WILDERNESS GRACE

 

February 29, 2024



Exodus 17:10, 11

“So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” –

Read: Exodus 17:8-16 for context

WILDERNESS GRACE

Let’s set the context for this reading today. God’s people have been freed from slavery in Egypt, while they are heading to the promised land, they aren’t there yet. Where are they? The wilderness.

Ah, the wilderness, that desolate place, that we all know too well, right? Not geographically so much, but certainly we know personal experiences in which we feel we are in a desolate place, we know spiritual experiences where things seem “dry and barren” don’t we? Perhaps, that’s where you are today.

In this Bible reading today we should be able to relate to God’s people. We are told that they are fighting against the Amalekites. These are desert dwellers with whom there is a lot of infighting throughout Israel’s history. In this passage it is like the Amalekites keep coming and coming and coming and coming.

It’s just like those times in our life when we think, “Enough already!”; “Please just leave me alone.” Have you been there? I was talking to someone recently who asked in response to their situation “Can’t we get a break?” And this is what’s happening for the Israelites, the Amalekites keep coming against their forces and they just want and need a break. We are then told that in the middle of the onslaughts, every time Moses’ arms are raised the Israelites are winning. Moses’ arms droop and the tide turns and the Amalekites are gaining ground.

Now, this isn’t just a one time historical account that’s given to us in the Bible to teach us a history lesson. Truth is, this is the story that was repeated throughout the life of the God’s people. It was a story to remind them, and you and me, that God would be with them, that God would save them, that God would uplift them. It’s a story to encourage them and us, of God’s faithfulness, that God would deliver, that God would be faithful to the covenant, that God would indeed be present with them.

I love the image we see here, Moses with arms raised. Now maybe I am making too much of this image. I love this picture of “arms raised” because it’s one of the most fundamental postures of surrender, right? My hands are up. I surrender. And for people who’d been wandering around the desert, that kept forgetting, just like the rest of us do, that God would indeed show up for them. Moses puts up his hands and it’s like a demonstrated way of saying, “Okay, I surrender. I don’t have anything else here.” This story and example invite us to the place in which we surrender, “I don’t have anything else here”, so we let go, and we know and trust that God will save us, will show up, that God will be faithful to his promises.”

In this text, the snapshot of grace is the profound reminder, of our dependence on God and God's commitment to us. It seems to me that we all need this truth to be imprinted on our hearts that God alone is our deliverance.

LET US PRAY

Faithful God, of new life, of salvation, who makes beautiful things out of hard places, bring life in the midst of the places of difficulty, struggle, and weariness, bring healing in the spaces where we need your touch, and God grant us the courage in all things to incline our hearts and our whole lives to you. We “raise are arms” in surrender. In your name we pray. Amen.