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Teacher: Sister Sharon Griffin
On Tuesday October 7th we went through Exodus 17:8-16, but as always with Sister Sharon as our teacher we were graced with a small history lesson as well.
Lets first start with the definition of Exodus. Exodus in Greek means "departure", "a going", and/or "way out" So although the children of Israel were free from the Egyptians, this was actually the beginning of the journey to the promised land.
In the passage we see that the Amalekites launch an unprovoked attack on Israel in the wilderness (Rephidim). This attack was nothing more than a continuation of a long family feud. If you read back into Genesis Chapter 25 you will see a family scandal of Jacob and Esau. Although they were brothers Jacob and his mother tricked their father Isaac into giving Esau's blessing or his inheritance to Jacob. Jacob and Esau long reconciled, but their descendants continued to feud. The Amalekites are descendants of Esau and the children of Israel are descendants of Jacob.
Are you following along here?
So in verse 8 we see this attack that comes out of nowhere when the children of Israel were just walking through. An unprovoked attack labels the Amalekites as bullies. The first question of the night that I now pose to you is "who or what is bullying you physically, emotionally or spiritually?" Who or what is igniting a problem in your life that you did not start or let alone invite?
Verses 9-10: In these verses we see that Moses decided to fight. Moses chooses Joshua to fight in the valley and Aaron and Hur stand with Moses as he stand on the mountain "with the staff of God in his hands". The second question of the night is "who is with you on the mountain and the valley?" As Christians and servants of God we are going to find ourselves in the valley and mountaintop, but who do you have with you on both ends of your life?
"It takes intercession on the mountain as well as intervention in the valley for God's people to win the victory." Warren W. Wiersbe, With The Word 1991 Oliver-Nelson Books, division of Thomas Nelson Inc. page 56
"We may now be in the valley but valleys wouldn't be valleys without surrounding mountains to ascend, and God promises to lead us upward." Dr. David Jeremiah, What are You Afraid of? 2013 Tyndale House Publishers Inc. page 214.
In order for the Israelites to keep wining Moses had to keep his rod in the air. You may ask yourself what is so special about a rod? As Sister Sharon explained to us looking at it from a Shepherd's definition a rod stood as a symbol of his strength, his power his authority in any serious situation. The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger, and a myriad of other things. Most importantly regarding to this story the rod was Moses's gift. It was one of the ways God used him in a way that was unique to him. All of us have a ministry and a gift. As we were encouraged to reflect on ours I encourage you to do the same. Do not always look for the obvious gifts like a worshiper or minister but ones that are harder to see like helper and giver.
"Having the gifts different according to the grace that is given us, let us use them..."Romans 12:6
"And you shall take this rod in your hand with which you shall work signs [that prove I sent you]" Exodus 4:17
Verse 11-13: Who are your "Aaron and Hur"? Who props you up on every side through Intercession, Accountability, Exhortation/Encouragement, Wise Counsel, Comfort, and Listening? Moses got tired as we are sure to get tired. God has seasons for all of us and although we may know the battle is already won, the journey is not straight, but you must have people who are going to uplift you and help you and as much as we would want everyone is not capable of doing that for you so my sisters and brother in Christ choose wisely.
We must also remember that this journey is not about us, but the person next to you. Who wins when you are steadfast in ministering? In this case the Israelites won, but it may be your best friend who is hurting or your father who is struggling with an addiction. You can't do your ministry and serve half-heartedly. We have to look like Christians. Who is watching you?
Verse 14,16: Write down the victories and remember God keeps his promises. In first Samuel 15 we know that God promised to defend the Israelites and bring them to the promise land and what he said was made true.
Verse 15: "Jehovah- Nissi: The Lord is My Banner!" There is victory in Jesus and God will fight for you
Remember that sometimes we will have to fight because the journey is not easy. Stay faithful and choose the people around you wisely. There is victory at the end of it all and we are not in this alone. Place your worries in God's hands because he will take care of it all. We all have a unique purpose that only we were made to do so my brothers and sisters remember to stray strong and that no one can take your place in this world.
Questions to ponder:
How easy or hard is it to recognize the "bullies" in our life?
Why is it so hard for us to let God fight our battles?
I think that it is easy to recognize the bullies in our lives, but it is hard for us to acknowledge them as our bullies. It is like family we can easily see a family member coming from a mile away and know everything about them, but sometimes do we want to acknowledge them as our family members. It is hard to acknowledge what you fear cause you don't want to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteI think it hard for us to give it to God because we want control in all situation and we see things play out in our heads and God has something totally different for us. I think it is also hard to trust because of our pride. We at times feel like we have enough information to make an effective decision when in reality God knows more then us. Think of it like this...when I was a child, I never questioned my parents about anything because I didn't know any better. I didn't have enough power or resources to make a decision on my own. So it was easy to follow their lead. We need to remind ourselves that I don't have enough on my own and the God has more power, knowledge, and resources. Humble yourself as a child and trust and follow him
Good Lesson