Let us turn once more to God's
Word in that Old Testament portion that we read in Exodus chapter
17. I'll read again from verse 8. Exodus 17 reading from verse
8. Then came Amalek and fought with
Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, choose
us out, men, and go out. Fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I
will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine
hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said
to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went
up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass when Moses
held up his hand that Israel prevailed. And when he let down
his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy,
and they took a stone and put it under him. And he sat thereon,
and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side
and the other on the other side. And his hands were steady until
the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek
and his people. with the edge of the sword. Taking then for a text more particularly
what we read here from verse 10 through to verse 13. In verse 11 we read, He came to
pass when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed and when
he let down his hand Amalek prevails. And the theme that I want to
address this morning is that of the triumphs of prayer. The triumphs of prayer as we
see it here in this incident concerning Israel's defeat of
the Amalekites. Balaam in that strange prophecy
that we have recorded in Numbers chapter 24 speaks of this people
They were the first to fight against the children of Israel
after they came out of the bondage of Egypt. Although, of course,
the Egyptians themselves had pursued after them. The God had
destroyed the Egyptians in the Red Sea. But now, first of all,
they're confronted by these Amalekites. And Balaam, in his prophecy,
says Amalek was the first of the nations but his latter end
shall be that he perish forever." They were the first to fight
against Israel but they would perish forever. And what we see
here is how Joshua is the one who fights but as Joshua fights
so Moses prays. The instruction that Moses gives
there in Verse 9, he says to Joshua, choose us out men and
go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the
top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. And there, of course, he will
pray. And that's what we see in this
11th verse. As Moses held up his hand in
prayer, Israel prevailed. And when Moses let down his hand,
Amalek prevailed. So the success is all together
due to the prayers of Moses. And this is the theme, as I said,
I want to address that of the triumph of prayer in that hymn
of William Cooper's that we will, God willing, sing presently.
We have that verse, while Moses stood with arms spread wide,
success was found on Israel's side. But when through weariness
they failed, that moment Amalek prevailed. Oh, the importance
of prayer. The weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. We read those words in the New
Testament there in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10. The weapons of our
warfare. They're not carnal, they're not
worldly. It is a spiritual conflict that
the people of God are involved in. And here is Moses in prayer. He lifts up his hands in prayer. His hands become heaven. And
there are Aaron and her staying his hands, holding up his hands
in prayer. Paul exhorts in writing in 1st
Timothy, I will therefore that men pray everywhere lifting up
holy hands without wrath and doubting. It's not so much the
physical action of holding up our hands that's the important
thing. It's that we come without wrath,
without doubting, that we see that the exercise is truly spiritual
and it's so important. Restraining prayer, we cease
to fight. Prayer makes the Christian's
armor bright and Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint
upon his knees. Again, the language of Cooper
in that lovely hymn that we will sin presently. Let us come then
to consider something of the triumphs of prayer as we see
it in this portion of God's holy word and dividing the subject
into two parts I have two headings this morning first of all to
say something of the warfare of prayer and then second to
consider the victory of prayer. God does not say to the seed
of Jacob seeking my face in vain. Prayers are heard, prayers are
answered. But first of all to say something
with regards to the warfare of prayer. Now, what we have recorded
here of course is historical fact. This is an event that literally
happened in time. The record that we have in God's
Word is a true record we don't seek to explain these things
away there are those they're called the higher critics who
come to the Old Testament and they want to demythologize it
they want to explain it all away these events they say never actually
happened well we believe that this is truly the Word of God
and what we have here is a a record of events that did happen
in the fulfillment of all the purposes of God. God is sovereign
in history. And so not surprisingly in the
Word of God we have the record of those things that form part
and parcel of the outworking of God's eternal purpose. This is a literal event that
we're reading of. There were a people who were
called the Amalekites. Who were they? Well, they were
descendants of Esau. Esau, of course, the twin brother
of Jacob. Back in Genesis 36.12, we're
told Timnah was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she
bared to Eliphaz Amalek. and the Amalekites are descended
therefore from that man who was the grandson of Esau. And though Esau, though the brother
of Jacob, he hated his brother. We're told in Genesis 27 Esau
hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed
him. Esau was the firstborn of those
twins he was the older brother but he despised his birthright
he sells it for a mess of pottage and Jacob obtains a blessing
and then Esau sees his folly and he hates what his brother
has done in stealing that birthright from him and we find very solemn
words concerning this man Esau when we turn to the New Testament
Remember how he's mentioned there in the twelfth chapter of the
epistle to the Hebrews and he's spoken of as a profane person. In Hebrews 12, 15 Paul says,
Look indiligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God. lest any root of bitterness bringing
up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any
fornicator or profound person, as Esau, who for one morsel of
meat sold his birthright. For you know, and that afterward,
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected,
for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
with tears." nor let us not be like that man profaned, despising
the blessings of God." Now we need to be diligent with regards
to those things that God sets before us here in Holy Scripture. He was then a profane person. And what are we told concerning
these Amalekites who were descended from him through his grandson
Amalek? Well, they were the people that
feared not God. Again, we have the language of
Scripture there in Deuteronomy 25, 18. And Amalek smote the
hindmost of them, even of all that were feeble behind them,
when they were faint and weary. And he feared not God. Oh, that's the record concerning
these Amalekites. They were not God-fearers. And
how cruelly they came upon the children of Israel as they were
coming out of all that cruel bondage that had occurred to
them when they were in Egypt. They smote the hindmost, the
most vulnerable part. They were feeble, they were faint,
they were weary with their journey. This then is something of the
event that's being recorded concerning these Amalekites and their hatred
of the children of Israel and how they really are seeking their
destruction. But what of the spiritual significance
of these things? Now, last Thursday I did make
some reference to what we have here at the beginning of this
chapter when the children of Israel are at Rephidim and they're
desperate for water, they have no water to drink and they begin
to chide with Moses because of their great thirst and Moses
cries to the Lord and the Lord directs him to the rock verse
6, Behold I will stand before thee there upon the rock says
God, and thou shalt smite the rock and there shall come water
out of it that the people may drink. We made some reference
to this particular incident although we were actually considering
an event some 40 years later when again they were in great
need of water. Then they were upon the borders
of the Promised Land, they were at Kadesh, And we looked at the
event that's recorded there at the beginning of Numbers chapter
20. Very similar event. But I remarked on Thursday that
whilst we recognize the historicity of these things, we must also
take account of the spiritual significance. Because we're told
quite clearly, when Paul writes there in 1 Corinthians chapter
10, that all these things happened unto them for ensamples, or for
types. and they are written for our
admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. There
is something typical here, there is something spiritual to be
understood in this event that we have recorded, not only at
the beginning but also throughout this chapter, in fact throughout
the whole of the Old Testament. As I said on Thursday when we
come to God's Word, yes, we find it interesting, it's interesting
for us to study, if we have an interest in history, but we don't
come to it as any ordinary book. We see this as the Word of God.
We come here surely that we might discover something of the mercy
of God, the grace of God, that we might see more and more of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And isn't Christ here in the
Old Testament in types and in shadows? And interestingly, what
we have here in this incident is our first introduction to
this man called Joshua. The first mention that we have
of Joshua is found here at verse 9. Moses said unto Joshua, Choose
us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will
stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. Now, I'm sure many of you are
well aware that Joshua is the Hebrew form of the Greek name
Jesus. In fact, in Hebrews 4.8, he's
referred to in our authorized version by that name. If Jesus had given them rest,
says the Apostle. He's referring to Joshua. And this man is a type of the
Lord Jesus Christ. is very naive you see. What does
Joshua mean? It simply means Jehovah saves. Salvation is of the Lord acknowledges
Jonah in his great prayer there in the second chapter of his
book and the angel says to Joseph who was betrothed to the Virgin
Mary who was with child that is not to put her away, she is
with child of the Holy Ghost and the child is to be born and
his name says the angel thou shalt call his name Jesus for
he shall save his people from their sins and so there's some
spiritual significance surely in what we read here concerning
Joshua and the defeat of the Amalekites. It's historic, yes,
but there's also some spiritual lesson for us to learn. In many ways we can say that
this Amalek reminds us of Satan and all the forces of darkness,
and how all these forces are to be defeated. Verse 16, Because
the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek,
from generation to generation. Joshua is the one who prevails
over Amalek. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
one who prevails over all the works of darkness. Well, what
do we read here in verse 13? Joshua discomfited
Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword and yet we
see throughout the whole passage the importance of prayer all
the importance of prayer and how vital prayer is in this victory
and how vital prayer is in the victories of the Lord Jesus Christ
and his people over all the forces of Satan we ought to be those
who know what it is into to be wrestling in our prayers isn't
that really the mark of those who are the Israel of God? Genesis
chapter 32 we read of Jacob there at Peniel it's at Peniel that
the angel of the Lord is wrestling with him and that angel of the
Lord it's an appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old
Testament there are many occasions when he appears as the angel
of the Lord the Theophanies as they are called and as they wrestle
together so Jacob determines he will not let the angel go
except he bless him and he is blessed and what is the blessing?
by there his name is changed no more Jacob, no more the supplanter
It supplanted his brother Esau, yes, but now his name is Israel,
he's a prince. A prince with God. He prevails. And what is the mark of those
who are God's true spiritual Israel? They're a praying people.
Oh, we see the importance, I trust, how we must be those who would
be wrestling in our prayers. the fightings of prayer, the
warfare that we're engaged with, that spiritual warfare, wrestling
not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers
and the rulers of the darkness of this world, as Paul says in
Ephesians chapter 6. And how important prayer is,
and we see it here, we see the necessity of it when we feel
ourselves to be so weak, see how satan attacks and when satan attacks what's
the situation with regards to the people of God they're overwhelmed
oh we were looking only last Lord's day at those words of
the psalmist in the 61st psalm we were thinking of the rock
that rock of course that we have here in Exodus 17 and again in
Numbers chapter 20 and that rock was the Lord Jesus Christ, but
we were looking last Lord's Day at words in the beginning of
Psalm 61, here is David in his Psalm, in his prayer, Hear my
cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will
I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the
rock that is higher than I how when we in our weakness we feel
we're overwhelmed we're overwhelmed because of our weakness and Satan
is not inactive all he attacks when we feel ourselves to be
so weak and so feeble we refer just now to those words in Deuteronomy
25 how Amalek smote the hindmost when they're feeble and faint
and weary in the war. This is the way of Satan. But
what are we to do when we feel ourselves to be in that place
of weakness? We're to cry to God amidst all
our feebleness and all our fainting. Prayer is a weapon for the feeble.
Weakest souls can wield it best. We sang it just now in the hymn.
Do we believe it? that this is the weapon that
God has given to those who are weak, feeble and it's a mighty
weapon but Satan is such a subtle foe, we know that or we should
know that, we're not to be ignorant of Satan and his devices and
he comes, you see, he attacks the Zamalek the hindmost or where
they're weakest, there's no or very little defense there when
we think of that armour that the Lord God has provided for
his children that the apostle delineates for us in Ephesians
chapter 6. There's a breastplate of righteousness,
there's a shield of faith and so forth. But God's people are
to go forward, there's really no defence provided for the backward
paths. But how Satan you see, so subtle. Hammelech comes at them from
the highmost, as it were. What are we to do? We're to watch
and pry, lest we enter into temptation. Not to be ignorant of the devices
of this great adversary. We're to put on the whole armour
of God. we might be able to stand in the evil day and having done
all to stand we're not to sleep as do others we're to be those
who are watching and praying and this is what we're to do
when we feel ourselves to be so vulnerable when we feel ourselves
to be in that place where we're so conscious of our frailties
and our weaknesses Even then we can turn to the Lord and cry
to Him in the midst of all our trials and all our troubles.
Or there is that warfare and it's a spiritual warfare and
it centers in our prayers to God and how necessary it was
that Moses here is pleading and praying as Joshua is fighting. But besides that sense of weakness
We also here, in the account, see weariness. Doesn't Moses
grow weary in prayer? Isn't that the significance of
what we're taught? In verse 12, Moses' hands were
heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him, and he
sat there on, and Aaron and her stayed up his hands, the one
on the one side, the other on the other side. and his hands
were steady until the going down of the sun. Is it not interesting to observe
what we're told here? It is Moses, it is Moses who
grows weary. It is not Joshua. It is not Joshua. Joshua is involved in the conflict,
in the warfare. He has been told to choose out
men and go out and fight with Amalek. And he is obedient. He disconfits Amalek and his
people with the edge of the sword. He doesn't grow weary. There's
no record of that. If he is a type of the Lord Jesus
Christ, of course the Lord Jesus Christ is that one who goes forth
conquering and to conquer. Christ is set before us as a
great spiritual warrior defeating all the forces of darkness vanquishing
sin and death and Satan and the grave but here is Moses and Moses
grows weary in the exercise of prayer I like the observation
that Matthew Henry makes here Simple sentence, he says, the
more spiritual any service is, the more apt we are to fail and
to flag. The more spiritual any service
we do for God is, the more we're prone, you see, to grow weary. There's much in that. The spirit
indeed is willing, says the Lord Jesus, but the flesh is weak. And isn't that the great lament
that the Apostle is making there in that great seventh chapter
of the Epistle to the Romans? He feels his own nature, the
wretched man that he is. That conflict that he's having
with himself all the time. Or any exercise that is truly
spiritual. Oh, the old man in us will be
up in arms. And now Satan comes of course
and we can't say what the Lord Jesus says, the prince of this
world cometh and hath nothing in me, he finds much in us. And
he so readily takes advantage of these things. Here we see
then that the one who grows weary is Moses because what Moses is
concerned with is such a spiritual exercise, he's praying. whilst
Joshua is the one who is fighting against the forces of Ammon. Oh, there's a warfare that we're
to engage in. There's that good fight of faith.
There's that conflict with sin and with Satan. But besides the
warfare of prayer, what we see here So positively is that there
is victory. Ultimately there is victory for
those who persevere in prayers. Or we can never seek the face
of God in vain. We are assured by the Lord Jesus
Christ himself that there will be answers to prayer. What does
he say in the Gospel? Ask and it shall be given you.
Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened
unto you. Everyone that asketh receiveth. and he that seeketh
findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened and what we
have there of course are all those sure and certain shalls
and wills all the promises of God in the Lord Jesus Christ
they're all Yah they're all Amen he says ye shall seek me and
find me when ye shall search after me with all your heart
what is it to be seeking after Him with all our hearts. Well,
sometimes we think we've got our regular times and hours of
prayer and so on, but maybe sometimes we find it so hard to pray and
yet there's still that exercise in us. We're feeling our weakness
now. We cannot pray as we ought. We're
learning our complete and utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
All the ways of God with us are so strange and so mysterious. He brings us to the complete
and utter end of ourselves. And then we're really exercising
ourselves in that spiritual exercise of prayer. And there is this
victory. And we see it here. And I want
to observe three things in the victory of prayer. Here we see
that there is help in prayer. In verse 12, Moses' hands were
heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him. And he
sat thereon, and Aaron and her stayed up his hands, the one
on the one side and the other on the other side, and his hands
were steady until the going down of the sun. Now, I've already
mentioned that we are assured in Holy Scripture of the help
of the Holy Spirit. Oh yes, we have one in heaven
who is an Advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
He is the propitiation for our sins. Here upon earth He has
paid the great ransom price. He has redeemed His people by
the shedding of His precious blood. He's answered all the
demands of the Holy Lord of God. He has made an end of their sins.
He's brought in everlasting righteousness. and now risen he is ascended
and he ever lives to make intercession his very presence his session
there at the Father's right hand all prayers will be heard because of one
in heaven but as I said there is also one who comes to us here
on earth there is one who comes and dwells in the hearts of his
people to help them not only an intercessor in heaven, but
one who intercedes in the heart. Those words of Romans 8.26, the
Spirit helpeth our infirmities and maketh intercession for us
with groanings that cannot be uttered. There's help. There's
help afforded in prayer. But what do we see here? Well,
we read of these two men, Aaron and her, they were the brothers,
well Aaron was the brother and it said that her was in fact
a brother-in-law, he was married to Miriam and what do they do,
they help or they help Moses in his prayer that good man Joseph Hall, one
time Bishop of Norwich said there cannot be a more brotherly act
than to help one another in our prayers. There cannot be a more
brotherly act than helping one another in prayer. And is it
not good sometimes when we come to the prayer meeting and we
feel this and some brother prays and we thank God because he is
able to express in words what we might feel in our hearts but
words fail us we cannot find the words and yet this man he
stands there and he prays and we feel we can say our Amen it's
as if he's expressing the very wants of our own souls or how
we help one another in our prayers how the apostle Paul that man
who was raised up to be the great apostle to the Gentiles, how
when he writes to those New Testament churches he constantly desires
their prayers. We've referred to Ephesians 6
and the believer's spiritual armour. And remember how, having
spoken of the various paths, Paul then goes on to speak of
the need for prayer. The hymn says each piece put
on with prayer. But having spoken of their need
to be praying for themselves, he says, and for me, that utterance
may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make
known the mystery of the gospel. He wants them to pray for him.
He wants them to pray for him in all his ministry. He says
again to the Thessalonians, Brethren, pray for us, or are we need that
others pray for us. Isn't that a comfort? And a great
comfort to us when someone says, I try to pray for you every day.
I try to pray for you every day. Isn't that a wonderful brotherly
act? If a person is praying for us.
And here we see how that there is help in prayer. Moses is helped. by his brothers. Aaron and her
stayed up his hands, the one on the one side and the other
on the other side. It's mutual. And then as there
is help in prayer, so there is also help through prayer. And that's what we see in verse
9. Moses says to Joshua, Choose us out, men, and go out, fight
with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the
top of the hill with the rod of God, in mine hands. Or the lesson that we surely
see here is the importance of means. Instruments are to be
used. There's a necessity that there
are those in Israel who will fight. As I said, the account
is a literal account. This is a real physical conflict
between the Amalekites and the Israelites. it's not enough to
Moses to go and to simply pray to God oh yes prayer is important,
prayer is all important but we're to recognize that the Lord God
employs means if someone is sick you know really sick, physically
sick we can pray for them and I'm sure we do pray for them
but We see the importance of them using means. We would say,
well you need to go and see the doctor. Or it may be that the
doctor has made a diagnosis and some treatment is necessary,
medicine is prescribed or an operation is necessary. We see
the importance of all of these things because God is a God of
providence. That's how God works, by means.
But at the same time we see the vital importance of prayer. And do we not see it here? Ultimately,
there is a complete and utter dependence upon God. That's the
important thing. We recognize that God uses means,
but we don't look to the means. Or we look beyond the means.
We look to Him who is the Great First Cause of all things. Help comes here through prayer.
And it's only as Moses pries that the children of Israel are
able to prevail. When Moses held up his hand,
Israel prevailed, it says in verse 11. When he let down his
hand, Amalek prevailed. All we recognize then, ultimately,
it is God. Though God is pleased to employ
means. And what do we see at the end
in verse 15? Moses, after this great victory,
built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nisai. Jehovah Nisai. And the margin
might tell you what that means. It's a Hebrew word. Literally,
the Lord's my banner. The Lord's my banner. Wasn't God given his people a
banner? Again the language of the Psalmist
in Psalm 60, Thou hast shown thy people hard things, Thou
hast made us drink the wine of astonishment, Thou hast given
a banner to them that fear Thee. But it may be displayed because
of the truth. Oh, it's that banner, it's the
Lord. And that barrow, of course, reminds us of that great spiritual
conflict that has been accomplished by all that the Lord Jesus Christ
himself has suffered. And how he has triumphed now
over all the forces of darkness. And then, thinking of the victory
of prayer, finally we see here how help comes out of prayer. help comes out of prayer verse
14 the Lord says to Moses write this for a memorial in a book
and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua for I will utterly put
out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven there is to
be a memorial the event is not to be forgotten that you remember and it was
that they gained the victory. It's recorded then for the future
generations, it's recorded as an encouragement to them. God
hears and God answers prayers. And we're to mark those answers
to the prayers. All he's able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think. more than we can really express,
more than we could ever dream of. God is able to do remarkable
things. But He will be inquired of. I
will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to
do it for them, He says. He will do it. That is His great
purpose. But how will He do it? He will
have them come to inquire. He will have them to pray. And
we are to remember the the great purpose of God in prayers. How
do we remember? Well, we mark the returns of
our prayers. That great Puritan divine, Thomas
Goodwin, writing on the subject of prayer, gives his book the
title, The Return of Prayers. What's the point of praying if
there's no return, no answer? all we should be looking you
see for answers we're not so much to look to our own prayers
but we're to look to the answers that God gives, we look beyond
our prayers we look to the God who hears prayers and answers
prayers as one says it is not your prayers but God's answers
that you should be looking to oh the Lord help us then that
we might be those who who recognize the significance, the importance
of prayer as we have it unfolded to us in this historic incident,
in the experiences of the children of Israel. And it's all written
for our admonition. These things are in samples,
times. Written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world
are come. We see something of the conflict,
the warfare, that his real prayer and then the answers that God
is pleased to grant. He grants victory to his praying
people. Oh Moses doesn't pray in vain though he was weary in his prayers
he is supported and ultimately Joshua is successful because
Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the
sword. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the
ears of Joshua. For I will utterly put out the
remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar,
and called the name of it Jehovah-Nissi. For he said, Because the Lord
hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation
to generation. Well, the Lord willing will look
at the remaining part of that chapter this evening. The Lord bless to us his word. We now sing that hymn of William
Cooper's 394, the tune Antwerp 283. What various hindrances
we meet In coming to the mercy seat,
you do that knows a word of prayer, but wishes to be often there. While Moses stood with arms spread
wide, success was found on Israel's side, but when through weariness
they failed, that moment Amalek prevailed. The Hymn 394.