Trapped Unaware | Exodus 17:8-16

Introduction: On the morning of December 7, 1941; 353 Japanese fighter and bomber planes attacked Pearl Harbour, Hawai Island without warning. 2403 people were killed, 1282 wound, 188 US planes were destroyed amid other causalities. The Americans were attacked in their homeland without warning. What amazes me most is that the great Americans were not watchful and they were trapped unaware while they were resting at night.

We are in warfare. The attack of the devil comes without warning and many believers are caught unaware. We are supposed to be alert, and on guard at all times. Do not be caught unaware.

This morning we are going to see how exactly we can win over the devil’s attack upon our lives.

Brief background: Six months into the journey to the Promised Land the Israelites were camped at Rephidim. There they faced a water crisis. Moses cried out to the Lord and he smote the rock. Water gushed out and the entire Israelites drank water in the wilderness. Soon they were faced with a battle with the Amalekites.

Exodus 17:8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

Rephidim means a place of comfort and rest. The children of Israel had just been blessed by the miracle water from the rock. I believe that this would have been the sweetest water they would have ever tasted, even better than the waters of Marah because it was Christ who provided them water. Everyone would have had enough water and rested in their tents. Oh! There would have been great joy, singing, and celebrations. People would have been in a relaxed mood. Suddenly, unaware the Amalekites came and attacked them.

Remember when the Israelites left the mighty Egyptians, they never fought a battle. Then when the Egyptians came charged at them at the Red Sea, they never fought any battle. It was the Lord who was fighting all this while and giving them victory. Leaving Egypt and crossing the Red Sea are symbolized as salvation and baptism in the Bible. After crossing the Red Sea, they are confronted by the Amalekites and here they are to fight their own battles. Once we are saved and baptized, we understand that we are in a spiritual warfare. God expects us to fight our own battles but understand the victory has already been won for us on Calvary.

What is to be noted here is the time when Amalek made his assault upon Israel. It was when Moses smote the rock and the waters were given. It was when they found success and joy in God’s presence.

The devil wages warfare on the heels of a victory.

When does the enemy come against you – when he sees God blessing you, when the enemy sees that God is opening new doors for you, when he sees you going forward in your faith. It is very true that the enemy come at us right after God blesses but do not worry God is able to help you in your battle.

Job was a blessed and prosperous man. God spoke so highly of Job. Remember it was this very time that Satan waged an all-out attack against job.

The baptism of Jesus was one of the high points of Jesus’ ministry. God the Father spoke from heaven, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of dove upon Jesus. But just after this great experience Satan tempted Jesus Christ and tried to take him away from the mission that God had sent Him for.

Many of us have tasted victory, success, and deliverances in our lives but soon that joy was overshadowed by another problem that came your way. You are not able to enjoy God’s provisions in your life. Understand the devil wages warfare on the heels of a victory but we need not be fearful of the devil because we serve greater God. God trains our hands for battle and he gives us victory if we trust in him.

Psalm 18:34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

Psalm 144:1  Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

If you have been in difficult circumstances, if you have been facing problems in life, understand you are in a battle and God has given you the victory, he has given you the anointing to overcome your battles.

Don’t say, “Oh God! I have a big problem” instead of saying “Oh problem! I have a big God.”

In the OT the possession of water (wells, etc.) was frequently a reason for conflict. It is evident that the spread of the news that a river of water was now gushing from the rock in Rephidim, caused the Amalekites to attempt to gain possession. To do this meant they must first dispose Israel; hence their attack.

The first thing to note here is the identity of Israel’s enemy. It was Amalek. Who is Amalek? He was the grandson of Esau. The Amalekites are the generation from Esau’s lineage. Who is Israel? Esau’s brother Jacob is known as Israel. The Israelites are the generation from Jacob’s lineage. Now Jacob represents the spiritual man and Esau represents the old man or the flesh. It is evident from the OT that the carnal man or the flesh is always at war against the spiritual man.

Once a child of God moves forward in God’s ways and God’s blessings the devil wages a 2-front attack – external and internal. External I would say is where he attacks you through your circumstances like your job, family, finances, others, and also causing sickness in your body.

Then there is an internal attack, our flesh attacking against the spiritual man.

1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

Beware of the devil’s schemes. Some of you here today are facing an external battle. You are leading a holy life, your prayer life is good, your relationship with God is excellent but he is fighting against you through your circumstances. Yet there are some of you who are facing an internal battle. Everything externally is going well but your flesh is in a great battle against your spiritual man. You are falling prey to the temptation of sin and that is taking away the joy of salvation from your heart. The good news is whatever the form of attack of the devil against our life our God can give us the victory.

Strategy to fight our battles.

Next, let us note carefully the record of how Israel engaged Amalekites in fight:

Exodus 17:9-11 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” 10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

The first thing to note here is that Israel’s success against Amalek was determined by the uplifted hand of Moses. Exodus 17:11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. The uplifted hand was emblematic of prayer, praying to God for help.

Strategy 1 – Spend time in Prayer.

 Psalm 28:2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

If you are facing a warfare, if things are going against you, if your circumstances are beyond your control, it is very important that you spent time with God in prayer. Lift up your hands and pray to God instead of seeking human help.

Illustration: We all know that we are moving to our new Revival Centre shortly. The day the renovation work started Grace fell sick. All of a sudden, she started throwing up, which was associated with dysentery. We knew it was spiritual warfare and we kept on praying. One the third day her condition deteriorated. She became very dull, just lying-in bed, not eating or drinking anything. By night she was very sick. Sam started crying feeling for her condition. As parents our hearts were broken. We forced her to eat but she would not. She went to bed just drinking a quarter glass of water. We continued our prayers and when she awoke from her sleep the next day she said, “mummy I am feeling hungry give me something to eat.” She became absolutely normal without a single medicine. It is because we have a prayer answering God and a God who fights our battles when we pray.

I tell you no one who has really prayed with burden has gone disappointed from God’s presence. If you can just sit and just pray you can see circumstances change in front of your very eyes. Now, as much as praying alone is important, praying in fellowship is also very important.

Strategy 2 – Pray in the fellowship of saints.

Exodus 17:11-12 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

Now, Moses’ hands grew heavy. His hands grew tired; he could not lift it any longer. How soon we grow weary praying to God taking all our burdens? But how sadly do we fail and lose heart praying? How quickly our hearts get “heavy” and can pray no more?

See what Moses did: When Moses’ hands grew tired, he took the help of Aaron and Hur to keep his hands up in prayer to God. Here we have Joshua and men fighting, Moses lifting up his hands to heaven, and Aaron and Hur supporting Moses’ hands.

Here is where the reality of fellowship comes. Never ever think that you can fight your battles alone. That is why God has given the body, the church. That is why we need fellowship. As a pastor I want to see every one of you overcome your battles, be victorious in your circumstances, and be blessed in your life. That happens only when we are actively involved in fellowship. That is why it is very important to attend cells, women’s Fellowship, youth fellowship, fasting prayers etc. Let us get together in fellowship and pray for one another.

Strategy 3 – Pray with the Word.

 Exodus 17:13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

The “sword” here points to the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

It is not by prayer alone that we can fight our battles. The Word, too, is needed.

The word says – List some promises of the Word. Example of taking promises out of context and narrating them.

Therefore, when we are in a battle our personal prayer, praying together in fellowship and the authority of the Word of God is what gives us the victory.

The Result

Exodus 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

Listen, the Lord never spoke until the Israelites engaged themselves in the battle. Immediately God responded. Remember as long as you do not engage in the battle God will be quiet. Many people are afraid to face your battle, they have no time to pray. Sorry my God is not interested in fighting for you. But when God sees you taking up steps to fight your own battle then God will arise and then the battle becomes the Lord’s battle and the victory is ours.

God gave two great promises to the Israelites.

Exodus 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

The first promise is that God is going to wipe out your enemy. God is promising you that enemy that is attacking you will be completely wiped out not only from your mind but also from under heaven. Our victory is purchased for us at the cross. On that day when Christ returns with his church back to the earth, he will defeat every force of evil. Jesus will fight against every Satanic force that oppressed you and Jesus will wipe out Satan and his army.

Now you may tell me pastor that is a long-term promise but what about my battles now, here is the second promise. Exodus 17:15-16 15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

The promise is that the Lord will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation. You see as we fight in this battle, the victory is already given. But God promises your enemy will be His enemy and he will be at war with the forces that attack you from generation to generation.

Now every war has casualties and casualties are usually on either side of the territory. The Battle of Pearl Harbour also had causality on the Japanese side. But in a spiritual war the causality is not on our side, the causality is at the Satan’s side. For that to happen you need to be a true believer. If you are faithful to God the devil can never touch you. We have more details of this attack in the book of Deuteronomy and the causalities of this war are mentioned there.

Deuteronomy 25:17-19 17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.

There were casualties in the Israelite camp. People died; some were wounded. The Amalekites affected great causality but if you carefully look at the causalities, they were the people who were lagging behind in their journey. These people were a part of the Israelite camp but they were not really in the camp, they were lagging behind.

How this should stir up our watchfulness! It was the “hindmost”— those farthest away from their leader, from the congregation, and God that were smitten. It is very dangerous to lag behind. If you separate yourselves from God, from the church, from holiness understand you are going to be an easy target for the devil. I want every one of you to keep up the pace of the church. The church is moving forward, we have great days and years ahead. As long as you are with the mission of his church the devil cannot touch you.

Now why did people lag behind? Deuteronomy says because they had no fear of God. They took God for granted. No fear of God makes a Christian lead a compromised life – No holiness, no prayer life, no reading the word, no fellowship, no giving to God, no time for God. Keep up with the pace of the church and you will receive victory as the church advances forward. No enemy can come near us while we are walking in close communion with God!

Conclusion: Do not let the devil trap you unaware. You have great distance to go, great victories to be won, and greater blessings to inherit but you can only get there with God. Spend time in pray, pray with the saints, and pray in the word. May God give you a new strength to fight your battles today. Amen & God bless you.