(Part 1)
“The Amalekites came and
attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.”
Exodus
17:8
Israel, in
its thousands of years of history, is no stranger to being under attack from a foreign
enemy. The Amalekites were descendants of Esau. During the time of Israel’s 400
years of captivity in Egypt, Amalek grew into a great nation. When word of
Israel’s exodus reached Canaan, they began to feel threatened. They refused
Israel passage through their land and attacked Israel at a place called
Rephidim.
No real
details are given here in Exodus about Amalek’s strategy for defeating Israel,
but Deuteronomy 25:17-18 spells out for us what happened:
“Remember what the Amalekites did to you
along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out,
they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind, they had
no fear of God.”
What was
Amalek’s strategy? Pick off the stragglers! It was like something straight off
of the Discovery channel or a National Geographic special. You know the scenes
I am talking about where a pack of lions or tigers is chasing down a herd.
Their primary targets? The stragglers!
When those
who were worn out, tired, upset, or in poor health broke off from the pack and
began to lag behind, the Amalekite raiders would sweep in and destroy them. The
Israelites were being picked off! As I read this the Lord stirred my Spirit.
This is how the enemy is still destroying God’s people today.
In large
part, there are very few frontal attacks against the church, however every day
the church is being compromised as “worn out, weary people” are being picked
off. One family here! One family there!
What I have
discovered is that this type of defeat can be more physically, emotionally, and
spiritually draining than a full on attack. Why? Not everyone is immediately
affected. In fact, it is possible that their loss could even go unnoticed. Only
when it hits closer to home does it become an issue.
We wander
into dangerous territory when we begin to develop a “herd mentality”. In the
wild when the attack comes, the herd runs off together, never looking back to see
who got left behind. It is every animal for themselves.
Moses, however, was not driven by a “herd
mentality”. He didn’t turn a blind eye to those who were missing. He didn’t
encourage the group to just “stay closer together next time.” Instead Exodus 17:9
states:
“Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our
men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the
hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
Moses
recognized the danger and responded to it. He went to war for the worn out,
weary and hurting people those who were lagging behind that were vulnerable to
attack and defeat.
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