Prayer Warriors, Overcomers

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.  --John 3:14-15

This past week as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw some commentary on Exodus 17:8-13 that didn't sound quite right to me, but I forgot about it and kept on scrolling.  Then, this morning, I heard a sermon from my pastor online (most churches in my area are still closed due to COVID-19 restrictions), and  it was the same scripture with a remarkably different take.

It reminded me to trust my gut spiritually, and to speak against false teachers.

If you are not familiar with the story in Exodus 17, Moses is leading the children of Israel (Jacob, grandson of Abraham) through the wilderness.  He is met with a nomadic, warring tribe led by Amalek (grandson of Esau, Jacob's brother).  Moses tells his lieutenant Joshua to muster all the men of fighting age, and to lead them into battle.  Moses knew that the men that Joshua would recruit had absolutely  no military experience, and probably no offensive weapons.  Remember, they had gone into Egypt as a group of shepherds, and had come out some 400 years later as a slave class of brick-makers and masons used to build the pyramids.

Moses also knew the provision of God.  He knew that God would not leave His people without defense.  He had already witnessed God providing food from the sky and water from a rock.  The same God who had provided what they needed to ward off hunger and thirst would also be their defender against their enemies.

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.  So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with with Amalek.  Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand."  So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.  But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side.  So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.  And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.  --Exodus 17:8-13

Catholic tradition states that Hur was married to Moses' sister Miriam.  So Moses watched the battle from a high vantage point, and he asks his brother and his brother-in-law to go with him.  He stands with both hands aloft, probably holding up the rod that he had used to part the Red Sea.  As long as the rod is held high, the men of Israel won the battle; when Moses rested, the men of Israel lost the battle.

So this is the back-story.  This past week I read the essay from the questionable theologian who seemed to imply that there was no causative relation between Moses holding up his hands and the defeat of the Amalekites.  From this side of history, he believes that it was ultimately God's will for Israel to prevail and go on to the Promised Land.  Therefore he used some Hebrew linguistic argument about causative verbs vs. permissive verbs in Scripture.  In other words, whenever an Old Testament story starts, "God caused..." followed by whatever tragedy occurred, it really means that God allowed the sinful, fallen world to do what it does.  This line of thinking is the basis for the argument that God is love, good and gracious always, and He is never jealous, never hates, and never could cause harm.  The argument is that God allows death, disease and destruction, but He never is the author of them.  He allowed the Black Plague, for example, but the He gave grace to the survivors.  Similarly, He could not have caused the current global pandemic, but by His grace the elect will allow His people to overcome.  Therefore, the essay went on to say, there was no correlation between Moses having his hands up or down--God would not allow His people to be defeated.

Well, well.

I think my pastor had it more correct, more in line with the nature of God.  His belief is that Moses was up on the hilltop in an attitude of prayer.  As long as he lifted his hands to heaven, God answered his prayer.  Whenever he grew weary of praying, God withdrew His blessing.  Realizing this, Aaron and Hur did what they could to support Moses in his intercessory mission.  They made him comfortable.  They lifted him up, certainly physically but probably also spiritually, so that he would not become weary.

If you believe, as I do, that the gospel can be seen in both the Old and New Testament, then you can see similarities in the work of Moses and the work of Christ.  Romans 8:34 says, "Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who is indeed interceding for us." (Emphasis added).  Like Moses, Jesus sits upon a high vantage point looking down on our battles.  Like Moses, Jesus pleads with the Father for us.

When Jesus was meeting with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who was seeking the truth, He used an image that every little Jewish boy knew well.  The story is from Numbers chapter 21, where God sent a plague of vipers to attack, because the people had disobeyed God's command.  God then told Moses to make an image or representation of a snake out of bronze, and to raise it up on a pole for all to see.  Those who looked up at the image of the viper and believed would be healed.  Those who would not, died.  Jesus referred to this story when He said, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life."

Moses interceded for the people, and Jesus intercedes for  us.  Moses lifted up a symbol of sin and death so that the peopled could be saved, and Jesus was Himself lifted up on a symbol of torture and death, and took all our sins upon Himself, so that we could be saved.  Our job, then, is to follow God's call to us.  We are to seek the face of God, like Jesus (and Moses) did.  We are to pray and not grow weary, as Moses (and Jesus) did.  We are to lift up the leaders who shepherd the people of God, and support them as Aaron and Hur did.  Most of all, we are to proclaim the gift of God to all around us, to be obedient and follow God's will, and to realize that God's grace and mercy will one day run out.  When that day comes, the sheep and goats will be separated, and the sinful will be cast into a lake of fire.