Exodus 17:8-16 comments: fight with Amalek

17:8 ¶  Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9  And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10  So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11  And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12  But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13  And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14  And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. 15  And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 16  For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Verse 14 suggests that this may have been recorded in a book we don’t have unless the book of the wars of the LORD is the original name of Exodus.

Numbers 21:14  Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,

We’ve already seen how God placed power in Moses’ rod in several instances as God worked through Moses and the rod he held in his hand. Moses’ grew tired and Aaron and Hur gave him  a stone to sit on and held up his hands. Moses selected Joshua, first mentioned here, to lead the battle.

There are many possible sermons out of this passage. Lest Israel put faith in the sword, Moses’ rod seems to cause success or failure. The man called by God to lead can’t do it on his own and needs the help of faithful friends and followers for support. Joshua, a type of Christ, fights the battle directed by Moses, here a type of God the Father. There are many, many ideas for an exhortation that can be drawn from this passage, however imperfect they may be or how they fall apart at some point as types usually do is irrelevant. We can think of the things that God might be trying to open our minds to by reading this way. But, for now, let us look at the narrative.

Now, we have a better clue as to where the Hebrews are.

1Samuel 15:7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

1Samuel 27:8  And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

So, the Amalekites lived between Egypt and Canaan in the northern part of the Sinai peninsula. The Hebrews were not far even then from the Promised Land.

Judges 12:15  And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.

Joshua 16:5 ¶  And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper; 6  And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah; 7  And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan. 8  The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families. 9  And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. 10  And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

So, the Amalekites would have been in the way of getting into the land promised to the Hebrews by God. Amalekites play an important part in the Bible.

The Amalekites were descendants of Esau.

Genesis 36:12  And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau’s wife.

The Amalekites took the city of Ziklag and kidnapped David’s wives in 1Samuel 30. In 2Samuel, chapter 1, an Amalekite lied to him and said he killed King Saul, thus resulting in his own death. Agag, a later king of the Amalekites, will be the ancestor of the villain of the book of Esther, Haman.

1Samuel 15:8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Esther 3:1  After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.

As the first people who opposed the children of Israel after leaving Egypt the Amalekites are a cursed lot. For the Lord to have war with Amalek from generation to generation it is clear they are going to be villains in God’s ministry of reconciling man to Himself.

Moses calls the altar he builds Jehovahnissi. Strong said that meant, “Jehovah is my banner.”