Morning Musing: Exodus 17:12-13

“When Moses’s hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army with the sword.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The writer of Hebrews told his audience of believers that they should not give up on meeting with one another – that is, being the church together. The reason for this command was rooted in their need for one another as they sought to advance God’s kingdom together. The idea that we need help doing God’s work was not a new one. Even relying on God’s power is not something we can manage on our own. Moses experienced that here. Let’s talk about what’s going on here, and why doing God’s work in community is better than trying it on our own.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 14:13-14

“But Moses said to the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

There are all kinds of stories about fighting against the forces of darkness and evil. Spiritual warfare is a common theme, especially in the horror genre. And in pretty much all of our stories about fighting spiritual forces that are opposed to God, the battle always goes about the same way. We do all the work. Yes, God may give us a little bit of help in the form of a powerful weapon or talisman or something like that, but the victory is always ours. We achieve it. We save ourselves. This makes for a fun story, but in terms of an approximation of reality, it really doesn’t come close. What we see here is a much better picture of how our biggest battles are really won. Let’s talk about what’s happening here as Moses tries to reassure the people in the face of what appears to them to be their impending doom.

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