SCRIPTURE READING: Exodus 17:1-16
THERE WILL BE THOSE WHO WILL WAR AGAINST YOU
I have discovered that in the course of life there will always be those who will ‘war against you’. There will always be challenges; there will be the battles and the fights along the way. No one is exempt or excluded. The nation of Israel had many wars and skirmishes. Someone recently told me that while the Israelites were moving towards the Promised Land they had several battles, but once they were in the Promised Land they had 39 major battles. We may think that when we arrive in our Promised Land the battles will be over, however it is a real possibility that once we arrive there, the real battles actually begin! The Bible tells us that our lives are a fight and a battle.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (I have remained faithful).
Ephesians 6:12 Our battle (struggle) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
This includes both external battles and the internal ones.
TIMES ALONG OUR JOURNEY WHEN WE NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS
1. When we are not happy or things are not going our way.
Exodus 17:7 Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”
It is interesting to note that this attack came after a bout of murmuring and moaning.
Exodus 17:8 Then Amalek came and fought against Israel...
If you choose to be unhappy, you will inevitably get something to be unhappy about.
2. When we are enjoying success and riding the crest of the wave.
The nation of Israel had just had a breakthrough. God had provided them with water and the challenges had been removed. It is interesting to note that it was after this breakthrough that ‘then Amalek came and fought against Israel……’ The Amelekites pounced on the Hebrews without provocation when they were weak. I heard of an organization that needed to retrench some of their staff. After the process one of the staff members that had remained made a comment and said: ‘Fortunately, I am never in the firing line for that!’ One month later the company released more staff and he was part of that group. When we are going through these types of extremes the best thing is to remain humble and dependent on God. In this way we will be able to avoid unnecessary battles.
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