(7) War with Amalek

(7) War with Amalek

Exodus 17:8-9 "Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose some men for us 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.'"

At Rephidim, living water flowed from a rock for the people to drink, but then Amalek suddenly appeared. The coming of living water signifies that Jesus Christ became life through his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.

Amalek is a descendant of Esau and seeks to fulfill the law. Galatians 5:16-17 says, "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to each other, so that you do not do the things you want." Galatians 1:6 says, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ for a different gospel."

These different gospels, as Acts 15:1 says, are legalists. "Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.'" This refers to legalists who seek to achieve their own righteousness, apart from Jesus Christ. Amalek is a tribe, but today it represents the old self, manifested through the flesh.

Exodus 17:10-12 “Joshua did as Moses had said and fought against Amalek. Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, but whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. Then Moses’ arms grew tired, so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and the other on the other. But his hands remained steady until the sun went down.”

Amalek comes in and fights Israel. Joshua is a compound word of Jehovah and Yahweh. It means that Jehovah God saves His people. That person is Jesus Christ. When the hand is lowered, it means that the hand is rested. It means that Jehovah's staff (power) is rested.

Spiritual warfare is closely linked to prayer. The prayer that brings heavenly things to earth is Joshua's raising of his hands. However, if heavenly things fail to be realized on earth, believers become those who look to earthly things. In this situation, the old self inevitably reappears. While their identity is not that of the old self, old traits become afflictions to the believer who has become the new self. This is spiritual warfare.

That's why prayer is necessary. Prayers for worldly blessings are prayers that urge the emergence of the old self. That's why God does not answer such prayers. Moses waged war on the mountain (heaven), and Joshua waged war on the earth. Moses' hand symbolizes God's hand. Salvation is accomplished by God. Isaiah 63:12 says, "His glorious arm led Moses' right hand; he divided the waters before them, that he might make his name everlasting."

Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands, one on one side and the other on the other; but his hands remained steady until the sun went down.

Isaiah 42:1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold (tamak), my chosen one, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring forth justice to the nations."

Psalm 42:11 says, "You uphold me in my integrity; you set me before you forever." God's hand became Moses', but Moses was human. Therefore, it shows that human hands are limited by physical limitations. This is why Aaron and Hur appear as supporting characters. Aaron and Hur hold up Moses' tired arms, demonstrating that even though human hands are down, God still holds them. This is what faith is. It is the faith that says the righteous will live by faith.

Exodus 17:13-16 “Then Joshua struck Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, for I will completely utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” So Moses built an altar and called its name Jehovah Nissi, saying, “The LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

The sword is the sword of the mouth. It is through the word that we fight and win. What is written in the book is the Pentateuch (the Law). The fulfillment of the Law means becoming one who strikes down and destroys Amalek. It means becoming one with the Father, the Son, and I in the Holy Spirit. What we hear is only heard by those who are united. It is written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Only those who have fulfilled the Law have overcome Amalek, and they will no longer be remembered by the Law. Those in Christ have no need of the Law.

For those in Christ, God wages war. It's not I who wages war, but God who wages spiritual warfare. Therefore, believers must clearly understand their own identity as "I." Spiritual warfare is a battle between legalism and the gospel.

The war against the law continues from generation to generation, and God himself wages war within the hearts of His saints. Ultimately, it is a battle between the Tree of Life (the Gospel) and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (legalism). The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil symbolizes legalism, the thinking of those who believe they can achieve good on their own. This is not something God created, but something that comes from the hearts of evil angels who oppose Him.

However, the tree of life is the gospel, which states that righteousness can only be achieved through Christ, who is life. The gospel and legalism are always at war within our hearts.

Therefore, those who believe in Jesus Christ and insist on keeping the letter of the law are doomed to lose the battle against Amalek. Such people can be found even within the church. Legalists emphasize rules. They establish rules and dictate their observance, claiming that these are the path to righteousness.

It presupposes that the church building is a temple, that tithing must be paid, that Sunday observance must be observed, and other regulations must be strictly observed. While rules must be observed, simply observing them does not transform the heart. The gospel of Christ, before the law, transforms the heart. Only those who die with Christ and are reborn from heaven can experience this transformation.

The old self of the saints desires the written law. But the new self of the saints advances in the faith of Christ. God protects them in this war, for God wages war through the faith of Christ. That is why God commands the utter destruction of Amalek (the old self).