“The Lord then said to Moses, ‘Write this down on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua: I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven.’ And Moses built and altar and named it, ‘The Lord is My Banner.’ He said, ‘Indeed, my hand is lifted up toward the Lord’s throne. The Lord will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)
Have you ever had someone you know do something completely out of character when you were with them? That kind of thing usually catches us totally off guard and leaves us wondering if we know them nearly as well as we thought we did. Walking through the various Old Testament narratives can give us that kind of an experience with God. What we see right here is a good example of this. If you are used to thinking of God as good and gracious and loving and patient and gentle and kind, seeing His response to the Amalekites’ totally unprovoked attack on Israel seems to come straight out of left field. Let’s talk about what’s going on here, and why God might have responded like this.
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