25 - Never Fight Alone

No sooner had rivers of water flowed out of the rock at Rephidim than Israel experienced a vicious, unprovoked attack. The Amalekites were distant relatives (Ge 36:12) and therefore should have welcomed the news that Jacob’s descendants had been freed from slavery in Egypt, but instead they sent an army to attack when Israel was “faint and weary” (Dt 25:18). In fact, the Amalekite soldiers deliberately targeted the young, elderly and infirm who walked slowly at the end of the procession. They showed neither mercy for their weakness nor a fear of God who visibly preceded the nation in the cloud and fire, slashing through the stragglers like sharks through a school of fish. When darkness fell, Moses had a chance to regroup and develop a battle strategy. He knew they would be hopelessly overpowered without God’s intervention. So instead of leading his men in battle Moses gave that job to Joshua and committed himself to fight in prayer. And the picture of him standing on that hilltop with his hands in the air from morning till night has inspired believers to fervent prayer ever since. His example at Rephidim teaches us important lessons about how to win when we fight spiritual battles.