Exodus 17 presents an interesting picture. It’s the picture of Moses standing on the mountain with his hands raised high in the air while Joshua and the army of Israel are engaged in battle against the Amalekites in the valley below.
As long as Moses’ hands were raised, Israel prevailed. But when he lowered his hands, the Amalekites prevailed.
As the battle continued and the day wore on, Moses became “weary in well doing” (Gal. 6:9). I mean, you can only hold your hands up for so long. With his tired hands hanging down, the momentum of the fight turned against Israel.
Seeing their leader’s predicament and the ensuing defeat on the battlefield, Aaron and Hur came rushing to Moses’ side and held up his hands. Consequently, the momentum turned once again in Israel’s favor and the battle was finally won.
Several lessons may be gleaned from this passage of scripture. One of the most cited is the lesson on prayer for the posture of Moses was one of prayer. This story reminds us that prayer will do what otherwise is impossible. For all the fighting done by Joshua and the army of Israel against the Amalekites, the battle was won on the mountain of prayer!
But the particular application I am thinking of at this moment concerns Aaron and Hur. Moses could not have done what he did without them. No man is an island unto himself. A go-it-alone attitude in the Christian life is the kiss of death. A spirit of self-sufficiency admired by some will quickly fail you in the crucible of life. As Solomon observed, “Woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up” (Ecc. 4:10).
God calls us to live out our faith within the company of believers called the church. We need other believers, and we are needed by other believers. So, who is your Aaron? What about Hur? Don’t have an Aaron and Hur? Better go find them!
As I said at the beginning of this article, Exodus 17 presents an interesting picture. Three men in prayer on the mountain top; two staying up the third. And the battle was won.
Pastor Todd Weston
As long as Moses’ hands were raised, Israel prevailed. But when he lowered his hands, the Amalekites prevailed.
As the battle continued and the day wore on, Moses became “weary in well doing” (Gal. 6:9). I mean, you can only hold your hands up for so long. With his tired hands hanging down, the momentum of the fight turned against Israel.
Seeing their leader’s predicament and the ensuing defeat on the battlefield, Aaron and Hur came rushing to Moses’ side and held up his hands. Consequently, the momentum turned once again in Israel’s favor and the battle was finally won.
Several lessons may be gleaned from this passage of scripture. One of the most cited is the lesson on prayer for the posture of Moses was one of prayer. This story reminds us that prayer will do what otherwise is impossible. For all the fighting done by Joshua and the army of Israel against the Amalekites, the battle was won on the mountain of prayer!
But the particular application I am thinking of at this moment concerns Aaron and Hur. Moses could not have done what he did without them. No man is an island unto himself. A go-it-alone attitude in the Christian life is the kiss of death. A spirit of self-sufficiency admired by some will quickly fail you in the crucible of life. As Solomon observed, “Woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up” (Ecc. 4:10).
God calls us to live out our faith within the company of believers called the church. We need other believers, and we are needed by other believers. So, who is your Aaron? What about Hur? Don’t have an Aaron and Hur? Better go find them!
As I said at the beginning of this article, Exodus 17 presents an interesting picture. Three men in prayer on the mountain top; two staying up the third. And the battle was won.
Pastor Todd Weston
