Important notice: Always check out what you hear and see for yourself, as it is up to you as a Christian to do your own studying. Never take anyone's word alone, including this website here, without first always checking it out for yourself. As 2 Timothy 2:15 says "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Exodus 17
1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched (i.e. encamped) in Rephidim (= resting places): and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
This reminds you of how many people act today, as a lot of people no longer want to work for anything but would rather beg and complain over every little thing that they don't have at the moment, and expect GOD to do everything for them. Here GOD has already delivered these people over and over again and yet notice they still choose to doubt and complain.
3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb (= desert); and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Never forget, in the futuristic sense, it would be CHRIST (GOD in the flesh [EMMANUEL]) who is our ROCK and solid foundation, and from HIM springs forth LIVING WATER (spiritually speaking [see John 4:14]), as it is through HIM alone that you can be SAVED (Acts 4:12) and receive SALVATION (John 14:6), in which you will never thirst again.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah (= temptation), and Meribah (= strife), because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
8 Then came Amalek (= dweller in a valley [grandson of Esau]), and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
Most likely this fighting was over water.
9 And Moses said unto Joshua (= YHVH is Salvation), Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
And so it was, Moses made sure to always include GOD, as it is only through GOD in which we have the ultimate victory. This "Joshua" mentioned here is the same one who will help lead the Israelite's to the promised land, after Moses' death and will be with them as the walls of Jericho come down. In the Hebrew, Joshua is Jehoshua and in the Greek is Jesus. Although Joshua is not JESUS CHRIST, as you will come to see, he was a type of Christ just like Moses, and many other prophets, foreshadowing the ONE TRUE CHRIST who would come and did come.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur (= hole) went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 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.
Remember, it was Moses following GOD's instructions which will bring Israel's victory. And although Moses by his own strength became weak and could no longer hold up his hands, because he followed the instructions of GOD, GOD used Aaron and Hur to help him and as you will see below, they were victorious. If GOD is calling you to do something, you never have to worry about being strong enough to do it because either he will grant you the strength or he will provide help for you, as we see here with Moses. When we look back at the Israelite's earlier on in this chapter, as with the last few previous chapters, they expected everything to be spoon-fed to them (figuratively speaking), while they sat back, complained, and were lazy. Sadly many people have become the exact same way today as they complain over every little thing and expect GOD to do everything for them. That's just not how it works. Once you've done all that you can do to help yourself, following in the ways of the LORD, then HE will provide you with the strength or help to accomplish whatever it is. Again, in order to receive the victory, you must always include HIM and put HIM first, being aligned on HIS path for what HE is calling you to do, which is following HIS will. So again, once you've done everything you can do, then HE will do what you can't. GOD doesn't like laziness, for those who are lazy can't be used by HIM. While many say they are waiting on GOD to do whatever it is they are asking of HIM, such as making their life better, it might just be that HE is waiting on them. See also: Matthew 11:28-30.
13 And Joshua discomfited (i.e. prostrated) Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 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.
Why? Because it will Joshua who leads the children of Israel into the promised land. Never forget what GOD has brought you through and done for you. That's why keeping track of a prayer journal is a good idea, whereby if you ever feel like GOD is distant in your life, you can always look back at everything HE has done for you. Always count your blessings, not your problems, and forever put GOD first in your life; for when you include HIM, and align your life and ways with HIS ways, you will always receive the victory.
15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi (= YHVH is my banner):
16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
And again, so shall it be in these end times when the Amalekites and Edomites start war with the nation of CHRISTians (Ezekiel 38), and GOD intervenes and ultimately wipes them out; that pertaining to the ones of them who are against HIM.
2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
This reminds you of how many people act today, as a lot of people no longer want to work for anything but would rather beg and complain over every little thing that they don't have at the moment, and expect GOD to do everything for them. Here GOD has already delivered these people over and over again and yet notice they still choose to doubt and complain.
3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb (= desert); and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Never forget, in the futuristic sense, it would be CHRIST (GOD in the flesh [EMMANUEL]) who is our ROCK and solid foundation, and from HIM springs forth LIVING WATER (spiritually speaking [see John 4:14]), as it is through HIM alone that you can be SAVED (Acts 4:12) and receive SALVATION (John 14:6), in which you will never thirst again.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah (= temptation), and Meribah (= strife), because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
8 Then came Amalek (= dweller in a valley [grandson of Esau]), and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
Most likely this fighting was over water.
9 And Moses said unto Joshua (= YHVH is Salvation), Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
And so it was, Moses made sure to always include GOD, as it is only through GOD in which we have the ultimate victory. This "Joshua" mentioned here is the same one who will help lead the Israelite's to the promised land, after Moses' death and will be with them as the walls of Jericho come down. In the Hebrew, Joshua is Jehoshua and in the Greek is Jesus. Although Joshua is not JESUS CHRIST, as you will come to see, he was a type of Christ just like Moses, and many other prophets, foreshadowing the ONE TRUE CHRIST who would come and did come.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur (= hole) went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 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.
Remember, it was Moses following GOD's instructions which will bring Israel's victory. And although Moses by his own strength became weak and could no longer hold up his hands, because he followed the instructions of GOD, GOD used Aaron and Hur to help him and as you will see below, they were victorious. If GOD is calling you to do something, you never have to worry about being strong enough to do it because either he will grant you the strength or he will provide help for you, as we see here with Moses. When we look back at the Israelite's earlier on in this chapter, as with the last few previous chapters, they expected everything to be spoon-fed to them (figuratively speaking), while they sat back, complained, and were lazy. Sadly many people have become the exact same way today as they complain over every little thing and expect GOD to do everything for them. That's just not how it works. Once you've done all that you can do to help yourself, following in the ways of the LORD, then HE will provide you with the strength or help to accomplish whatever it is. Again, in order to receive the victory, you must always include HIM and put HIM first, being aligned on HIS path for what HE is calling you to do, which is following HIS will. So again, once you've done everything you can do, then HE will do what you can't. GOD doesn't like laziness, for those who are lazy can't be used by HIM. While many say they are waiting on GOD to do whatever it is they are asking of HIM, such as making their life better, it might just be that HE is waiting on them. See also: Matthew 11:28-30.
13 And Joshua discomfited (i.e. prostrated) Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 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.
Why? Because it will Joshua who leads the children of Israel into the promised land. Never forget what GOD has brought you through and done for you. That's why keeping track of a prayer journal is a good idea, whereby if you ever feel like GOD is distant in your life, you can always look back at everything HE has done for you. Always count your blessings, not your problems, and forever put GOD first in your life; for when you include HIM, and align your life and ways with HIS ways, you will always receive the victory.
15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi (= YHVH is my banner):
16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
And again, so shall it be in these end times when the Amalekites and Edomites start war with the nation of CHRISTians (Ezekiel 38), and GOD intervenes and ultimately wipes them out; that pertaining to the ones of them who are against HIM.