dry land = "As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.....Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. (Ex 14:16, 21+). Then as the Egyptians came into the divided sea pursuing Israel, "the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen. So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.” (Ex 14:26-27+) The Net Bible Notes explains that "This short passage (Exodus 17:8-16) gives the first account of Israel’s holy wars. The war effort and Moses’ holding up his hands go side by side until the victory is won and commemorated. Many have used this as an example of intercessory prayer—but the passage makes no such mention. In Exodus so far the rod of God is the token of the power of God; when Moses used it, God demonstrated his power. To use the rod of God was to say that God did it; to fight without the rod was to face defeat. Using the rod of God was a way of submitting to and depending on the power of God in all areas of life. (Net Bible Notes) Matthew Poole on Moses held his hand up - This gesture, though fervent prayer was doubtless joined with it, seems not to have been the gesture of praying, which is the lifting up of both hands, but of an ensign-bearer, or of one ready to smite his enemies. However this was only a sign whereby Moses strengthened his faith, and quickened his prayers, and heightened the courage of the soldiers below, and protested that he expected victory not from the skill and prowess of his army, but from the assistance of God (see discussion of helping hand). And when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed - Note again it does not say hands down but hand down. It is singular, not plural. Regarding the interpretation of the hands up and down, most commentators consider Moses' hand up as indicative of prayer. But the text does not definitively state Moses cried out (as for example in Ex 17:4). Now, I would agree that Moses was surely praying for victory, as Moses "reflex reaction" in trials was to immediately go to the Lord. But did Moses stop praying when he let his hand down which resulted in Amalek prevailing? That hardly seems likely. He could pray just as effectively with his hand down as with it lifted up. So Moses' hand and rod of God being raised seems to be related to something else other than prayer (see discussion of helping hand). "Trust in Providence and keep your powder dry" -- Oliver Cromwell to his soldiers Matthew