What can you do when the evil one stirs up persecution against the church? How do you handle it when the battle against your own sin seems to be faltering? Exodus 17:8-16 is more than just a snippet of Israelite history focusing on an obscure battle.
The battle is the Lord’s. The Amalekite attack was not just against Israel, but against the Lord himself. The people had just left Egypt, where they had been an enslaved nation. They were untrained for war. The Amalekites were a nomadic people, descendants of Esau, living to the south of the promised land. They attack from the rear, Deuteronomy 25:17-19. Their attack is a continuation of the plan of Pharaoh to destroy the Israelites. Moses has Joshua select men to fight, and sends them out to defend the people of Israel. Continue reading “Warfare and Worship”