Consider this short story from the book of Exodus. It takes place after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. The Amalekites come to make war with them.
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| Israel at war with Amalek at Rephidim |
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On the surface, it's a simple piece of history as Israel entered the wilderness. They clearly were not welcomed to the neighborhood. But if we dig deeper, we can see more meanings. We are told that the stories from the Old Testament are examples for us.
1 Cor 10:11 Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
The word translated "examples" is typikos, rendered in Young's Literal Translation as "types" - BibleHub [1]. Type means an impression or mark, or in the religious sense a pattern, model, or foreshadowing - Strongs(G5179) [2]. The Bible is telling us to look deeper, see the pattern. So let's do that.
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| The territory of Amalek is not near Rephidim Allfaith.com [3] |
This is Israel's first fight. In Egypt, they were never told to fight. Their most aggressive act was to plunder the Egyptians for valuables, which the Egyptians were happy to give if it meant rid of Israel. At the Red Sea, again God fought the battle for them, all they had to do was walk to the other side. After receiving water from a rock at Rephidim, Amalek attacked, and Moses told Joshua to choose men to fight. Why didn't God overthrow Amalek like the Egyptians? One answer is that Israel had to start taking responsibility, they had to take the reins of their own future. "When means of help are put within our reach, God expects us to use them. What man can do for himself, God will not work miracles to do for him" - J. Orr [4]. Just like a child needs to learn how to be a responsible adult - they learn little by little from their parents with jobs where they can succeed or fail safely. (Disclaimer: I never had kids, but I think that's a fair statement.) Moses was on the hill, picturing the fact that God was still in the picture for Israel. Like a parent, God was watching over them.
Another reason was to show Israel that fighting their battles was both a physical AND spiritual effort. Joshua led the army, but Moses went up on the hilltop. Moses is the spiritual leader of the nation, Joshua the physical leader. They both had roles to play - Spurgeon [5]. It is an expression of faith and works. All nations are like ancient Israel, battling between good and evil. War with Amalek shows that the battle is both carnal and spiritual. It doesn't mean that God abandoned Israel during their battle (punishment), He was still there helping their efforts, pictured by Moses on the hilltop. I think the parallels with modern America are especially strong. As a country, we are fighting a national battle of good versus evil, and our future depends on the choices we make now. The country's problems cannot be solved by purely physical (political) means. Are there enough people holding our leaders hands up to prevail against our Amalek?
Gal 5:17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.
Aaron and Hur
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| Moses supported by Aaron and Hur |
Let's dig deeper by exploring who is represented by the people in this passage. Who or what do Aaron and Hur picture? These are the men who held up Moses' arms.
Aaron is the older brother of Moses. The name Aaron is unique in the Bible, there is no one else named Aaron. His name is probably derived from the word for light or mountain - Abarim.com(Aaron) [6]. So one interpretation could be God's messenger who brings light. Aaron became High Priest, and one of the jobs of the priesthood is to teach God's ways.
Mal 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
Hur's ancestry is unclear. Jewish tradition says Hur was the son of Miriam, Moses's older sister, but the Bible doesn't record it. Hur may have been the grandfather of Bezalel, principal creator of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant - Wiki(Hur) [7]. If Hur was the nephew of Moses, then the three of them would be related, all of one family, whatever that may mean. The name Hur comes from a word meaning heat - Abarim.com(Hur) [8]. Chuck Missler(Exodus #7) [9] says that Hur means light.
I don't see a definitive interpretation of Aaron and Hur according to the meaning of their Hebrew names. I see some possibilities. For example, both names seem to involve light. This fits well with the golden Menorah in the Tabernacle, the only source of light in the Holy Place, and it fits well with Aaron representing the priesthood teaching the people from the word. These verses amplify that.
Psa_43:3 Send out Your light and Your truth,they shall lead me;They shall bring me to Your holy hillAnd to Your tabernacles.Psa_44:3 For by their own sword they did not possess the land,And their own arm did not save them,But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence,For You favored them.Psa_119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feetAnd a light to my path.Pro_6:23 For the commandment is a lamp and the Law is light;And rebukes for discipline are the way of life
Another interpretation is that Aaron and Hur represent the basic tools of spiritual warfare - prayer and study. Prayer and study picture a two way street, God speaks with us when we study His word, we speak with Him when we pray; and on a more personal level, He is involved with our lives, speaking to us through circumstances - like winning the battle with our own Amaleks. We pray on the mountaintop, and win the battle on the plain.
Amalek
What about the meaning of the name Amalek? "The Amalekites were thus either known as the Nippers or as the Lickers" - Abarim.com(Amalek) [10]. Look at the way they fought with Israel. One might say that they "nipped" at their heels.
Deu 25:17 Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you came out of Egypt, 18 how he confronted you on the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.
Others say that Amalek is derived from amal, which means to toil, or wear down, implying that the Enemy wears us down so we give up making intercession - Axel Sipparch [11].
After the war with Amalek, Moses records two somewhat contradictory things - Amalek is to be blotted out, yet Israel will continually be at war with them.
Ex 17:14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner; 16 and he said, “The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”
The good news is eventually Amalek will be completely defeated, meaning eventually in the kingdom of God. We will overcome, not in the flesh, but in the spirit. The bad news is that this was a fight Israel would keep having, and so will we, in the flesh. In other words, until the kingdom comes, we will have Satan to deal with. One reason that Amalek would always trouble Israel is because Israel didn't deal with them when they were told to. King Saul was told to utterly destroy Amalek; he mostly did, but didn't finish the job. You can read the story in 1Kings 15. Descendants of Amalek keep showing up in Israel's history, nipping at their heels. Haman, the villain of the book of Esther, was descended from Agag, the king spared by Saul, and Agag was a descendant of Amalek. See the Scroll of Esther [12].
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| Amalek in Hebrew, "blotted" out |
Other Typology
Notice that this war occurred after they received water. Water is a Bible symbol of the Holy Spirit, which believers receive at baptism. Because our baptism is like Israel passing through the sea, some say that is when the battle actually begins. Remember, Israel did not fight in Egypt. Only after deliverance from Pharoah, and baptism in the sea (the birth of the nation Israel) did Amalek make war with them. "And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea 1Co_10:2".
Even Joshua's sword has symbolism. It says he overcame Amalek with the edge of the sword. And this is the word of God, tying it all back to Aaron the priest.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Conclusion
This simple story of Israel warring with Amalek has much meaning under the surface; meaning for nations, meaning for individuals. The typology of the war with Amalek is rich with symbolism for us today. We all have to fight the Amalek within us, and this story shows us the battle is both physical and spiritual. As a church or as a nation, we win as long as we hold up the arms of our leaders. As individuals, we win as long as we amplify our physical efforts with the spiritual tools of prayer and Bible study.
References
Hi John, Lots of lessons here. Thanks,
ReplyDeleteKen