Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Exodus 17:8-16 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand." So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands became heavy; so 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 the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
WHO LEADS THE ATTACK?
Do you know who the Amalekites were? Amalek was the grandson of Esau, so Jacob was his great uncle. The Amalekites were related to the Israelites. They were probably the last people Israel thought they had to worry about.
Isn't that the way it is with our spiritual battles? Often the spiritual attacks against our faith come from people we least expect, people we don't feel threatened by. They may be relatives or friends. Someone close to you can pose a greater threat to you because you know them and trust them.
While you might not normally consider committing a certain sin, if a friend tempts you, you might go along with it.
A trusted relative or teacher might say something that causes you to question your faith or plant seeds of doubt about the reliability of God's word.
Not that we should distrust all friends and relatives -- our relationships are built on trust -- but let us always remember that we are to fear, love and trust in God above all. Whenever anyone saying anything contrary to what you have learned in Scripture, even if it is a trusted friend or relative, we ought to listen to and obey God rather than man. For only God is truly faithful always.
Thankfully Jesus always followed His heavenly Father's will, even when His close friend, Peter, urged Him to turn away from the cross; even when trusted relatives, like His parents, didn't understand why He should be about His Father's business. Through faith we receive His perfect righteousness in place of our failures. May we also learn from Him to trust God's word above all.
