Exodus 17
17:1-16 Events at Rephidim.
1-3. Coming of Israel & chiding of People.
4. Moses and Yahaveh.
5,6. Giving of water by Yahaveh.
7. Memorial of Massah and Meribah.
8. Coming of Amelek and fighting with Israel.
9. Moses and Joshua.
10-13. Giving of victory by Yahaveh.
14-16. Memorial of victory.
May 10th. 1491 B.C.
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 (= reclining place): and there was no water for the people to drink.
(This was a strange place for the entire congregation to camp for the fact that there was no water to drink. God brought the children of Israel to this location, for Moses and the people followed the directions given they by the Lord.
The one thing that set this generation of the children of Israel apart from all the other generations, is that they personally witnessed each of the miracles that God did just for them, to free them from their bondage. They saw the plagues of Egypt, and the parting of the Red sea. They stood by as Pharaoh's army was right on their tail, and that pillar of fire kept that army at a distance from them, and then say as God closed the Red sea, and took the live of Pharaoh's entire army. Today we do not have that advantage, but we take the Word's and promises of the Lord by faith and His Word will see us through, just as the children of Israel were led through the wilderness of their time. They took the manna that lay out there on the ground and tasted of the goodness of God, and at of the flesh of the quail, in places where quail do not abound in such masses.
Time after time, God proved Himself to them, as He led them in a path to the promise land that He wanted them to take for their protection: Yet each time something went wrong, they blamed God for their discomfort. So now they come to a place where there is no water to drink. This is a prime example of people that just like to complain, and yet is should help us to know that when you are trying to please God, and do things His Way; and if you have the faith to believe on Christ, God will see you through those hard times, and those hard times will come from time to time. Our Heavenly Father will test those that He loves, for those tests prepare you for the different things that we face in our every day lives.)
2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses,
(murmuring was good policy. They would not "dig" [as at Beer and Elim] to "beg" they were not ashamed "Give us water")
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?"
(Moses is telling the children of Israel, and even to us today, that to complain against one that God has chosen to lead His people, is to complain against God Himself. God doesn't like it when you lack the faith to have God lead in your life, and trust Him to clear the way for your. If God gives a command to go someplace and do something, and things are not the way you expect, just keep still and wait on the Lord. Let Him make the provision for you. When God has something for you to do, He will lead you through His Word. God has given us His Word to be an example for us living in these end times.
I Corinthians 10:11, 12 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
So Moses is warning the people that their complaints are not really against me, but against God. Notice that when the water wasn't there, they never lifted a finger to help themselves, no; they just sat and belly ached. It is no different than those people today that won't lift a finger to help themselves, but just cry and moan over something that is trivial, and won't make a move to better themselves. They complain about the trash in their yard and yet they won't pick up the trash. They complain about the government, and at the same time refuse to vote. You know the type. They complain about not having money, yet they won't go out to try to get a job.)
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?"
(You talk about trying a person's patience; here after God has freed them from their bondage, opened the Red sea, killed off their enemies, gave them food to eat, and now they are crying out that they want to go back to Egypt. God gave them their freedom, but with that freedom, they just don't know what to do with it. These Children of Israel were born in their bondage, and bondage is all they have known. They surely did not know the ways of providing for themselves, for as slaves they just did not have to take on responsibility for themselves. They lived in a complete welfare state.
Friend, you make your own troubles that come your way, and most of the time that is way by your own choices you have put yourself in the spot you are in. It takes far less effort to do something about your problem, than to keep on complaining to some one that could care less about your problem. So here they are complaining to Moses.)
4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, "What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me."
(Moses, David, Jeremiah, Stephen, Paul, and the Lord Jesus suffered from stoning or its threatening. Moses knows the trouble that the people are in; for they are setting up camp at Rephidim, a resting place where there is no water. There is nothing new under the sun, for people of every generation like to complain when things don't go well for themselves. A person will go down the isle say a few words in the confessional prayer to get saved, and the first thing he or she wants to do is to save the world, just like they were saved. He goes out into the street to witness and the first time he is scoffed at, he wants to run for cover. If you want to be a Moses, then wake up and expect to get a lot of verbal stones thrown your way; remember they wanted to stone and kill Moses. The very people that he wanted to save, wanted to kill him. If you make a stand, know that trouble will come your way, also know that God will protect you. When the people turned to Moses; Moses turned to God. That is exactly what we should learn, when the going gets tough and you have done all that you can do for yourself, turn to God.)
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.
6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock
(A type of Christ. Frequently referred to [Deut. 32:4,15,18,31,37. 1 Sam. 2:2. Ps. 18:2]. Rock of life [Deut. 32:18]: Salvation [2 Sam. 22:47, &c.]: Refuge [Ps. 27:5; 62:6,7]: Rest and refreshment [Isa. 32:2]. This is the anointed rock of Jacob's Pillar-Gen. 28:18.)
in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock,
(Smitten only once. When you ask for forgiveness of your sins, only ask once for those particular sins. To ask twice is to doubt whether Christ's shed blood and sacrifice is able to purchase forgiveness. Cp. Isa. 53:4. Zech. 13:7. Yahaveh on the Rock = God in Christ [2 Cor.5:19]. No water till smitten [Ps. 78:20. John 7:38,39; 12:24)
and there shall come water out of it,
(Water from the rock. Fire out of the rock [Judg. 6:21]. Honey from the rock [Ps. 81:16]. Oil from the rock [Deut.32:13].)
that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel."
(God has His army of angelic beings that can step in and handle those things that you can't. Learn to put your trust in Him, and rest in His promises, so how could you be worried if you are trusting in Him and following the instructions and directions from His Word. "Horeb" is the desert that the children of Israel are passing through.
God is referring to a specific "rock", and that rock was there in the wilderness of Horeb. I feel it was brought there because it was "Jacob's pillar". The same sacred stone that Jacob had his dream or vision of angels ascending and descending from heaven. The same rock that was carried into Egypt when the children of Israel went into Egypt in Joseph's time, and carried with them out of Egypt into the wilderness of Horeb.
We know from Revelation 21 that there will be a stone under the throne of God in the Millennium and water will flow out from that stone. That water that flows from that stone is a spiritual water that comes from that same rock. There are no accidents to God's acts and miracles, and in stating "the rock", states a specific rock. In the song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, our "Rock is not as their rock", for our Rock is Jesus Christ. We know our true Rock Christ, and the Kenites know and follow their rock Satan. There can be no better Rock than Jesus Christ to build the foundation of your spiritual and daily life.
When Moses struck that rock, water came forth right in the middle of the desert. Moments prior the people were ready to stone Moses because of their thirst, and now moments later, there is a fountain of water flowing from that rock to quench the thirst of millions of people and their cattle and herds. Amos talked about another time when there would be a thirst for water, and it would not be quenched. Why?
Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
The thirst in these final days will not be for water, but for the hearing the truths from God's Word. That day is fast approaching.)
7 And he called the name of the place Massah (= temptation. Temptation of God), and Meribah (= strife. Strife with Moses), because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD,
(I.e. tempting Yahaveh to cut them off.)
saying, "Is the LORD among us, or not?"
(Stop and think of all the times that the Lord brought miracles to come to pass right before their eyes, and then they should make such a statement. "Is the Lord among us or not?" Its like most Christians today say, "Lord what have you done for me lately?" This has to be an example for us living today, for God is giving us something to note as to how it shall be in the latter days. No, we haven't seen the miracles take place right before our eyes, like they did in Moses day. But the children of Israel that Moses is leading, saw and witnessed it right before their eyes. Then they doubted it.)
8 Then came Amalek,
(Cp. Gen. 21:25 and Judg. 5:11. Amalek came to fight for the water. Cp. Deut. 25:17,18. Amalek was behind and attacked the rear, and he "feared not God", Deut. 25:8. At Rephidim, they got water plus Amalek; and Meribah, water plus Edom. A type of Anti-Christ.)
and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
(They saw the water flow and that it was plentiful, and they wanted the water also. The Amalekites were of the desert and this well of water they thought they overlooked. Amalek came with his army of men from the rear of the Israelites, and they fought for the right to that water that came from the rock. Esau and Jacob had been in conflict every sense their youth, and here their offspring are at it again, some three hundred years later. So how can people of Israel claim to be children of the Living God, yet at the same time, be afraid of Him and act like they were His enemies? This is what redemption is all about. God is not going to take out His wrath against His own people, but against His enemies. Sure you have your times of correction and discipline as God displays his love for you, but not the wrath that will come down on His and your enemies.
Esau is Rosh, the people of the nation of Russia, and it was written long ago that Amalek the grandson of Esau would continue the conflict with the offspring of Jacob, or Israel. Sure there was a battle in the Horeb desert with the kin to Esau, but that conflict between Jacob and Esau is going on to this day. Though it may appear that there is peace, wait a while for the big battle is yet to come. Ezekiel 38, 39 puts that conflict in perspective, for in the end; God will fight that last battle of Hamon-gog, as the peoples of true Israel will be at peace in their undefended cities. Russia has the weapons to start that last great battle, and even though our leaders eyes are closed to the truth, God's eyes are wide open to their true intent. Sure there will be an attack but they will never reach the cities of the nations of Israel. God will see to that, for the end will take place exactly as it is written in God's Word.)
9 And Moses said unto Joshua,
(first occ. [250 times in all]. Heb. Yahshua. Now 53 years of age. Hence a bondman in Egypt. 27 years younger than Moses. Type of Christ. Many years later this same Joshua will lead the children of Israel into the promise land, fight the battle of Jericho as they marched around the city seven times, and the walls came tumbling down. Joshua will be the leader of the children of Israel after God takes Moses, and allows the Israelites to cross the Jordan river. It will also be Jesus the Christ, the Joshua of the end times that will lead our people into the promise land of His Millennium kingdom. This is just as it will be then and will be in our day. It will be Jesus that will lead our people out of this flesh age, and into that Millennium age kingdom where Jesus Christ will rule as King of Kings. These are facts, and we are seeing the type or example here.)
"Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:
(there was a large population in the peninsula at this time. A wilderness, a place of pasture, not a desert.)
to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand."
(Notice that the order from God to Moses, and Moses to Joshua is to get ready to fight a battle. This is for keeps, and the enemy Amalik is coming upon them. There is not one word of negotiation, or prayer for the enemy here, for its time to focus on the battle at hand. God expects His people to be salty, and make a difference, make a stand when it becomes necessary. When you know the plan of God and use your common sense, when you are placed in a spot where it is necessary to make a stand for God, God expects you to make that stand.
This is God's army, and they had not fought a battle in many years, but here and now the battle plan is to arm yourselves for battle and go get the victory. Moses told Joshua that "I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand." We have seen that when that rod is extended out, God gives the victory to Moses and the children of Israel.)
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses (prophet), Aaron (priest), and Hur
(Of royal tribe, Judah. Heb. noble or well-born. The son of Caleb, the son of Hezron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah [1 Chron. 2,3,4,5,18,19]. Josephus makes him the husband of Miriam and grandfather of Bezaleel [Ex. 31:2; 35:30; 38:22.)
went up to the top of the hill.
(God has brought the leadership of the tribes to the top of the hill, to do their part in the battle. It will be the rod of God that makes the difference and brings the victory to Israel.
We read of another rod, in the hand of Jesus, that also will bring the victory at the close of this earth age, and the sounding of the seventh trump. Revelation 19:13 And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
Revelation 19:14, 15 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them, with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
When Jesus comes to this earth the second time, He will not be riding on a donkey, humble and willing to die, no: Jesus the Christ will be coming to bring judgment on this entire earth, and put an end to Satan's wicked system that will be in control at that time. Jesus will do a good job in straightening things out.)
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
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.
(It was Moses following the instructions of God that brought the victory. Moses had a job to do while that battle was going on, his job was to hold the rod of God toward heaven, and then God will give Israel the victory.
Do you get the lesson in this? God always see to it that you have the help that you need to get the job done. If God assigns you to do a mission for Him, you can count of the help and direction being there for you. When you follow His instruction from His Word, you will not lose the battle. This is what is called "faith", the willingness to follow God's instruction exactly was it is given to you. Friend, if you are out there in the battle of life with all sorts of problems, it wasn't God that put you there, it was you by your own choices that you made. Don't blame God for your mistakes.
So that's the time to get into God's Word and get right with God, and He will show you the way out of those problems your in. You can solve your own problems with God's help, when God's Spirit opens your eyes to His Truths. God will only do what you are unable to do for yourself. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said; "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Matthew 11:30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
The yoke is used down on the farm to hook up two animals to do a job, when one of the animals is old and just can't carry his load. The yoke distributes the load, so the weaker animal pulls only what he can, and then the stronger animal does the rest. The yoke give protection to the animal so that one of the animals will not be hurt. When your workload is so heavy that it looks impossible; Jesus is telling you to come and get hooked up with Him, to His yoke. You keep on doing your part for what you can do, and Jesus is telling you that when you are yoked to Him, He will take care of the rest of your problems. When you are hooked up and yoked to Christ, under the blood of Christ, your soul will be at rest. However, to be yoked to Christ, you have to be going in the same direction, and doing the same work or mission that Christ is doing in that yoke.
God gave us His plan in His Word, and when we are yoked to him, we are following that plan. God will give you a job to do, and God will provide the men and the way to finish the job. God wasn't there hold up Moses' arms, men were there; and God used other men to assist Moses. When God touches a person and directs them to do a job, He expects them to do that job.)
13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
(Sword = Heb. "mouth". Sword in the Plain: Rod of God on the mount [v.9]: Yahaveh above all v.6. His Truth sets you free for your anxiety. There comes a time when tough love is required, when the unbelievers mind is closed to truth. Sure we have freedoms in our land, but there was a dear price that was paid for the freedoms that we have. Men and women have died on the battle field, at the edge of the sword, as God gave them the victory. You do have the right to worship as you choose, but that right came by the hand of many Joshua's, fighting on the battle fields of our nation. God gave the children of Israel the rights that they have had, because their leaders followed the instructions that God gave to them. Just as the battle of Moses day turned when Moses arms went down, so also we have had those battle that had a heavy cost, but in the end, God gave the battle to His people.)
14 And the LORD said unto Moses, "Write
(First occ. The tablets found at Lachish and Tel-el-Amarna show that writing of a high order was fully developed before the time of Moses.)
this for a memorial in a book,
(This writing afterward ordered for "the Book of the Law" [24:4,7]. See notes below, where the history of that Book is traced from this passage to Malachi.)
and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven."
(This verse is a type of what we are and will face in these end times. This doesn't say that God will destroy Amalek, but only those of Amalek that will continue fighting God. In the word "put out", as it is written in the Hebrew text is "blot out", or to erase; but in the Greek it is the sister word to "charisma", which means a gift. This is why those that still fight God in the Millennium age, are rubbed out, they are done away with completely, just as if they had never existed. Even the thought of those that go against God in the Millennium will be erased from the memory of their loved ones. That way there will be no tears in the eternity, for there will be no memory that that soul ever existed. Friend, when your blotted out of the book of life, you don't exist, nor any of the things that you have ever done remembered by anyone. This is the battle by Moses that took the children of Israel into the promise land; and our promise land is eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ, and YHVH our heavenly Father.
Note also that God gave Moses specific instruction to "Write this for a memorial in a book; and then talk about it over and over into the ears of Joshua." Why? Joshua will be the one that leads the children of Israel when Moses is gone. He will be the one that actually enters into the promise land and divides up the land by lot amongst the people. There was a written language in Moses day, for there were tablets found at Lachish and Tel-el-Amarna that show that writing of a high order was fully developed before the time of Moses. The time spoken of in Exodus is about 1491 B.C., whereas the tablets at Lachish were dated some five hundred years prior to the time of Moses. Even prior to Abraham's time.
So it was written, and this book, "bassepher" book of the law, is a memorial how God gave the children of Israel the victory in the battle they just won. That's what memorial day is all about: remembering the dead that was sacrifice, in the victory that was won. If you leave God out of your battles, you will lose and there will be no memorial, but when you bring God into your battles, you win, and God is telling you to remember those time in the future. They become bench marks for your life, to remind you that God will stand with you, if you are for Him.)
15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Yahaveh-nissi:
(= "Yahaveh is my banner". One of the Yahaveh Titles. What's a banner? Its where you show your colors, who you are, and what you stand for. Yahaveh is the banner that we show as we make a stand on that hill in live so everyone's know exact what we are, and who's side we are on. We are on God's side, and the position that we take is what is written by God's prophets in His book, the bible, the Word of God. When God stands before us, He is our banner. You put the banner or flag out in front of the charge, not in the background, hidden where no one can see it. Put put it on a pole and raise it as high as it can go and you will never lose. Do you believe God is your banner?)
16 For he said, "Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."
(The margins of the A.V. & R.V. show the perplexity caused by the Ellipsis of the verb. "Surely the hand lifted up upon the banner of Yah is to swear: for the war of Yahaveh against Amelek is to be from generation to generation". So it was. It was carried on by Ehud [Judg. 3:13,15], Barak [Judg. 5:14], Gideon [Judg. 6:3; 7:12-14], Saul [1 Sam. 15:2-9, cp. v.11], Samuel [1 Sam. 15:32,33], David [1 Sam. 27:8; 30:1,17. 2 Sam8:12], Simeonites [1 Chron. 4:42,42], and Mordecai [Est. 3:1-6; 9:7-10].
God is letting you know that there will be wars and conflict from generation to generation down through the years, and it is going on today. Amalek, Esau, or Russia has had conflicts with the tribes of Israel through all generation, and in fact Ezekiel 38, 39 tells us that the very last conflict with the Russian people will mark the end of this earth age. Even then God will be our banner and go before us to bring Esau's army down at the battle of Hamon-gog. God will use the forces of His creation to bring an end to this earth age, as we move on into the Millennium age.
Ezekiel 38:22,23 'And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, and overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify My self, and sanctify Myself; and I will be know in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.' "
When did this conflict start between Israel and Esau? Genesis 25:22,23 tells us that it began when they were unborn twins in their mother Rebekah's womb.
Genesis 25:22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it be so, why am I thus:" And she went to enquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said unto her, "Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger."
Though this struggle started at conception, it was carried over from that first earth age. Paul talked about that struggle in Romans 9:12,13 It was said unto her [Rebekah], the elder shall serve the younger. As it is written [in Malachi 1:1-4] Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated.
So why would God hate one unborn child over another twin brother? You have to understand the plan of God for whatever emotions God had against the baby Esau carried over from what that soul did in the prior age, before this earth age of flesh man was formed. Genesis 27 tells us that they two nations will always be at odds right up to the end on judgment day. And so they are even today.)