Exodus 17:12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.
Who we surround ourselves with is so vital. It is said that there are two types of people in the world: leaners and lifters. Leaners are those who drain your strength from you. They will just dump their burdens and loads onto you and are usually very concerned about themselves. When you get together with them you just hear all their issues and problems and they seldom stop long enough to ask you how you are doing. Lifters have the ability to make your load lighter. They are usually more outward focused and have this ability to lift the load and lighten the burden. Moses had two lifters. People who were prepared to stand there the whole day and hold his hands up. They were prepared to see the battle through with Moses and not abandon him until victory was achieved. Look for and surround yourself with people who will do this for you. Be a lifter yourself. Think about others and how you can help them to succeed. Do what you can to hold up their hands and perhaps you will both end up enjoying the victory that follows.
STAY DEPENDENT ON GOD
Lifted hands are a sign of surrender and dependence. ‘And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed.’ Living in a state of humble dependence on God is a key to overcoming. Living with an attitude of surrender, opens the doors to success and victory. When we drop our guard, the enemy gets a gap and we begin to lose the war. ‘But when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.’ Sometimes we just get tired and we want to throw in the towel and drop our guard.
Exodus 17:12a Moses’ arms soon became so tired (Moses’ hands became heavy) he could no longer hold them up.
They were prepared to do whatever was required to stay in the place of dependence on God. Sometimes the battle can be drawn out.
Exodus 17:12b So his hands held steady until sunset.
It looks like the battle could have gone on most of the day and during this time they had to keep his hands up. We can all grow weary in our season of trusting God for victory. The best of Christians can grow weary when their hearts begin to fail them, or when the power of unbelief begins to cast its shadow, or when prayers are not immediately answered, or when long delays take their toll, or when the enemy gets a foothold, or your physical body begins to fail you, or when a touch of fear begins to take root. Regardless how long the battle takes, you and I must remain surrendered and dependent on God. That is the secret.
ULTIMATELY GOD GAVE THEM THE VICTORY
It was a resounding victory.
Exodus 17:13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. (NLT)
It was an overwhelming victory. They floored the enemy, they devastated the enemy, they crushed the enemy, they overpowered and swamped the enemy and they overthrew the enemy. It was not a hollow victory. Victory came at length, but the victory was in favour of Israel and this victory was attributed to God. Ultimately God will give you the victory. Don’t forget to give God the honour for the victory He gives you.
Exodus 17:15 Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”).
He took time, made an effort and deliberately honoured God in a lasting and an enduring way.
Exodus 17:16 He said, “They have raised their fist against the Lord’s throne, so now the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.” (NLT)
It says that God would be at war with the enemy in perpetuity. By choosing to fight against the Israelites, they had in fact chosen to fight against God Himself. This was not the Israelites fight, but it was God’s and He won.
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