from WL Worcester (H Blackmer, ed.), 
The Sower.  Helps to the Study of the Bible in Home and Sunday School
 
(Boston: Massachusetts New-Church Union, n.d.)

Table of Contents
 

 

Lesson 42

Exodus 17: Water Given: Amalek Overcome

The Story

Primary

The children of Israel are traveling on in the desert country and have turned into a valley which is leading them up among the bare rocky mountains. When they were hungry the Lord gave them food. What did He give them? Now they are thirsty. Can the Lord give them water? He did give them water in a wonderful way. Moses, with elders of the people, went up to the rocky wall of the mountain with the rod with which he had done so many signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea. He struck the rock with the rod and water flowed out for all the people and their cattle to drink.

The people were in the narrow valley among the mountains. There were stern bare rocks on either side. An enemy now attacked them from behind, the Amalekites, who were wandering and war-like people of this region. It was the first battle that the children of Israel had to fight, and in a wonderful way the Lord helped them. Moses told Joshua to choose men and go out into the valley to fight with the Amalekites. At the same time Moses went up to the top of a hill and held up his hand with his rod to the Lord. While he held up his hand the children of Israel had the victory and drove the Amalekites before them. When he let down his hand, the Amalekites had the victory. But Moses’ hands were heavy, so he sat on a stone and Aaron and Hur, one on each side, held up his hands until the going down of the sun, and the Amalekites were wholly driven away. Moses built an altar there for grateful offerings to the Lord.

Junior

The map helps us again to go with the children of Israel from the wilderness of Sin to Rephidim. The Lord had fed the people. Now they needed water, and again wished themselves back in Egypt. The people were angry with Moses, but he said that their words were not against him but against the Lord. How did the Lord give them water? His power was still with the rod which had already done so many signs. Was water given from the rock at any other time on the journey? Yes, at one other time. (Num. 20:1-13) The water from the rock is mentioned in Ps. 78: 5, 20 and Ps. 105:41.

Another event of the journey is associated with Rephidim, the battle with the Amalekites, who were a fierce, wandering people. From other passages of Scripture we learn that the Amalekites lay in wait for the children of Israel and attacked the hindmost of them when they were weary. (Deut. 25:17-18; 1 Sam. 15:2) Joshua must choose men and go out to fight with Amalek. This is the first mention of Joshua in the story, and we hear of him many times as we go on, as Moses’ helper and as leader of the people after Moses in their conquest of the promised land. Watch for Joshua as we go on in the story. But how was the battle with Amalek really won? The holding up of Moses’ hand was a sign of looking to the Lord for strength and victory, and the Lord gave the victory. The altar which Moses built he called Jehovah-nissi, "Jehovah my banner." In His name I fight and conquer.

Verse 14 tells us that the Lord told Moses to write this history in a book. See also Exod. 34:27; Deut. 31:9. The first five books of the Bible are called the Books of Moses, because the Lord made use of Moses in writing them.

1. How did the Lord give the children of Israel food in the wilderness? How did He give them water?

2. What enemy fought with Israel among the mountains of Sinai? At what place did they attack them?

3. In what way did Amalek make the attack?

4. Who led the army of Israel in the battle? What did Moses do to help?

5. Were the Amalekites wholly conquered in this battle?

Spiritual Study

Intermediate

The Lord gave both food and drink to the children of Israel on their journey. What are the food and drink of the soul? Good affections and true thoughts to nourish will and understanding. After the manna the people needed water. Food makes us thirsty, as new affections quicken the desire to know how the affections can be realized. (A. 8562, 8568)

What is meant by the giving of water from the rock? We know that the Lord's Word is our source of truth for spiritual life, but it may seem to us hard facts of history and law unrelated to our needs. But the truth which is related to our needs, to our needs today, is there. If we earnestly desire it and read the Bible to find the Lord's message to us, to learn how to live, the Lord will bring for us water from the rock, will show us the relation of His Word to ourselves and give us from it the guidance that we need. Water flows from the rock when we feel the living message of some Scripture to ourselves and our present need. It is the Lord Who opens His Word to each individual soul. Moses was rebuked when at a later time he assumed to bring water by his own power. (A. 8579, 8581, 8582)

Israel fought with Amalek. Who are our spiritual enemies? Evil feelings and thoughts and the evil spirits who suggest them. Some enemies meet us openly; they squarely oppose us in our efforts to do right and try to force us to do wrong. Other enemies are more subtle and take advantage of us when we are faint and weary, when we are tired out by other things. We know very well in experience how some things which we may easily resist if we are feeling fresh and strong we may yield to when we are weary and taken unawares. This sort of attack is characteristic of the deceitful evils which the Amalekites represent. The Lord said that He would have war with Amalek from generation to generation. This does not mean a doubtful conflict; it is a promise of the Lord's perpetual protection, if we are His faithful soldiers, from those deceitful evils which seek to attack us when we are weary and to take us unawares. (A. 8626)

There is a grand lesson in the story of this battle. We must fight as Joshua fought in the valley, but at the same time we must hold up our hands to the Lord as Moses did on the hill, acknowledging that our strength is from Him. When we stop looking to Him, our strength fails. While we trust the Lord's strength, we conquer. If we hold up our hands till the going down of the sun, till the season of conflict is past, the Lord gives us the victory. (A. 8593, 8604, 8607)

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