THE STAFF BECOMES A CROSS

It was the first time that Israel had to defend itself!  In the Wilderness of Sin – after just receiving water from a rock – the Amalekites came against them! 

Moses drafted Joshua to select some men and go out to fight.  Meanwhile he added:  “I will take my stand on top of the hill holding God’s staff.” [Exodus 17:9 TM] This was the staff used to divide the Red Sea and bring water from the rock!  

The next morning, Moses took two of his most reliable men, Aaron and Hur, and went to the top of the hill.  There, he held God’s staff out over the battlefield.  “It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning” [v.11 TM]. 

As a result, they placed a large stone for Moses to sit on and Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on each side!  By doing this, he remained steady until sundown.  “Joshua defeated Amalek and its army in battle” [v.13 TM]

God specifically told Moses to write this incident up “as a reminder to Joshua to keep it before him”.  God already knew that eventually Joshua would replace Moses as the leader of Israel and God wanted Joshua to be able to remember that this great victory came through PRAYER!!!!!

Finally, “Moses built an altar and named it ‘GOD My Banner’” [v.15 TM]. 

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Although I can’t take the time to tell the whole story, it was in the year 312 A.D. that the new emperor, Constantine – who was struggling to maintain his new position – saw something that changed the course of history:

One day, while he was in front of his tent with his officers and troops around him, he had a vision of an enormous cross of fire in the heavens. On one side of the cross were the words, in the Greek language: In hoc signo vinces, the translation of which is “By this sign thou shalt conquer.”

And the future of the Church was radically affected from that day forward!  A church that had been persecuted and tormented was suddenly released from the catacombs into the light of day!  A vision by one man transformed the future of the Church and the world! 

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I must confess that as I grew up, I wondered:  “Did God really make the outcome of this battle dependent on a man’s ability to hold his arms up all day long?”  “Was it just a matter of Moses holding his hands up, or was it Moses ability to stay focused in prayer?”  These are reasonable questions.

As an adult, it seems clearer to me that the lesson here is one of dependence on God!  He is dependable!  We can trust Him!  But we must lean on Him!  We must call on Him!  His deliverance is not automatic.  His deliverance is dependent on our leaning, our trust, our deliberate confidence in Him! 

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I’m a senior citizen.  All those my age have seen tough and discouraging times; however, none compare to what we’re facing today! 

So, one must ask:  “Are we leaning into God more than we ever have before?”  “Are we calling on Him more fervently than we ever have before?”  “Are we truly trusting God regarding the perils that are threatening our world today?” 

Is anyone standing on the hilltop with their hands outstretched before God?  Is anyone there to help hold their hands up?  Will we be able to sustain this cry of desperation until nightfall?  Is there enough faith and trust to enable us to see the victory that God only can give?