Holy Bible

Give us water, that we may drink. Exodus 17:1-3 Rephidim: ancient and modern J. Parker, D. D. How far have we travelled from Rephidim? This is mere than a question in geography: it is a profound inquiry in morals. How far have we advanced morally, spiritually, and in all the higher ranges and Diviner outlooks of our being? Here we seem to be still at Rephidim. Geographers say they cannot find out the exact locality. Verily, there need be no difficulty about the exact locality — it is just where we are. Why be so emphatic about our being at Rephidim? I. BECAUSE THE PEOPLE AT REPHIDIM WERE TORMENTED BY A CONTINUAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF NECESSITY. How far have we got from necessity? Not one inch. Necessity has followed us all the time. We must advance from the lower to the higher. We have it before us as a certain and indisputable fact that for the support of the body we need external help: we need the whole ministry of kind and gracious nature. What wonder if in the education, and culture, and strengthening of the soul we need all heaven, with its infinite Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Were we pressed to affirm that necessity it would be in strict consonance with all the other wants that follow and devour our wasting life. II. BECAUSE AT REPHIDIM HELP WAS FOUND IN UNEXPECTED PLACES AND GIVEN IN UNEXPECTED WAYS: "Thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink." We are always helped by unexpected people, in unexpected ways, and at unexpected places. God would appear to delight in baffling the ingenuity that would forecast the future with too exclusive a minuteness. God will not allow us to trifle with His prerogatives. He will find water where we should find none. Why be so emphatic about still being at Rephidim? III. BECAUSE PEEVISH TEMPERS WERE CORRECTED BY GREAT DUTIES IN THAT ANCIENT LOCALITY. Israel fell into fretfulness, and whining, and dissatisfaction, and rebellion. What did God do? He sent Amalek upon Israel. That is the function of war among the nations. It is no use reasoning with peevishness. It is time wasted to try to expostulate with any man who is in a whining mood of soul, displeased because of his bread, discontented because of the scarcity of water, making no allowance for the undulations of life — reasoning, remonstrance, expostulation would be lost. What must be done? An enemy must be raised up to smite him with the sword. Then he will come into a new mood of mind, forget his littleness, and, springing forward to a realization of his true power, he will lose in service the discontent which he contracted in unbelief. What we want to-day is persecution. We do not want eloquence, criticism — new learning, some new invention in theological confectionery that shall tempt appetites that have been sated; we want war — persecution — the enemy at the gate. Then we should begin to forgive one another, to pray for one another, to come more closely together at the altar and more near in that consent of soul which is blessed with insight into spiritual mysteries. We have lost in losing the enemy. The sting of Smithfield fire would correct our theology a good deal; the old gibbet would take the fretfulness out of our tone; the great earthquake rocking our cities would make us forget our animosities and unite us in bolder intercession. ( J. Parker, D. D. ) Refreshing thoughts for the hot season T. De Witt Talmage, D. D. I was told by a gentleman who walked over one of the battle-fields on a hot summer night, after a day of carnage, that the cry of the wounded was absolutely unbearable, and after giving all supply that he could, he put his fingers to his ears, for the cry all over the plain was from hundreds of dying men, "Water! Water! For God's sake, give us water." Coming home from the store on a hot summer day, in the eventide, every muscle of your body exhausted with fatigue, what do you first ask for? A cup of water — fresh, clear, sparkling water. This Bible is all agleam with fountains, and rivers, and seas. The prophet sees the millennium, and cries, "Streams in the desert." David thinks of the deep joy of the righteous, and calls it "A river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God." While the New Testament holds forth ten thousand chalices filled with living water for a thirsty world. I. Water is typical of the Gospel, because of its BRIGHTNESS. The fountain breaks forth from the side of the hill, flashing with gold, and silver, and beryl, and chrysolite; and as you see it, you almost clap your hands with gladness. But there is no brightness in it compared with this living fountain of the Gospel; for in each falling drop I see the glory of heaven. II. Water typifies the Gospel by its REFRESHMENT. How different you feel after you get a glass of cool water, or after you have plunged into a bath! On a hot summer day there is nothing that so soon brings you back from a bad temper or a disturbed spirit, and puts you into a happy frame of mind and body, as cold water. Blessed be God for water. I love to hear it fall in the shower and dash in the cascade, and to see it rush from the ice pitcher into the clear glass. Hand round this nectar of the hills and drink, all of you, to the praise of Him who brewed it among the mountains. Thank God for water. But there is a better refreshment even than that. There was a time when you were hounded by convictions. Sinai thundered. The wrath of God cried, "Fly." Justice cried, "Fly." Your own fears cried, "Fly." Mercy said, "Come, come!" and you plunged like a hart into the water brooks, and out of that flood your soul came up cool, and clean, and radiant; and you looked round and said, Come, and hear ye all that fear God, and I will tell you what He hath done for my soul." III. Water typifies the Gospel because of its ABUNDANCE. When we pour the water from the pitcher into the glass we have to be careful, or the glass will overflow, and we stop when the water has come to the rim. But when God, in summer, pours out His showers, He keeps pouring on and pouring on until the grass blades cry, "Enough!" and the flowers, "Enough!" and the trees, "Enough!" but God keeps pouring on and pouring on, until the fields are soaked, and the rivers overflow, and the cisterns are all filled and the great reservoirs are supplied, and there is water to turn the wheel, water to slake the thirst of the city, water to cleanse the air, water to wash the hemisphere. Abundance! And so with this glorious gospel. Enough for one, enough for all. Just after the battle of Antietam, with some of the other members of the Christian Commission, I went down to help look after the wounded, and on the afternoon of a very hot day I came to a pump of water. I saw a soldier, with musket, guarding the pump. I said, "Why do you not fill my cup?" He replied, "Water is scarce. Here is a great army, and we do not know where to get water after this is gone; and I have orders to give no more than that." What a poor supply for a thirsty man on a hot day I But, glory be to God! that in this gospel fountain there is water enough for all the armies of the earth, and for all the armies of heaven. You cannot drink it dry. IV. Water typifies the Gospel in the fact that it is PERENNIAL. In this hot summer weather some of the fountains have dried up; but stand you on the bank of the Amazon, or of the St. Lawrence, or of the Mississippi, or of the Ohio, and see if it runs dry. No; they have been flowing on for thousands of years, and they will probably flow on for thousands of years more. The trees of the forest have cast their leaves for ages into the bosom of these waters, and the birds of heaven have dipped their wings in the wave. And so it is with this gospel. It is a perennial gospel. On earth we only see a portion of that great River of Life; but after a while the river will rise, and it will join the tides of the celestial river that flows hard by the throne of God. ( T. De Witt Talmage, D. D. ) Want of water a terrible experience About 1858, while a number of routes from the proposed, now completed, Pacific railway were being surveyed, E. T. Scovill, of Cleveland, was in charge of a corps of engineers in Nevada. On one occasion they were obliged to leave their base of supplies for a trip of six days. On the fourth day's journey their water gave out, and the sufferings of men and beasts were terrible. The heat appeared to rise from the sand like vapour and dance a death dance before the sufferers' eyes. Not a breath of air stirred. The sun was like a great round furnace, The horses struggled on, their noses hung nearly to the ground, and their eyes bulged out of their heads like knots on a tree. Two of the men became delirious and were bound in the waggons. Near night a gulch was reached and all plunged into it expecting to find water. It was dry! The situation was desperate, when Mr. Scovill, taking in the situation at a glance, directed some to go up the gulch and some down and the one who found water to shout. Some found wet gravel and sand and with their hands dug a hole into which trickled water. It was brackish and warm, but it was water. Nothing ever tasted sweeter. They were saved. Next morning by digging a deep hole in the creek bed a good supply of water was obtained. As they were about to move away the next morning the thought struck Mr. Scovill that some other poor creature might come along the trail, strike the gulch, find a dry instead of a wet camp, and despair. So he took an empty flour-barrel and scrawled upon it: "Water 1,000 feet up the gulch, E. T. Scovill, chief of engineers." This he stuck in the sand by the side of the trail. Now the scene of the story shifts to South America. Mr. Scovill sat in the Llama Club, Lima. He had gone to Peru to help Henry Meigs build those wonderful railways in the mountains. Here, to a company of Americans and English, he told the story of his journey across the plains. There was one man in the party who was evidently excited. As Mr. Scovill reached the end of the story, and told how he had put up the sign that water could be found a thousand feet up the gulch, the nervous stranger, a man of giant frame, leaped from his seat and took Scovill in his arms as if the latter had been a child. "Then you are the man, are you"? he exclaimed; "you are the man who saved my life. I went across the desert a few days after you. I — my companions and I — suffered as you suffered. On the way we killed our horses and drank their blood. When we finally reached the gulch we had just strength enough left to enable us to crawl down into the dry creek bed. There we lay down to die, when one of us happened to see your blessed guide board. A thousand feet up the gulch we found water. If we hadn't I should not be here to-night to take the hand of the man who saved our lives." Thou shalt smite the rock. Exodus 17:4-7 Horeb; or, great mercies from unlikely sources Homilist. I. THE SECULAR DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN HISTORY WILL FURNISH ABUNDANT ILLUSTRATIONS OF THIS PRINCIPLE. 1. Does intelligence conduce to this end? Undoubtedly knowledge tends to make men secularly happy. How often, then, do you find streams of intelligence gushing from the most unlikely sources. Demosthenes was a stammerer; Homer and Milton were blind; Shakespeare was the son of a butcher. 2. Do philanthropic institutions conduce to the secular well. being of man? Unquestionably. If you look to the origin of temperance societies, asylums, provident associations, etc., you will find they have generally sprung from the most unlikely sources. 3. Does political liberty conduce to the secular well. being of man? Undoubtedly. It, too, has come mostly from unlikely sources — Moses, Luther, etc. II. THE SPIRITUAL DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN HISTORY WILL FURNISH STILL GREATER ILLUSTRATIONS OF THIS PRINCIPLE. 1. See it exemplified in the spiritual Deliverer of the race. Babe in manger; Son of carpenter; Man of sorrows, etc.; malefactor on cross. "This rock," says St. Paul, "is Christ" — is like Christ. How?(1) In the value of the blessings which emanate therefrom. (a) Most needed. (b) Most adequate.(2) In the method employed to secure the blessing. Rock smitten.(3) In the fact under notice, the unlikelihood of the source. 2. See it exemplified in the first preachers of the gospel. Poor fishermen, etc. 3. See it exemplified in the missionary enterprise. Carey, the shoemaker; Williams, the blacksmith; Moffat, the gardener, etc.Conclusion: This subject suggests — 1. Good ground for trusting God in the greatest difficulty. 2. To remove all ground for glorying in your usefulness. God could make the meanest creatures do all and more than you can accomplish. ( Homilist. ) Crying unto the Lord for help New York Independent. Hiacoomes, an early Indian convert, was a remarkable man. Two years after his conversion (1743), having in the meantime been prepared by Mr. Mayhew, he commented teaching to the Indians the things of Christianity. He was not suffered to proceed without opposition from the Paw-Waws, Sachems, and other Indians; but he made this improvement of the injustice done him. "I had," he remarked, "one hand for injuries and another hand for God; while I received wrong with the one, I laid the faster hold on God with the other." These words should be written in gold. ( New York Independent. ) The needful things of life providentially supplied J. S. Exell, M. A. I. THAT MEN ARE SOMETIMES BROUGHT INTO GREAT STRAITS THROUGH LACK OF THE ORDINARY THINGS OF LIFE. "And there was no water for the people to drink." Thus the Israelites lacked water. They had lacked bread only a few days previously. 1. It is not the lot of man to be long free from trial of some kind. Trials come successively. Job, Joseph, David. They are diversified according to the station in which our tent is fixed. Every sphere of life has something of perplexity connected with it, which tests our moral nature and brings the mercy of God near to us. We must learn both how to want and how to abound, to be sorrowful and yet always rejoicing. 2. Thus by the varied trials of life man is made to feel that earth cannot give him abiding satisfaction, and he is led to anticipate the rest of heaven. There the wilderness is unknown, and hunger and thirst are not experienced. The Lamb feeds them. They drink of the River of the Water of Life. 3. But we see from this narrative that each occasion of want on the part of Israel was signalized by a rich manifestation of the mercy of God. Their hunger was met by the manna. Their thirst was met by the streams of Horeb. The hour of man's need is often the hour of God's richest gift and blessing. II. THAT WHEN MEN ARE BROUGHT INTO GREAT STRAITS THROUGH LACK OF THE ORDINARY THINGS OF LIFE, THEY OFTEN APPEAL TO HUMAN AGENCIES RATHER THAN TO DIVINE. "Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink." How foolish, for did not he suffer from the same calamity? nor was it in his power to create fountains. How cruel, for was not he seeking their freedom? How fickle the approbation of men, it varies with the circumstances of life. People often go to the human in trouble when they ought to go to the Divine. III. THAT WHEN MEN ARE BROUGHT INTO STRAITS THROUGH THE LACK OF THINGS THEY VERY MUCH NEED, THEY OFTEN GET THEM IN THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD FROM THE MOST UNLIKELY SOURCES. "Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink." Thus we see that God did not flash immediate judgment upon these rebellious people. He is long-suffering toward the race. We must learn to be patient with those who injure us. God has regard to human need, and evil in men will not turn Him away from His promise, None need despair of His mercy. When the people chide, the minister should pray. Our heavenly Father is never absent from the good; goodness and mercy follow them all their days. IV. THAT WHEN MEN ARE BROUGHT INTO STRAITS, THE WAY IN WHICH THEY ACT THEREIN WILL LEAVE IRREPARABLE MEMORIALS OF SIN OR VICTORY. "And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel," etc. Let us not leave behind in our life memorials of strife and unbelief, but of faith and good works. Such memorials are abiding; once erected, they cannot be removed; hence the need that they should be worthy. Lessons: 1. That man is frequently called upon in this life to endure great physical need. 2. That the physical needs of life often reveal our real and inner character. 3. That the physical needs of life are no indication that God has failed us. 4. That the physical needs of life give us a great insight into the wealth and method of the Divine mercy. ( J. S. Exell, M. A. ) The smitten rock I. Saunders. I. THE ROCK A TYPE OF CHRIST. 1. Its situation. In midst of wilderness. 2. Its stability ( Isaiah 28:16 ). 3. Its durability. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. II. MOSES STRIKING THE ROCK. An act of violence required. When man is to be saved, the rod of Divine wrath strikes the Saviour, and "the rock" pours forth streams of everlasting salvation. III. THE PURPOSE OF THE MIRACLE. ( I. Saunders. ) Water out of the rock, a type of Christ T. Taylor, D. D. I. AS A ROCK IT ELEGANTLY TYPED OUT JESUS CHRIST, FITLY COMPARED TO A ROCK IN FIVE RESEMBLANCES. 1. For the despicable appearance. The rock is in appearance dry and barren, the most unlikely thing in all the world to afford water, so as. it was incredible to Moses and Aaron themselves to fetch water out of a rock. Even so Jesus Christ was (for outward form and appearance in the world) most unlikely of all men to afford any such waters of grace and salvation ( Isaiah 53:2 ). 2. A Rock for exaltation and advancement. A rock is a promontory lifted up above the earth. Such a Rock was Christ advanced above the earth, yea, and the heavens; advanced above all men and creatures — (1) In holiness and purity. (2) In power and authority. (3) In place and dignity( John 3:31 ). 3. A Rock for firmness and stability. He is the strength of Israel ( Matthew 16:18 ). Hence He is a rock of defence and safety to His chosen; and every wise man builds his house on this Rock. 4. A Rock of scandal and offence to wicked men ( Romans 9:32 ). 5. A Rock for weight and danger and unavoidable judgment upon His adversaries, which, "on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder" ( Matthew 21:44 ). II. It was a type of Christ, AS IT SENT OUT WATER IN ABUNDANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL READY TO PERISH FOR THIRST. For so Jesus Christ is the only Rock that sends from Himself all the sweet waters of life for the salvation of His elect, otherwise ready to perish eternally. For explanation whereof, mark — 1. As from that rock issued waters to wash and cleanse themselves and their garments, so from this Rock stream waters of ablution or washing, which serve to wash away both the guilt of sin and stain of sin. 2. As from that rook issued waters to cool and comfort Israel in their weariness and wanderings, so from Jesus Christ do issue the waters of refrigeration and comfort, to cool and refresh the dry and thirsty soul; to allay the heat of a raging and accusing conscience, and to revive with new strength the fainting soul in temptation or persecution. 3. As from that rock streamed abundance of waters to make fruitful that barren wilderness wheresoever they ran, so only from the true Rock issue plentiful waters of grace to make our dry and barren hearts fruitful in all works of righteousness ( Isaiah 44:3, 4 ). III. IN THE MANNER OF ATTAINING THIS WATER ARE MANY SWEET RESEMBLANCES. 1. The people might ask Moses for water, but Moses cannot give it. It is God must give it, and miraculously fetch it out of a rock. 2. The rock gives water, but not till it be smitten (ver. 6). 3. It was the rod in Moses' hand that smites and breaks the rock. Even so it was the Law given by Moses' hand and our transgression against it that breaks the true Rock ( Isaiah 53:5 ; Galatians 3:13 ). 4. The rock was smitten, but it was not so much the striking on the rock, but the Lord's standing upon it that gets water for Israel (ver. 6). There was no virtue in the stroke, but all depended on God's commandment and presence; even so it is not the death of Christ, nor an abundance of price and merit of His blood, nor the striking on this rock before men's eyes in the ministry of the Word and sacraments that can bring one drop of true water of comfort, but by the presence and word of God's blessing. The efficacy of grace depends not on any means or work wrought, but it is God's word and presence that doth all in them. ( T. Taylor, D. D. ) Help from an unlikely source The manna was simply sent from heaven, but the water, on the contrary, was brought out of the smitten rock — the most unlikely place that could be imagined. Some men went about collecting funds for an important charity. They arrived in course of time at a very rich man's door who was known to be churlish in his manner and niggardly in his gifts; whereupon they said that there was no need to call on him, "he is not likely to give." How. ever, they entered, and laid their case before him, and to their surprise he at once responded by giving them the largest donation they had yet received. Rephidim-Rock was a most unlikely place from which to receive supplies of water. Is the Lord among us, or not? Exodus 17:7 Evidences of the Divine presence H. F. Holmes. I. WE OBSERVE AN INCREASE OF SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT IS AN EVIDENCE OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE AMONG A PEOPLE. II. WE OBSERVE SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS IS AN EVIDENCE OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE AMONG A PEOPLE. III. WE OBSERVE CHRISTIAN LOVE IS AN EVIDENCE OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE AMONG A PEOPLE. IV. ACTIVITY AND DEVOTEDNESS IN THE CAUSE OF CHRIST IS AN EVIDENCE OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE AMONG A PEOPLE. We have three remarks in conclusion — 1. The unrenewed may learn from this subject that there is no hope for him of any radical improvement save in the grace of God. The Holy Spirit is the sole agent for this work. 2. The Church of God should learn from this subject that the grace and presence of the Lord in the midst of them is the one thing needful. 3. Let all know that the Lord is to be found in the power and sufficiency of His grace by all who seek Him through the Saviour. ( H. F. Holmes. ) "Is the Lord among us, or not?" -- a false inference G. Wagner. Notwithstanding all the other tokens of God's presence they thought that their renewed difficulties were a proof that God was no longer amongst them. And are not our hearts far too apt to come to the same conclusion on the same grounds? We enter on some new path, on some fresh work, because we think that the hand of God is leading us to it, and, almost unconsciously to ourselves, we suppose that His presence will secure us from any great and discouraging difficulties. Our expectations are disappointed — one difficulty after another presents itself — one door after another is closed. What follows? Too often doubts begin to arise in our minds whether God is really with us. But these doubts should not be encouraged. It is altogether a false inference, that because our path is one of difficulty or trial, therefore the Lord is not among us. The very reverse will usually be found to be the true conclusion. ( G. Wagner. ) Then came Amalek, and fought. Exodus 17:8 Fighting and praying "Then came Amalek"; that is, after the manna had fallen, after the rock had been smitten. First food, then conflict. God spared His people all battles in their early days. In our march to heaven, it may happen that one part of the way is free from conflict; but let no man wonder if things change. One of these days we shall read this despatch from the seat of war, "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel." Do not court attack, nor even desire it. When you hear the older folk talk about their inward conflicts, do not lament if your chronicle of wars is a short one. It has often been the Lord's way to give His people space for refreshment before trying them. We cannot work for God too soon; yet it is possible to go to work before you have sharpened your tools. There is a time for every purpose; and each thing is good in its season. Learn, and then teach. I would have you serve the Lord successfully: wherefore, as God gave to Israel manna and water before He sent them to fight with Amalek, so should every believer feed on the truth himself, and then go forth to teach others also. Feed, that you may work, and work because you have been fed. After the manna and after the smitten rock, came the fight: "Then came Amalek." He was a descendant of Esau, full of his father's hate. Note well, that in this battle of the Lord, there were two kinds of fighting. The first was the Joshua-service; and that was done in the plain by the fighting men. The second was the Moses-service; and this was done upon the side of the hill, by the men of God, who communed with heaven. We need both modes of warfare. I. To begin with, we want much of THE JOSHUA-SERVICE. 1. This is the service of many. Moses said to Joshua, "Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek." We have a battle against sin, error, pride, self, and everything that is contrary to God and to His Christ; and in the Joshua-service many can be employed. Every believer should be a soldier in Christ's own army of salvation. 2. In this Joshua-service all the combatants were under due command. "Joshua did as Moses had said to him," and the people did as Joshua commanded them. In all holy service, willingness to be led is a great point. Certain workers may be very good personally; but they will never combine with others to make a conquering band. They work very well alone, or as fore-horses in the team; but they cannot trot in double harness. Soldiers without discipline become a mob, and not an army. Friend, will you be one of the steady workers? 3. In Joshua-work courage was required. "Go out, fight with Amalek." The Amalekites were fierce, cruel, strong. They are said to have been the chief among the nations; by which I understand first among the plunderers of the desert. The soldiers under Joshua had courage, and faced their wolfish foes. Saints need courage for Jesus in these days. May God, in His mercy, make His people bold against scepticism, superstition, and open wickedness! We are called, not to flirt with error and evil, but to fight with it; therefore, let us be brave, and push on the conflict. 4. Those fighting under Joshua did not grow weary. Moses had the more spiritual work, and his hands grew heavy: we sooner tire in private devotion than in public service. Joshua and his men were not weary: never let us be weary in well-doing. Do you ever grow weary in one peculiar way of serving God? It may be useful to try something else. I mean, do something extra. Variety of labour serves for recreation. 5. In the Joshua-service they were successful, for "they discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." Beloved workers for the Lord: may He grant you like success against evil! The devil goes to be beaten, and he shall be beaten. II. THE MOSES-SERVICE — the service of Moses and his comrades. These did not go down to the battle-field themselves, but they climbed the mountain-side, where they could see the warriors in the conflict; and there Moses lifted up the rod of God. 1. Note, that the Moses-service was essential to the battle; for when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. The scales of the conflict were in the hand of Moses, and they turned as his prayer and testimony failed or continued. 2. This holy work was of a very special character. Only three were able to enter into it. I believe that, in every Church, the deeply spiritual, who prevalently commune with God, and bring down the blessing upon the work of the rest, are comparatively few. 3. This Moses-service lay in very close communion with God. Moses, and Aaron, and Hur were called to rise above the people, and to get alone, apart from the company. They climbed the hill as a symbol, and in retirement they silently communed with God. 4. In this sacred engagement there was a terrible strain upon the one man who led the others in it. In the process of bringing down the Divine power upon the people, the vehicle of communication was sorely tried. "Moses' hands were heavy." If God gives you spiritual power to lead in Christian work, you you will soon find out that the condition of such leadership is a costly one. 5. In this hallowed service help is very precious. When Moses' hands began to drop down, and he himself was faint, Aaron and Hur gave him substantial aid. Are you a worker? Have you a leader fit to lead you? Bring a stone and put under him: cheer his heart with some gracious promise from the Lord's Word, or with some happy sign from the work itself. Cheer the good man as much as possible. ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) The battle between good and evil J. S. Exell, M. A. I. THAT THE GOOD ARE REQUIRED TO DO BATTLE WITH INVETERATE ENEMIES (ver. 8). 1. Every soul has to contend with the Amalek of (1) an evil heart; (2) a wicked world; (3) fallen angels. 2. The soul is led gradually into the moral battle of life. We cannot get to heaven without being interrupted by many enemies — by Satan, by poverty, by sickness, by prosperity; all these will seek to stop or slay us. II. THAT THE GOOD IN THIS CONFLICT MUST COMBINE PRAYER WITH THE UTMOST EXERTION TO OVERCOME THEIR ENEMIES (vers. 9-11). Truth has lost many a battle through bad generalship. Truth needs a man like Luther to lead the attack. If we would overcome evil within us and without us, we must summon the best energies of our mental and moral nature, and put them under the command of Christ; then shall we be led to victory. Joshua fought. Moses went up the hill to pray. Prayer is often uphill work. And the conflict between Good and Evil necessitates the use of prayer and activity. Man must pray over his evil heart, and he must also fight against its sinful tendencies. Sin is persistent in its opposition to the soul. III. THAT THE GOOD IN THIS CONFLICT ARE OFTEN IMPEDED BY THE WEAKNESS CONSEQUENT UPON THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF LIFE (ver. 12). Nature at the strongest is weak. But the hands of Moses were supported by Aaron and Hur. Holy companionship is helpful in the hour of severe moral conflict. Two are better far than one. Christians should seek to hold up the hands of ministers. They must bear one another's burdens. The insignificant members of the Church may render service to the most important; Hut may strengthen Moses. The hands of our heavenly Inter. cessor never grow weary with pleading; and the infirm Christian will soon be as the angels. It is consoling that God knows our frame, and remembers that we are dust. IV. THAT THE GOOD IN THEIR CONFLICT SHOULD KEEP FAITHFUL RECORD OF THEIR VICTORIES (vers. 13, 14). 1. To aid memory. 2. To inspire hope. 3. To awaken gratitude to God. V. THAT THE GOOD IN THIS CONFLICT SHOULD ASCRIBE ALL THE GLORY OF VICTORY TO GOD (vers. 15, 16). Lessons: 1. That there are inveterate enemies to moral goodness. 2. That these enemies are doomed to ultimate defeat and destruction. 3. That the good must pray and fight to this end. 4. There will be a final celebration of victory. ( J. S. Exell, M. A. ) War with Amalek I. First, then, we have here THE EXPERIENCE OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN, 1. Observe, the Children of Israel were emancipated from bondage, and had left Egypt behind, even as you and I have been rescued from our natural state and are no longer the servants of sin. 2. The Children of Israel were probably anticipating ease, forgetting that the Promised Land was yet many days' journey beyond them. Inexperience made them expect a continuance of uninterrupted song and feasting, and there was a time when we indulged in the same foolish hopes. 3. Like Israel, we soon experienced tribulations. You must fight if you would win the crown, and your pathway to the other side of Jordan must be the pathway of an armed crusader, who has to contend for every inch of the way if he is to win it. 4. In proceeding with the narrative we notice that they found opposition from an unexpected quarter. It is just where we feel most safe that we should be most cautious. I do not think the Christian has so much to fear from open and avowed enemies as from those deceitful foes who feign to be his friends. Sin is never so much a Jezebel as when it paints its face with daubs of respectability and patches of innocence. Things dubious are more

Benson Commentary 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 in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Exodus 17:1 . The children of Israel journeyed — By divers stations, recorded Numbers 33:12-13 , but here omitted, because nothing extraordinary happened in them. According to the commandment of the Lord — Signified either by word, or by the motion or rest of the pillar of cloud and fire. Although led by this, they came to a place where there was no water for them to drink — We may be in the way of our duty and yet meet with troubles, which Providence brings us into for the trial of our faith. Exodus 17:2 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? Exodus 17:2 . Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? — By distrusting his power, providence, and faithfulness, upon such a small occasion; by refusing to submit to his will, and to wait upon him in humble fervent prayer for relief; and instead thereof quarrelling with me, as if it were my fault that you want water, and by murmuring against God under my name. Exodus 17:3 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? Exodus 17:4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. Exodus 17:5 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. Exodus 17:5-6 . Go before the people — Though they spoke of stoning him. He must take his rod with him, not to summon some plague to chastise them, but to fetch water for their supply. O the wonderful patience and forbearance of God toward provoking sinners! He maintains those that are at war with him, and reaches out the hand of his bounty to those that lift up the heel against him. If God had only showed Moses a fountain of water in the wilderness, as he did to Hagar, not far from hence, ( Genesis 21:19 ,) that had been a great favour; but that he might show his power as well as his pity, and make it a miracle of mercy, he gave them water out of a rock. He directed Moses whither to go, appointed him to take of the elders of Israel with him, to be witnesses of what was done, ordered him to smite the rock, which he did, and immediately water came out of it in great abundance, which ran throughout the camp in streams and rivers, Psalm 78:15-16 . God showed his care of his people in giving them water when they wanted it; his own power in fetching it out of a rock, and put an honour upon Moses in appointing the water to flow out upon his smiting of the rock. This fair water that came out of the rock is called honey and oil, ( Deuteronomy 32:13 ,) because the people’s thirst made it doubly pleasant; coming when they were in extreme want. It is probable that the people digged canals for the conveyance of it, and pools for the reception of it. Let this direct us to live in a dependance, 1st, Upon God’s providence, even in the greatest straits and difficulties; and, 2d, Upon Christ’s grace; that rock was Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:4 . The graces and comforts of the Spirit are compared to rivers of living waters, John 7:38-39 ; John 4:14 . These flow from Christ. And nothing will supply the needs and satisfy the desires of a soul but water out of this rock. A new name was, upon this occasion, given to the place, preserving the remembrance of their murmuring; Massah — Temptation, because they tempted God; Meribah — Strife, because they chid with Moses. Several commentators have here quoted the following passage from Shaw’s Travels, as a wonderful confirmation of this great miracle: “Here (in the plain of Rephidim) we still see that extraordinary antiquity, the rock of Meribah, which hath continued down to this day, without the least injury from time or accident. It is a block of granite marble, about six yards square, lying tottering as it were, and loose in the middle of the valley, and seems to have formerly belonged to mount Sinai, which hangs in a variety of precipices all over this plain. The waters which gushed out, and the stream which followed, ( Psalm 78:20 ,) have hollowed, across one corner of this rock, a channel about two inches deep and twenty wide, appearing to be incrustated all over, like the inside of a teakettle that had been long in use. Besides several mossy productions that are still preserved by the dew, we see all over the channel a great number of holes, some of them four or five inches deep, and one or two in diameter, the lively and demonstrative tokens of their having been formerly so many fountains. It likewise may be further observed, that art or chance could by no means be concerned in the contrivance; for every circumstance points out to us a miracle; and, in the same manner with the rent in the rock of mount Calvary, at Jerusalem, never fails to produce a religious surprise in all who see it. The Arabs, who were our guard, were ready to stone me for attempting to break off a corner of it.” — Shaw’s Travels, pp. 252, 253. Exodus 17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; 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. Exodus 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? Exodus 17:7 . Is the Lord among us or not? — To protect and provide for us according to his word; will he be as good as his word, or will he not? Words which implied that to them it was very doubtful. Against doubts of this kind we ought constantly to guard. For, whatever may be suggested to our minds by the enemy of our souls, we ought never to question whether God will be gracious to those that desire and endeavour to follow him in the ways of his appointment. Exodus 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. Exodus 17:8 . Then came Amalek — When they were upon their march from Rephidim to Horeb, ( Deuteronomy 25:17-18 ,) and fought with Israel — The Amalekites were the posterity of Esau, who hated Jacob because of the birthright and blessing. They did not boldly front them as a generous enemy, but, without any provocation given, basely fell upon their rear, and smote them that were faint and feeble. Exodus 17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, 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. Exodus 17:9 . I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand — See how God qualifies his people for, and calls them to various services for the good of his church; Joshua fights, Moses prays, and both minister to Israel. This rod Moses held up, not so much to Israel, to animate them, as to God, by way of appeal to him. Is not the battle the Lord’s? Is not he able to help, and engaged to help? Witness this rod! Moses was not only a standard-bearer, but an intercessor, pleading with God for success and victory. Exodus 17:10 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. Exodus 17:10-11 . Hur — A person of eminence, no doubt, but who he was is uncertain. Josephus, however, tells us, he was the husband of Miriam, Antiq., 50:3, chap. 2. And when Moses held up his hand in prayer (so the Chaldee explains it) Israel prevailed: but when he let down his hand from prayer Amalek prevailed — To convince Israel that the hand of Moses (with whom they had just now been chiding) contributed more to their safety than their own hands; the success rises and falls, as Moses lifts up or lets down his hand. The Church’s cause is ordinarily more or less successful, according as the Church’s friends are more or less fervent in prayer. Exodus 17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Exodus 17:12 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. Exodus 17:13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Exodus 17:13-14 . Though God gave the victory, yet it is said Joshua discovered Amalek, because Joshua was a type of Christ, and of the same name, and in him it is that we are more than conquerors. The Lord said, Write this for a memorial — This is the first mention of writing we find in Scripture. Exodus 17:14 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. Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: Exodus 17:15 . And Moses built an altar, and called it Jehovah-nissi — The Lord is my banner. The presence and power of Jehovah was the banner under which they were listed, by which they were animated and kept together, and therefore which they erected in the day of their triumph. In the name of our God we must always lift up our banners: he that doth all the work should have all the praise. Exodus 17:16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Exodus 17:16 . Because the Lord hath sworn, &c. — The original of this passage is variously rendered. There are two senses which appear most plausible. The one of them we have here in our text, the other in the margin. The words ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? chi jad gnall ches Jah, are literally, Because the hand upon the throne of Jah, Or Jehovah. The text considers it as an oath: Because he (Jehovah) hath lifted up his hand upon (that is, hath sworn by) his throne. So the Chaldee paraphrast. Others apply it to Moses: Because I have lifted up my hand, or sworn, by the throne of Jehovah. There is, however, no verb in the original answering to lifted up. Therefore, some of the interpreters prefer the sense of the margin. Because the hand (the hand of Amalek) was against the throne of Jehovah, (the verb was being often understood,) therefore Jehovah will have war with Amalek, &c. — His hand is said to have been against the throne of Jehovah, because the throne of God was then among the Israelites, whose King he was in a peculiar manner; on which account Jerusalem is called his throne, Jeremiah 3:17 . Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Expositor's Bible Commentary 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 in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. CHAPTER XVII. MERIBAH. Exodus 17:1-7 . The people, miraculously fed, are therefore called to exhibit more confidence in God than hitherto, because much is required of him to whom much is given. They have now to plunge deeper into the wilderness; and after two stages which Exodus omits ( Numbers 33:12-13 ), and just as they approach the mount of God, they find themselves without water. Even the Son of Man Himself was led into the wilderness next after the descent of the Spirit, and the avowal by the voice of God; nor is any true Christian to marvel if his seasons of special privilege are succeeded by special demands upon his firmness. One finds himself conjecturing, very often, what nobler history, what grander analogies between type and antitype, what more gracious and lavish interpositions might have instructed us, if only the type had been less woefully imperfect--if Israel had been trustful as Moses was, and the crude material had not marred the design. It would be more practical and edifying to reflect how often we ourselves, like Israel, might have learned and exemplified deep things of the grace of God, when all we really exhibited was the well-worn lesson of human frailty and divine forbearance. In the story of our Lord, it has been observed that before the Pharisees directly assailed Himself, they found fault with His disciples who fasted not, or accosted them concerning Him Who ate with sinners. And so here the people really tempted God, but openly "strove with Moses," and with Aaron too, for the verb is a plural one: "Give ye water" ( Exodus 17:2 ). But as Aaron is merely an agent and spokesman, the chief value of this tacit allusion to him, besides proving his fidelity, is to refute the notion that he sinks into comparative obscurity only after the sin of the golden calf. Already his position is one to be indicated rather than expressed; and Moses said, "Why do ye quarrel with me? wherefore do ye try the Lord?" But the frenzy rose higher: it was he, and not a higher One, who had brought them out of Egypt; the upshot of it would only be "to kill us, and our children, and our cattle, with thirst." Look closely at this expression, and a curious significance discloses itself. Was it mere covetousness, the spirit of the Jew Shylock lamenting in one breath his daughter and his ducats, which introduced the cattle along with the children into this complaint of dying men? Shylock himself, when death actually looked him in the face, readily sacrificed his fortune. Nor is it credible that a large number of people, really believing that a horrible death was imminent, would have spent any complaints upon their property. The language is exactly that of angry exaggeration. They have come through straits quite as desperate, and they know it well. It is not the fear of death, but the painful delay of rescue, the discomfort and misery of their condition in the meanwhile, the contrast between their sufferings and their own conception of the rights of the favourites of heaven, which is audible in this complaint. And thus their "Trial" and "Quarrel" are admirably epitomised in the phrase "Is Jehovah among us or not?" a phrase which has often since been in the heart, if not upon the lips, of men who had supposed the life divine to be one long holiday, the pilgrimage an excursion, when without are fightings and within fears, when they have great sorrow and heaviness in their hearts. Because God is not a Judge, but a Father, the murmurs of Israel do not prevent Him from showing mercy. Accordingly, when Moses prays, he is bidden to go on before the people, bringing certain of their elders along with him for witnesses of the marvel that was to follow. Such is the Divine method. As soon as unbelief and discontent estranged the Jews of the New Testament from Christ, He would not vulgarise His miracles, nor do many mighty works among the unbelieving. After His resurrection He appeared not unto all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before. And as the Jews were chosen to bear witness to Him among the nations, so were these elders now to bear witness among the Jews, who might without their testimony have fallen into some such rationalising theory as that of Tacitus, who says that Moses discovered a fountain by examining a spot where wild asses lay. With these witnesses, he is bidden to go to a rock in Horeb (so nearly had these murmurers approached the scene of the most awful of all manifestations of Him whose presence they debated), and there God was to stand before them upon the rock, making His universal presence a localised consciousness in their experience. A true religion is progressive: every stage of it leans on the past and sustains the future; and so Moses must bring with him "the rod, wherewith thou smotest the river." The dullest can see the fitness of this allusion. Among all the wonders which the shepherd's wand had wrought, the mastery over the Nile, the plague which inflicted an unwonted thirst upon the inhabitants of that well-watered field of Zoan, was most to the purpose now. To kill and to make alive are the functions of the same Being, and He Who spoiled the Egyptian river will now refresh His heritage that is weary. At the touch of the prophetic wand the waters poured forth which thenceforth supplied them through all their desert wanderings. Reserving the symbolic meaning of this event for a future study, we have to remember meanwhile the warning which the apostle here discovered. All the people drank of the rock, yet with many of them God was not pleased. Privilege is one thing--acceptance is quite another; and it shall be more tolerable at last for Sodom and Gomorrah than for nations, churches and men, who were content to resemble soil that drinketh in the rain that cometh upon it oft, and yet to remain unfruitful. Already the conduct of Israel was such that the place was named from human worthlessness rather than Divine beneficence. Too often, it is the more conspicuous part of the story of the relations of God and man. Exodus 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. AMALEK. Exodus 17:8-16 . Nothing can be more natural, to those who remember the value of a fountain in the East, than that Amalek should swoop down from his own territories upon Israel, as soon as this abundant river tempted his cupidity. This unprovoked attack of a kindred nation leads to another advance in the education of the people. They had hitherto been the sheep of God: now they must become His warriors. At the Red Sea it was said to them, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord ... the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" ( Exodus 14:13 ). But it is not so now. Just as the function of every true miracle is to lead to a state of faith in which miracles are not required; just as a mother reaches her hand to a tottering infant, that presently the boy may go alone, so the Lord fought for Israel, that Israel might learn to fight for the Lord. The herd of slaves who came out of Egypt could not be trusted to stand fast in battle; and what a defeat would have done with them we may judge by their outcries at the very sight of Pharaoh. But now they had experience of Divine succour, and had drawn the inspiring breath of freedom. And so it was reasonable to expect that some chosen men of them at least will be able to endure the shock of battle. And if so, it was a matter of the last importance to develop and render conscious the national spirit, a spirit so noble in its unselfish readiness to die, and in its scorn of such material ills as anguish and mutilation compared with baseness and dishonour, that the re-kindling of it in seasons of peril and conflict is more than half a compensation for the horrors of a battle-field. We do not now inquire what causes avail to justify the infliction and endurance of those horrors. Probably they will vary from age to age; and as the ties grow strong which bind mankind together, the rupture of them will be regarded with an ever-deepening shudder,--just as England today would certainly refuse to make war upon our American kinsmen for a provocation which (rightly or wrongly) she would not endure from Russians. But the point to be observed is that war cannot be inherently immoral, since God instructed in war the first nation that He ever trained, not using its experience of His immediate interpositions to supersede all need of human strife, but to make valiant soldiers, and adding some of the most precious lessons of all their later experience on the battle-field and by the sword. Now, it assuredly cannot be shown that anything in itself immoral is fostered and encouraged by the Old Testament. Slavery and divorce, which it was not yet possible to extirpate, were hampered, restricted, and reduced to a minimum, being "suffered" "because of the hardness of 'their' hearts" ( Matthew 19:8 ). The wildest assailant of the Pentateuch will scarcely pretend that it fosters and incites either divorce or slavery, as, beyond all question, it encourages the martial ardour of the Jews. And yet war, though permissible, and in certain circumstances necessary, is only necessary as the lesser of two evils; it is not in itself good. Solomon, not David, could build the temple of the Lord; and Isaiah sharply contrasts the Messiah with even that providentially appointed conqueror, the only pagan who is called by God "My anointed," in that the one comes upon rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay, but the Other breaks not a bruised reed, nor quenches the smoking flax ( Isaiah 41:25 , Isaiah 42:3 , Isaiah 45:1 ). The ideal of humanity is peace, and also it is happiness, but war may not yet have ceased to be a necessity of life, sometimes as ruinous to evade as any other form of suffering. Another necessity of national development is the advancement of capable men. The empire of Napoleon would assuredly have withered, if only because its chief was as jealous of commanding genius as he was ready to advance and patronise capacity of the second order. It is a maxim that true greatness finds worthy colleagues and successors, and rejoices in them. And while the guidance of Jehovah is to be assumed throughout, it is significant that the first mention of the splendid commander and godly judge, during all whose days and the days of his contemporaries Israel served Jehovah, comes not in any express revelation or commandment of God; but the narrative relates that Moses said unto Joshua, "Choose out men for us and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand." They are the words of one who had noted him already as "a man in whom is the Spirit" ( Numbers 27:18 ), of one also who had unlearned, in the experience now of eighty years, the desire of glittering achievement and martial fame, who knew that the deepest fountains of real power are hidden, and was content that another should lead the headlong and victorious charge, if only it were his to hold, upon the top of the hill, the rod of God. Once it was his own rod: with it the exiled shepherd controlled the sheep of his master; that it should be the medium of the miraculous had appeared to be an additional miracle, but now it was the very rod of God, nor was any cry to heaven more eloquent and better grounded than simply the reaching toward the skies, in long, steady, mute appeal, of that symbol of all His dealings with them--the plaguing of Egypt, the recession of the tide and its wild return, the bringing of water from the rock. Was all to be in vain? Should the wild boar waste the vine just brought out of Egypt before ever it reached the appointed vineyard? And we also should be able to plead with God the noble works that He hath done in our time. For us also there ought to be such experience as worketh hope. As long as the exertion was possible even to the heroic force which age had not abated, Moses thus prayed for his people; for the gesture was a prayer, and a grand one, and must not be criticised otherwise than as the act of a poetic and primitive genius, whose institutions throughout are full of spiritual import. While he did this, Israel prevailed; but the slow progress of the victory reminds us of these dreary centuries during which we are just able to discern some gradual advance of the kingdom of Christ on earth, but no rout, no collapse of evil. And why was this? Because the sustaining and permanent energy was not to flow from the prayers of one, however holy and however eminent; three men were together in the mountain, and the co-operation of them all was demanded; so that only when Aaron and Hur supported the sinking hand of their chief was the decisive victory given. Now, the lesson from all this does not concern the High-priestly intercession of our Lord, for the office of Moses is consistently distinguished from the priesthood. Nor can the notion be tolerated that if our Lord requires mortal co-operation before asking and being given the heathen for His heritage, which is obviously the case, the reason can be at all expressed by that weakness which needed support. No, the Lord our Priest is also Himself the dispenser of victory. To Him all power is given on earth, and to Him it is our duty to appeal for the triumph of His own cause. And here and there, doubtless, a Christian heart is fervent and faithful in its intercessions. To these, unknown, unsuspected by the combatants in the heat of battle,--to humble saints, some of them bed-ridden, ignorant, poverty-stricken, despised, holy souls who have no controversial skill, no missionary calling, but who possess the grace habitually to convert their wishes into prayers,--to such, perhaps, it is due that the idols of India and China are now bowing down. And when they cease to be a minority in so doing, when those who now criticise learn to sustain their flagging energies, we shall see a day of the Lord. Observe, however, that as the active exertion of the host does not displace the silence of intercession, neither is it displaced itself: Joshua really bore his part in the discomfiture of Amalek and his host. And so it is always. The development of human energy to the uttermost is a part of the design of Him Who gave a task even to unfallen man. Let none suppose that to labour is (sufficiently and by itself) to pray; but also let none idly persuade himself that while energies and responsibilities are his, to pray is sufficiently to labour. Thus it came to pass that Israel won its first victory in battle. Another step was taken toward the fulfilment of the promise to Abraham to make of him a great nation; and also toward the gradual transference of the national faith from a passive reliance in Divine interposition to an abiding confidence in Divine help. Let it be clearly understood that this latter is the nobler and the more mature faith. With martial ardour, God took care to inculcate the sense of national responsibility, without which warriors become no more than brigands. So it was with Amalek: he had not been attacked or even menaced; he had marched out from his own territories to assail an innocent and kindred race ("then came Amalek" Exodus 17:8 ), and his attack had been cruel and cowardly, he smote the hindmost, all that were feeble and in the rear, when they were faint and weary, and he feared not God ( Deuteronomy 25:18 ). Against all such tactics the wrath of God was denounced when, because of them, Amalek was doomed to total extirpation. Moses now built an altar, to imprint on the mind of the people this new lesson. And he called it, "The Lord is my Banner," a title which called the nation at once to valour and to obedience, which asserted that they were an army, but a consecrated one. * * * * * Now let us ask whether this simple story is at all the kind of thing which legend or myth would have created, for the first martial exploit of Israel. The obscure part played by Moses is not what we would expect; nor, even as a mediator, is the position of one whose arms must be held up a very romantic conception. If the object is to inspire the Jews for later struggles with more formidable foes, the story is ill-contrived, for we read of no surprising force of Amalek, and no inspiriting exploit of Joshua. Everything is as prosaic as the real course of events in this poor world is wont to be. And on that account it is all the more useful to us who live prosaic lives, and need the help of God among prosaic circumstances. The Expositor's Bible Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.