Exodus
King James Version (KJV)
Exodus Chapter 17 Discussion
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The chapter ended with Moses being commanded by God to memorialize this battle in the book and to recount it in the hearing of Joshua that God would utterly blot out Amalek from under heaven. Moses built an altar and named it "The Lord is My Banner." or YHWH-Nissi. How wonderful to know that God is over us like a banner that fights the battles foy us! Our victory comes from God, not from ourselves!
The Israelites were not a trained army yet. They were a million or so people, men/women/children. They had fled Egypt and are now out of Egypt (Sinai peninsula was still Egypt) in Midian. They most likely had not been met with many people up until now.
They were a ragamuffin band of people, not an army ready for battle.
But God fought for them. God instructed Moses to make a memorial. Not that the Israelites won the battle, but that God had gained the victory for them. So, the altar was like a victory banner that tells of the hero in a battle. YHWH-Nissi. God is our banner, He is the victor, the hero, the deliverer, the stronger, the determiner of the outcome. I should remember this, too.
This chapter has two sections:
The Israelites arrive at Rephidim near Mt. Horeb. There is no water and the Israelites are very upset with Moses. God directs Moses to strike the rock so that water will flow out of it.
The Amalekites (descendants of Esau's grandson, Amalek) come from Edom to attack the Israelites. The israelites prevail in the battle when Moses' hands are raised and the Amalekites prevail when His arms tire and are lowered.
What impresses me is that God told Moses He would be with Moses at the rock. Was He next to Moses, in front of him, next to the rock , on top of the rock, behind or in front of the rock? How did God appear? Was it in the pillar of fire or some other way? The text does not specify, but it is clear that Moses could see God there.
The people were so upset at the lack of water that they wanted to stone Moses. Moses cries out to God for help. God instructs Moses to strike the rock with his rod. Moses obeys and water gushes out of the rock. The Israelites would not have been able to survive without his water. The water continued to flow so that they had ample water for their stay around Mt. Horeb (Sinai).
The Amalekites came down from Edom to attack the Israelites. It think archeological investigations show that Jabal El Lawz, the tallest mountain in Midian on the east side of the Red sea in the Gulf of Aqaba is most likely Mt. Horeb. This would make sense as the Amalekites would not have needed to travel far and may have felt that their borders were threatened by the Israelite nation.
The Amalekites attacked Israelites, not the other way around. Moses put Joshua in charge of the army while Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's son Hur, went up to a hill with the 'rod of God'. When Moses' arms became too heavy and tired, Aaron pulled up a rock to hold up Moses' to sit upon because and Aaron and Hur supported his hands since they became heavy and tired. They did this until sundown. Joshua won!
Great work! Just wanted to I understand the view as you stated it, Moses was supposed to speak to the rock the second time, Christ was the rock 1 Corinthians 10-4. Moses was to smite the rock in Exodus 17:6. And speak to it in Numbers 20:8-11. It seems in verse 10 Moses shows frustration and says "Hear now, ye rebels; must "WE" fetch you waters out of this rock?
I believe he misrepresented the Lord and made it look like theLord was angry. But to fulfill the type, if the rock was Christ scripture says it pleased the Lord to bruise him. And then we come to Numbers 20:12.
Thanks.
God bless.
In any event; the Lord continued to use the rod of Moses along with the faithfulness of Joshua to carry out vengeance as the Lord required in beginning to smite and defeat Amalek. This was according to verse 16 to continue until their total defeat.
We need to remember in all this such statements as in the prophecy given to Abraham with the Amorites; namely that their iniquity would be judged; but not until it was "to the full". God was judging ungodly people and many who populated the surrounding land were children of the giants; or fallen angels who had relations with women and produced hybrid offspring. It was not for their righteousness that Israel was preserved but for His "name's sake" that they were chosen out of all the nations of the earth to the destiny that they had through the Covenant promises.
This appears to be the only event before the end of the 40 years and crossing of the Jordan (again in a miraculous manner) where a war had to be fought; so it is interesting that it was a controversy directly tied into Isaac's descendants. They were as predicted dwelling as nomads around the Northern Arabia area and later south of Judah (according to Wikipedia).
Through great battle Moses and Joshua did many battle with the evil Amalek but they never wiped them out, as was order .
And before Agag died sired a child who kept Amalek lineage alive.
Amalek was not the father of amalekites of Gen14, who were of the giant race
God bless us all
Yes, we know God has called us - there are times when we have to pass through a place called Rephidim in our journey. He has the master plan. Let us wait upon Him and let us not curse / doubt - He is able and can make something out of nothing.