Tonight I have a little more
of a lengthy introduction than usual, but I feel it somewhat
necessary as we continue to study here in the book of Exodus, observing
Israel's walk in the wilderness. You know how we've said from
time to time that this is a picture of our walk in this world, this
wilderness of the world in which we live. And as we continue to
observe their wilderness walk, we'll see more and more that
one of Israel's greatest enemies was the one within. As a believer
continues on their daily walk with Christ in faith in Him,
we become increasingly aware of this same enemy. And I speak
of sin. I speak of the flesh. I want
you to think about what we've studied thus far. Israel had
been in bondage to Pharaoh and Egypt. They'd been delivered
from their bondage by God. They'd left Egypt behind just
as the true believers had been rescued from their fallen estate
and are no longer the servants of sin. God's showing a beautiful
picture there of the blood sprinkled upon the doorpost and the lintel
and the chosen child of God having redemption applied to their souls. And to know that God looked upon
them and saw the blood and passed over them. Redemption by the
blood. Israel had feasted from and upon the Passover lamb. So
have God's people. We partake of Christ. Christ
has become our meat and He's become our drink. And our soul
is satisfied with Him. Israel had been pursued by their
enemies, and even the child of God has been pursued by their
sin. The children of Israel witnessed
those furious foes all drown in the Red Sea. And the child
of God has had all their sins forever buried in the Red Sea
of Christ's atoning blood. Our iniquities, which threatened
to drive us back to Egypt, just as Pharaoh and his army threatened
to drive Israel back, are forever gone. And they're in the depths
of the sea. They've been covered. And Israel
crossed on dry ground. The people of God cross on the
dry, firm, satisfied ground of God's justice, not so much as
the dust of sin upon their feet. And with Pharaoh and his army
gone, Israel's now singing, and they're worshiping, and they're
praising God on the seashore. You remember that. Don't you
just know they were anticipating some peace and some rest and
some ease with uninterrupted song? No longer were around the
whips of their taskmasters. They no longer had to make bricks
without straw. They could rejoice now and be
merry. They could be happy for the first
time in their lives, for some of them. Things were going to
start looking up, so they think. But is that how it works? Is
that how it works? I ask some of you older believers
that have been walking with the Lord for a while now. Has that
been your experience? Israel singing, dancing, and
the next thing you know they're hungry and thirsty. And they're
singing and they're rejoicing, turns to grumbling and complaining. Many people look that regeneration,
redemption, salvation, is being the change of the old nature
into a new one. But you know, experience teaches
us something different. Regeneration doesn't change the
old nature. I think the Apostle Paul was
very clear on that matter in Romans chapter 7. What but two
natures though would cause to save man like Paul? a servant
of God, used of God, to declare concerning himself, O wretched
man that I am, not O wretched man that I was, but O wretched
man that I am. What but a struggle, what but
a battle, what but a war with this old nature, this old man
of sin would cause the Apostle Paul to say, for I know that
in me, that is in my flesh, There dwelleth no good thing, for to
will is present with me, but how to perform that which is
good I find not." You know, a change of heart is nowhere spoken of
in scripture, but a replacement of the heart is. Big difference. Not the changing of the heart,
not the improving of a sinner's heart, but God says, a new heart
also will I give you. and a new spirit will I put within
you, and I'll take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and
I'll give you a heart of flesh." A believer is born again. It's
a new birth. A birth from above. Life from
above. Life from God. Arthur Pink once
wrote, the new birth is neither the removal of anything from
a man, nor the changing of anything within. The new birth is an impartation
of a new nature. It's a new creation within. That which is born of the Spirit
is Spirit. And the teaching of two natures,
the old and the new man, is seen throughout the Scripture. Abraham
had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was born of the flesh.
Isaac was born of the Spirit. Ishmael was born as a result
of natural order. It was a result of man's fleshly
involvement with Abraham's handmaid. You know the story. Isaac's birth
was a result of a miracle. It was a supernatural birth.
Ishmael was born of the bond woman. Isaac was born of the
free woman. Picture of two natures. There's
a picture of two natures illustrated in Isaac's son, Jacob. As you know from our study in
Genesis, Jacob had two names. Jacob, the name that his earthly
parents gave him, and Israel, the name that he received from
God. And Jacob's life exhibited what
many would call today probably a multiple personality or dual
personality. One time he's trusting God with
great confidence, and moments later it seems he's giving way
to an evil heart of unbelief. Does that sound like anybody
you know? Throughout the book of Genesis, the Holy Spirit sometimes
refers to him as Jacob, and at other times refers to him as
Israel. And if you go back through those chapters, 33 through chapter
40 something in the Scriptures, even a casual study in the life
of Jacob reveals his inconsistencies. But when Jacob is referred to
as Jacob, it has to do with the actions of his flesh, his old
nature, his acts of disobedience and unbelief. And when he's referred
to as Israel, it reveals Jacob having the evidence of the fruit
of the new man within. So in that sense, Jacob in and
of himself very accurately shows us something of our two natures. I believe we have a very accurate
picture before us tonight of the conflict between the two
natures. So with that said, Exodus chapter
17, look at verse 8 with me. Last time we looked at the first
seven verses, Christ the smitten rock, What a picture of our Lord
Jesus that is. But now we read in verse 8 of
Exodus chapter 17, then came Amalek and fought with Israel
in Rephidim. Now when did Amalek come? It
says then. Then came Amalek. He came when
God willed and purposed him to come. We say this all the time,
and it came to pass. That means when God brought it
to pass. then, when God willed and purposed it. Now who is Amalek? Well, just to give you a little
brief history, he's a descendant of Esau, Jacob's brother. His name means Amalek, it means
valley dweller, or low dweller. The Amalekites were defined as
people of lapping, or licking up. I found that very interesting. Something or someone with unquenchable
lust who consumes up all and then licks up what's left. Sounds
a lot like the flesh to me. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses
tells us that Amalek feared not God. This man didn't fear God
and such is our flesh. Our flesh doesn't fear God. The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but man's flesh doesn't
fear the Lord. Amalek didn't fear God. Look
down in verse 16. Moses declares that the Lord
will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Our
flesh is that enemy that tags along and afflicts us all the
days of our earthly pilgrimage. Our war with our sin and our
flesh is a perpetual war. As long as we travel in this
wilderness of sin, we have to deal with. Let me show you something
about this cunning and cowardly enemy. Hold your place here and
turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 25 with me. Deuteronomy chapter 25. Look
at verse 17. Deuteronomy 25 verse 17. Just a couple verses here. Remember
what Amalek did unto thee by the way when you were come forth
out of Egypt. This is talking about right here
in Exodus chapter 17. He says, How he met thee by the
way and smote the hindmost of thee. He snuck up behind you. Isn't that what the flesh does?
It sneaks up behind you. It comes out of nowhere. It says,
Even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and
weary, and he, Amalek, feared not God. Now there were many
in the number of Israel here who were feeble, some very old,
up in age. Many who were faint and tired.
Many who had fallen back from the rest of the caravan because
they couldn't keep up. And that's who Amalek attacked. The weak, the vulnerable, the
faint, the weary. It's the same with our enemy.
Amalek represents the flesh and the fight between the flesh and
the spirit. The old man, the war between
the old man and the new man. Did you know it's a war? Paul
said it was. Now back in Exodus chapter 17,
Verse 8, we've got to pay attention, must pay attention to the first
word of that verse then, as I mentioned a moment ago. When did Amalek
come and fight with Israel? Well, it was after the rock had
been smitten. There's a real picture here.
After the rock had been smitten, after water had come forth, You
see friends, when true spiritual life is given, that's when the
real battle begins. And immediately comes Amalek
and forces Israel to fight. Now our text makes no bones about
who attacked who here. Then came Amalek and fought with
Israel in Rephidim. Amalek attacked Israel. The new
man, the new nature within a believer delights to feed upon the Word
of God. The new nature delights to commune
with God, to be engaged in spiritual things, the things of Christ.
Loves it. But the flesh won't let the believer
live in peace. The flesh attempts to rob the
believer of their joy. The flesh plants seed of doubt
concerning a believer's faith. Why? A believer don't act like
you act. A believer don't do what you
do. A believer don't think what you think. The flesh robs the believer of
their peace and it keeps them from resting. Israel's now forced
to do something that they've never had to do before and that's
fight. before the Lord had done everything for them. You think
about this. It's the same with us. It's God
that gives the increase, isn't it? Well, we plant, we water.
Yeah, but God gives the increase. We're saved by grace through
faith. And Paul says it's not of ourselves. It's a gift of
God. We're not going to glory in it. It's not by works that
we may boast. No room for boasting. That's
why Paul asked in Romans chapter 3, he said, where's boasting
then? No room for it. It's excluded. By what law? The
law of works? Nay, the law of faith. Salvation
is of the Lord. Period. God delivered Israel. The ten plagues, God brought
them. The parting of the Red Sea, God parted it. What was
Israel commanded to do? Stand still and see the salvation
of the Lord. But here they're forced to fight
for themselves. You know, there is a fight that
we must fight. You know what it is? Paul told
Timothy, we've got to fight the good fight of faith. He said,
and lay hold on eternal life, wherein to we are also called.
We've got to believe God, friends. We're going to have to believe
God. We have to look to Christ for everything. Everything. Everything we need, everything
God requires. We have to fight the good fight
of faith. We're called to do so. Now, look at verse nine. 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 my 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 there
on, 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. I thought it interesting
that in Scripture, Moses calls this rod the rod of God, and
God calls this rod the rod of Moses. But there's no doubt what
this rod represents and pictures. It represents and it pictures
the power and the authority of God. It pictures Christ in whom
all power and authority and judgment are given. And as long as the
rod of God could be seen by Israel in Moses' hand, they pervade. And when Israel could not see
the rod in Moses' hand, Amalek pervaded. God has promised that
if we keep our eyes on Christ, we shall prevail. Keep your eyes
on Him. Verse 12 tells us that Moses'
hands were heavy. As you know throughout the Scriptures,
Moses represents the Law, and his hands grew heavy. He couldn't
hold up steadily the rod of God. Let me turn you, keep your place
in Exodus. We may come back, I'm not sure.
But I want you to look at Romans chapter 8 with me. I want you
to see this in your own Bible. In Romans chapter 8, Moses' hands
were heavy. In Romans chapter 8, Verse 3
tells us that for what the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh. And let me add that that's our
flesh that's weak. God sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh. That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit,
the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it's not subject to
the law of God, and neither indeed can be. So then, they that are
in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. How do we know that we're not
walking in the flesh? How do we know when we're walking
in the Spirit? Do we decide ourselves when we
are? How do we know when we're minding
the things of the flesh, and how do we know if we're minding
the things of the Spirit? How do we know if we're being
carnally minded? How do we know if we're being
spiritually minded? Paul gives us the answer right
there in verse 9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit. And then here's the answer. If
so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. So now the next
question is, how do we know if the Spirit of God dwells in us?
We're going to believe God. Listen to me. We're going to
believe God and we're going to trust our souls to the work and
the righteousness of Christ alone. And we're going to continue to
trust our souls to the work and the righteousness of Christ alone.
Tomorrow, we're going to trust in Christ alone. And the day
after that, we're going to trust in Him alone. Did you notice
in Exodus 17, this was done when Moses' hands grew tarred. If
you want to turn back there, you can. If not, it says they
stayed up his hands. In verse 12, it says they took
a stone, and I can just kind of picture them propping him
up on a stone, and the ones on one side of him and the ones
on the other, and they're holding his hands up steady. It says,
until the going down of the sun. I remind you that Aaron was the
priest of God. Here we have a picture of Christ,
our high priest. He fulfilled the law. He satisfied
the law's justice. And he held up the honor and
the justice of God's law so that God could be both just and justifier
of those who believe in Jesus Christ. And salvation is looking
unto Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of our faith.
I found it quite interesting that the name Hur, H-U-R, who's
believed by most to be the husband of Miriam, or the brother-in-law
of Moses, his name Hur in the Hebrew language means light or
whiteness. You know, names mean something
in the Scripture. Her is an appropriate picture of the perfect righteousness
of Christ, the whiteness, the perfection, the perfect holiness
and righteousness of God that's found in Him, in Him alone. And it's the very righteousness
of God in Christ, along with Him as our high priest that holds
steady the law of God as it seeks to satisfy God's holy justice
and at the same time justify the sin. Christ is our high priest
and perfect righteousness is the only way, and let me reiterate,
the only way that God could be both a just God and a saint.
I love what John the Beloved said. He wrote, my little children,
these things I write unto you that you sin not. But he didn't
stop there. And he said, and if any man sin,
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteousness. I don't know about you, but I
wish I could never sin again. I do. I wish that I could never
sin again. John said, I write unto you that
ye sin not, but then immediately says, and if any man sin, we
have an advocate. He's quick to give us the good
news. If any man sin or when a man
sins, we have an advocate. And what an advocate he is. He's
the only advocate who gets all those that he represents to plead
guilty. and at the same time gets them
all justified. He's never ever lost a case. When Paul said, O wretched man
that I am, as I mentioned a moment ago, who shall deliver me from
the body of this dead? Did you know that he immediately
answered that question? He sure did. He said, I thank
God through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's the answer. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? I thank God. It's through Jesus
Christ our Lord that He does. And then Paul said this, So then
with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the
flesh the law of sin. Now is that not talking about
two natures? Is that not referring to the
new man and the old man? Do men and women really think
they're getting better? Do they really think that with
a daily practice of Christ-likeness that we can become and practice
what we are by substitution? If that's so, then I'll tell
you, I'm in trouble. I do believe that by the grace
and mercy of God, I'm growing in grace and in the knowledge
of the Lord. But this I also know. God has
been pleased to show me what He showed the Apostle Paul. And
that is that I have not already attained whether we're already
perfect, but I follow after that, I may be apprehended of Christ. Brethren, I count myself not
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, I'm going to
forget those things which are behind me, and I'm going to reach
forth unto those things which are before, and I'm going to
reach towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of
God in Jesus Christ. That's my only hope. Now look
at verse 13 and I'll finish. And Joshua discomfited Amalek
and his people with the edge of the sword. Did you notice
that verse 13 did not say that Joshua destroyed Amalek? It says that Joshua discomfited
him. Many years later in 1 Samuel
chapter 15, God's going to command King Saul to smite Amalek and
utterly destroy him and everything he has. He tells King Saul to
kill them all, slay both men, women, infants, suckling, ox,
sheep, camel, ass. And Saul wound up not doing what
the Lord told him to, and that's another story. But here in Exodus
chapter 17, we're told that Joshua discomfited Amalek. Now that word discomfited means
weakened. Weakened. Joshua discomfited
them with the sword. He weakened them with the sword.
But they're still alive. The new made is stronger. I'm
talking about things way over my head here. So bear with me. The new man is greater because
the Scripture says greater is he that's in you than he that's
in the world. But that old man's still alive.
The old man hadn't changed. He hadn't improved. He hadn't
gotten any better. He's not here to help you. One
day soon, this corruptible body is going to put on incorruption,
and this mortal is going to put on immortality, and death is
going to be swallowed up in victory. And it's then that the old man
is going to be put away and put away forever. Look at verse 14,
finish this chapter. And the Lord said unto Moses,
write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the
ears of Joshua. And Moses did just that. As you
know, he's the author of the first five books of the Old Testament. And that's what the Law of Moses
did. It rehearsed the good news of the gospel of redemption and
forgiveness in Christ in the ears of Joshua. And then he says
that God would utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from
under heaven. I find that very interesting
and find that the Gospel. Do you know that the phrase put
out here means the same thing as when God said, I, even I,
am He that blotteth out. It means the same thing. I blotted
out your transgressions, He said, for My own sake. That's why God
did it. For His own sake. And will not
remember thy sins. You know, I am by no means attempting
to glorify my sin in any way tonight. I hate my sin. Especially
when I see who it's against. It's against God. But it's my
sin, and it's my constant battle with Amalek that keeps me continually
looking to and leaning on Christ. But one day very soon, God's
going to put out the remembrance of our sin from under heaven.
God doesn't remember it now, and we won't remember it then.
You can't remember something that doesn't exist. Our sin is
gone, friends. Christ put it away. So gone that
it can't be remembered. Verse 15, And Moses built an
altar, and called the name of it Jehovah Nisi, the Lord, that
is the Lord my banner. Christ is my banner. He's our
message. He's our gospel. He's our banner. Look to Him. And then verse 16
reminds us that we're gonna have war with Amalek, the flesh, our
sin, from generation to generation. As long as God's people live
in this wilderness, we're gonna have to deal with this enemy.
But there are also some who right now, God remembers their sin
and their iniquities no more. Are you one of those? If not,
may God make it so.