Click the picture below for a beautiful Bible Reading Plan!
GotQuestions.org
Below I’ve listed the verses. On the website there are links attached where you can read a short commentary with a link for the full commentary. There are other Bible verse links for further study and reference. Of course, in the Got Questions website style, there are also links to common questions you may have.
9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.
We are to praise God for who He is. Being a child of God surely rewards us many benefits, but when our hearts are truly submitted to Him and we walk in His image, praising Him is what we do because we love Him. Hands up! Praise God! Continually praising and thanking Him for everything we have. When Moses’ hands were up – there was VICTORY – and when our hands are down – there is LOSS. Lives today are filled with spiritual warfare. We will have roller coaster days. We will have many challenges, we will begin to feel like Job. But no matter the roller coaster we’re on, we should just PRAISE GOD. You see God is faithful! And keeping our faith in Him, we will be victorious, we will rise against our problems and our challenges will turn into opportunities to praise Him!
In verse 9 of our Scripture, Moses told Joshua (the spiritual leader and the army leader – we need both) to go down to Rephidum and fight against Amalek. The name Rephidum means “bed or place of rest”. The Amalekites were enemies of the Israelites and were the “first of the nations” to make war against Israel (Numbers 24:20). At the time of attack, the Israelites were thirsty, worn out and weary from their journey through the wilderness. You see, the Amalekites had no fear of God and an unrelenting brutality towards God’s people. It was said they were plunderers and harassers, dwellers of the valley, cavemen and war-like.
Our enemy today is the same! Satan wants us down and out in the valley, overwhelmed, beat down and thirsty. As mentioned above, Rephidum was a “place of rest”. Here God miraculously provided water from a rock for the Israelites. And even though they were complaining about this journey in the desert, I believe the people were feeling a bit over confident. After all, they had made it through the Red Sea unharmed and had been provided manna for food. Yes, God tells us to rest physically but never spiritually because the devil will strike us when we’re “at rest”. We’ll be caught off guard and won’t see his subtle attack on our life. He wants to plunder and harass us at every turn and yes, he like the Amalekites is unrelenting against God’s people. We cannot become lackadaisical! Just about the time we think everything is all set and we’re confidently moving forward, Satan will attack!
In verse 9 we see that Moses didn’t stay in the valley. He said, “I’m going up on the mountain”. Here we can see a future glimpse of Calvary! As we seek God, looking to the power of God through the work of Jesus on the cross, we as followers of Christ, should remember His work with our “hands up” in praise and prayer, surrendering our lives to Him and allowing our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us! That is exactly what Aaron and Hur did for Moses during the battle! In verse 11 Aaron and Hur saw that when Moses’ hands were up, the Israelites were winning the battle, and when his hands fell, Amalek started winning. The verse then goes on to say Aaron and Hur found a stone and set Moses upon it, they positioned themselves on either side of him and held his “hands up”!
Psalm 5:11-12
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.
Jesus is the rock and our brothers and sisters are our help! We need to keep our “hands up”, praising God” and when needed, use our church support group! Just praise the Lord and praise Him continuously. There is a battle going on in each of our lives. We can praise God for WHO He is, what He’s already done, what He’s doing right now and what He’s going to do! Heaven is awaiting!
Joshua and the army were physically fighting. We too must do the same thing every morning, putting on the whole armor of God.
Moses’ burden was heavy for his people. We also carry burdens for our family and church family. We will need to help and be helped along this journey. But with our hands up, praising God, we can know and trust our battles to be VICTORIOUS in the name of Jesus!
“In a world of some discouragement, sorrow and overmuch sin, in times when fear and despair seem to Prevail, when humanity is feverish with no worldly physicians in sight, I too say, TRUST JESUS. Let him still the Tempest and ride upon the storm. Believe that He can lift Mankind from its bed of Affliction, in Time and in Eternity”.
~Jeffery Holland
In John 16:33, Jesus said “in this world you will have trouble”. We turn on our radios and televisions, and all we seem to hear and see are bad things. Some events are so evil I just bow my head, say a prayer and if I linger to long…..the tears will begin to flow.
I write this evening to tell you about a man! His name is Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lord and King of Kings! As Elder Holland states above, “let Him still the tempest and ride the storm”. Jesus said in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.
Through every trial, hurt, anxiety, fear, pain, sorrow, guilt….I could, of course go on and on, where in a world filled with afflictions, sometimes our problems seem never ending. But we can call on Jesus! In Luke 18:38, a blind beggar called on Jesus and by his faith, Jesus restored the man’s eyesight! This scripture is for us all! In the very same way, we too can call on Him for He is our best friend, companion, physician, deliverer and our blessed redeemer!
It is so very hard to live in this world today without thinking about and becoming anxious all of the bad that’s going on around us. But I’m here to tell you today God is in control. Hebrews 12:2 tells us “look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith”. We must continue looking to Him, lifting up His precious Name, trusting and believing….in and on Him. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We have nothing to fear. Through our faith in Jesus Christ we are more than conquerors, we are over-comers.
Last Sunday my Pastor stated he awoke from a dream where he was in a pulpit preaching God’s Word and he remembered the words to the congregation were, “it is written.” Immediately I thought about all the times I have seen these very words in the Bible. I remember hearing, if you see words or phrases over and over again in God’s Word, then it must be important and God wants you to know it. God’s Word will never pass away. We serve a Great and Mighty God who sent His Word, a love letter to each of us, a life manual. When you read and study His Word, you can know any and every thing you need to know. It is all there…right in the infinite pages of the Bible. When things seem to hard to handle, life is just too much to take, I challenge you to open your Bible and pray to the Holy Spirit to help you know His Word. His Living Word. It will guide you, lift you, sustain you and help you through every need you have. Whatever the circumstance, good and/or bad….His Word will help you and it will also help you to help others. Make it a priority to open and read the Word every day. God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Christ Above All by Dr. Charles Stanley, a great piece on worrying less and trusting God more! When you have faith in Jesus you can make it through every day. By loving Him and surrendering your life to Him you will learn how to turn bad news into PRAYERS! God hears the praises and prayers of His children and God also answers the prayers of His children.
Give life’s trials to Jesus. Pray for others. Listen to God’s Word. Use the power of the Holy Spirit that lives within you. TRUST Jesus.
If you are reading these words and you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, if you are overcome with worry, guilt, sorrow and pain…I urge you to heed Jesus’ call. He is waiting on you with open arms. The only thing between you and Him is your willingness to step out in faith and call on Him. Let Him transform you from the inside out. Jesus did it for me and He wants to do it for you too! Accepting Jesus is only a prayer away. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, believe He died and rose again for you, repent and receive Him into your heart! I am praying for you and there is a crowd in Heaven waiting to rejoice!
Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want anyone in this world to perish. He wants His children to live eternally with Him. This is His reason for creating each and every one of us!
John 3:16– For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes would not perish, but have everlasting life.
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
God loves you! I can’t explain His love! I just can’t do it. But one thing I know, you can experience this most wonderful love. Romans 10:13 says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God demonstrated this love by sending his son Jesus to die on a cross. Jesus bore all our sins upon himself. His death and resurrection paid a debt we can never pay ourselves. By asking for forgiveness and accepting Jesus into our hearts we become a child of God. Jesus’ shed blood on Calvary cleanses us and gives us new and eternal life. Once we give our lives to God, no longer is there a need to fear this life, because it will pass. When we leave this world we can have an assurance that the next face we’ll see will be Jesus! This is how much God loves you!
Psalm 108:11As high as the sky is above the earth,so great is his love for those who honor him.
What an awesome promise from our Heavenly Father. I don’t know about you, but I can’t begin to tell you how high the sky is from the earth. That’s a lot of love! When stating God is Love, you should understand this is His very nature! His love is not really an attribute. For us humans we think of love as an emotion. More times than not, we expect something in return for love we give. But the unconditional love of God is so much more than that. God’s love is free, it’s not “caused”. He loves us in spite of our sinful selves. Our tiny minds cannot understand the concept of God’s love for us. It is an eternal love whereas God said in Jeremiah 31:3 – I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. He loved us before the foundations of the world were set – Ephesians 1:4-5. To God be the Glory! How blessed are the children of God? We love Him because He first loved us – 1 John 4:19.
He loves you! He loves you! He loves you!
God’s love is a life-giving love. A happy, fulfilling and peaceful life.
An eternal life with Jesus when you accept him into your heart!
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