“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:14-16 ESV
Numbers 21:14 describes a now-lost book, “The Wars of the LORD.” No doubt, a significant portion would detail the war against Amalek, Israel’s archenemy. If it were found, I’m sure it would be required reading for military strategists worldwide. However, what we do have in the story of Amalek is a textbook of battle strategy in spiritual warfare: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”
Amalek’s story begins in Genesis, woven over a thousand years of text, until finally finding partial resolution in one of the last books of the Hebrew Bible — the Scroll of Esther. And I emphasize partial, for as we will see, this is a generational battle. Amalek attacked the vulnerable and weakest of Israel at a place called Rephidim. There, Moses’ hands became heavy, the people weary, and the enemy emerged. No wonder they called that place Rephidim, for it means the “weakening of hands”! And where Moses’ hands were weak, two anointed warriors lifted them heavenward. Finally, Joshua’s victory over Amalek is accompanied by a solemn oath of the Almighty and a “hand on the throne,” saying, “I am at war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Who was Amalek?
“Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.” Genesis 36:12 ESV
Scripture goes out of its way to reveal Timna, a concubine of Eliphaz, as Amalek’s mother! Details like this are given for a reason. To truly understand Amalek, we must also see that his father was Eliphaz, grandson of Esau. Tradition provides clues to Amalek’s hatred of Israel. I won’t go into all of these, but one speaks of Timna’s jealousy of the Patriarchal line of Jacob.[1] Timna’s name indeed means “she will be prevented.” Did such “causeless hatred” begin at this mother’s feet?
In this article, I will explore the origins of Amalek. Part II of this series will go deeper into the Book of Esther and the war between Mordechai and Haman, which was, in fact, an ancient struggle between Jacob and Esau.
For now, I want to focus on the spiritual battle that God calls us to. We are commanded, along with Joshua, to blot out the name of Amalek. What does that mean for us? And keep in mind, I am not speaking of a genetic people called Amalek. That ancient nation has long been assimilated by history. But the spirit of Amalek is very much present. It is the spirit of antisemitism and, ultimately, the spirit of the Antichrist. We can only blot this enemy out by remembering who he is and what he did, and by lifting our weakened hands in faith, trusting God’s promise to be with us in the fight from generation to generation. What four battle strategies do we need to overcome such an enemy?
I. Remember Who the Enemy Is
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Exodus 17:14 ESV
It must be stated that we are not engaged in a battle between flesh and blood, though the enemy sometimes uses people. Amalek was a people consumed by a spirit of “causeless hatred.” Unprovoked, they attacked. Not content to engage soldiers in battle, they slaughtered the weakest and slowest on the Exodus journey. Of course, this is a message to us all to stay in the center of obedience.
But who is this enemy that was unfazed by the countless Egyptian soldiers submerged in the depths of the Red Sea? An enemy undeterred by the collapse of the Egyptian gods and without fear of Moses or God?
Earlier, I mentioned how Amalek came from the union of the Horite princess Timna, who lowered herself to become the concubine of Eliphaz, grandson of Esau. The Amalekites emerged as a nation of nomadic tribesmen roaming the southern Negev near Eilat near the mountains of Edom. In fact, the ancient copper mines just north of Eilat today are in “Timna National Park.” These are the only people of whom God said, “I am at war with them from generation to generation.” I think it is fair to say they were possessed by evil for them to do what they did.
Had Amalek not heard of God? Did they not know? Of course, they had. Eliphaz was a great-grandson of Abraham. Although distorted, Eliphaz’s words to the suffering Job still contained sparks of truth. Despite this, they did not fear God.
One of the first battle strategies is remembering who the enemy is, but we must go further to recall how this enemy attacks.
II. Remember How the Enemy Attacked
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.” Deuteronomy 25:17-18 ESV
The Lord calls us to “Remember how he attacked you on the way….” (Deut. 25:18) The enemy attacked those “on the way” when they were most vulnerable.
On the Way
This enemy was motivated by Israel’s forward movement to Sinai and, ultimately, the Promised Land. Don’t be surprised if the enemy attacks your advancement in renewed prayer, Bible reading, and ministry.
Yeshua was also attacked after the high point of His baptism and after forty days of fasting. (Mat. 4:2-4) And the parallels between Yeshua and Israel are quite striking. Israel also experienced a baptism of sorts in the Red Sea. And as was done to Yeshua, the enemy attacked during their subsequent hunger and thirst. That should reveal much to us about the enemy. He attacks our moments of vulnerability. However, we should also look at the contrast between Yeshua and Israel, for it reveals our battle strategy for victory. Where Israel complained and suffered loss, Yeshua overcame with the power of the written Word!
The Vulnerable and Stragglers
And then we see “how” Amalek attacked, from behind, the weak and stragglers at the edges of Israel’s camp. How often do we hear believers say, “Oh, I’m a follower of Yeshua, but I don’t need to gather with other believers.” However, this attack was strategically executed when infighting, leadership factions, and accusations were hurled at Moses, Aaron, and the Lord.
“And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Exodus 17:7 ESV
Be Filled with Faith
Ephesians 6:10-18 details the necessary armor for all believers. Joshua and the people went to battle physically suited up but spiritually deficient. In their distress, lacking water, they lost their confidence, and we might even say, “their shield of faith.” Their exact words were, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
Believers are facing a barrage of attacks upon their faith like never before. We are witnessing a falling away from God in real time through social media.
We will face trying times, but that is the very time we must draw close to God and believe His promises. That brings us to the necessity of Moses’ hands lifted high.
III. Remember to Fight with Hands Lifted High
“But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Exodus 17:12 ESV
Multiple times, this chapter beautifully wordplays the idea of hands – hands weakened, falling heavy, lifted high, and finally, a hand on the throne. Even their location, Rephidim, is a contraction of the Hebrew Raphu (weakening) and Yadim (hands). On a rock overlooking the battle, Moses’s hands became heavy and fell, and the enemy started to win. Realizing the spiritual nature of the fight, unlike any faced before, Aaron and Hur lifted Moses’ hands steady, heavenward. The Hebrew word for “steady” is the root for “faithful.”
Who are the faithful friends you can call on in the battle, to be faithful hands lifting you in your weakness?
Even Yeshua, on the night before the crucifixion, needed others to watch with him through that dark night, saying, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” (Mat. 26:38). How much more do we?
Now, let us examine our final strategy: God’s promise made with the hand of the Almighty upon Heaven’s throne.
IV. Remember God is in the Fight from Generation to Generation
“And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:15-16 ESV
From weakened hands to lifted hands and finally a hand on the throne, the battle turned toward victory. We began by looking at battle strategies. The New King James Version says, “Joshua defeated Amalek…” This is much too generous compared with the Hebrew. The ESV is closer with, “Joshua overwhelmed Amalek…”. The Hebrew means “weakened.” In other words, Amalek lived to fight another day. God clarified this when he commanded Moses to tell Joshua, “The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Much later, another leader of Israel, King Saul, had the opportunity to eradicate Amalek. You likely remember how King Saul spared Agag the best of the flocks. And even though Samuel the Prophet finally killed Agag with the sword, the people of Amalek escaped to fight another day. Ultimately, King Saul, while in the throes of death, having fallen on his sword, was finished off by a wandering Amalekite. (II Samuel 1:1-14) In the following series, we will see how Saul not only lost the kingdom over his disobedience regarding Amalek but how Esther, a great, great-granddaughter, came to the kingdom to defeat this same ancient foe, now manifest in Haman, the Agagite, descendant of Agag, king of Amalek.
If we allow the enemy to keep a foothold in our homes, our children or grandchildren may be the victims. How can we stop the cycles of divorce, alcoholism, addictions, or abuse that travel down family lines? Only by knowing who the real enemy is, how he works, and lifting our hands to heaven, trusting the Lord for victory!
Conclusion
What began with heavy hands at Rephidim ended with raised hands for victory and a solemn hand upon the throne. You are not alone. Who have you surrounded yourself with in times of distress? Are they faithful men and women of God who will lift your hands? And most of all, know that God is with you in the battle, and He is also at war with Amalek, even in our generation.
The spirit behind Amalek is the same spirit of antisemitism that possessed much of Germany and Europe in WWII. That same spirit spurs hatred of Israel and the Jewish people today. And not only against Israel, this is the Spirit of the Antichrist, which is opposed to the Messiah and all things of God. Be encouraged, and remember, God is with you in the battle, fighting for you. Yes, “the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” And He will be victorious!
[1] Talmud, Sanhedrin 99b