Early relief settled in the soldiers’ hearts as Moses picked up the staff before joining Aaron and Hur to make his way up the hill. God would fight for them. They knew it. That was what the staff meant. What it had always meant. Trapped in Egypt, begging God for deliverance, the Israelites watched as Moses used the staff to strike the Nile and bring punishing plagues at Pharaoh’s refusal to release them. Trapped between the raging sea and the ferocious Egyptian army, fleeing bondage, Moses used that staff to part the Red Sea, making a sand pathway for safe passage. Trapped in the wilderness, desperately searching for water, God told Moses to use that staff to strike the rock at Horeb, making water gush out like a fresh stream. Today, trapped in a battle they hadn’t pursued, seeing Moses pick up that staff told them everything they needed to know. Gave them courage. Increased their faith. God was with them. They knew it. The staff of God was visible proof of God’s invisible hand among them. It meant God was busy. If Moses was taking that staff up the hill with him, God was absolutely going into battle with them. Victory was theirs. They knew it. And they were so ready to win. (Exodus 7-11; 14:5-31; 17:1-10)
So were the Amalekites. They had been waiting for this moment. Assembled there at Rephidim, braggadocio in full force, they believed they couldn’t lose. To anyone. Certainly not to a little band of poorly trained Israelites on the run from Egypt. Grinning behind ill-kempt beards, they made bets among themselves about the brevity of the battle. How quickly could they defeat these homeless Israelites and be done with it? It shouldn’t take long. A little skirmish in comparison to the battles they normally faced. Their weapons were better. Their soldiers were stronger. Their leaders were more savvy. They knew they would win. They were ready for it.
Taking his post at the top of the hill overlooking the battlefield, Moses watched as the sides lined up in battle array. Joshua and his men had turned out well, exhibiting both confidence and courage. His heart swelled with pride at their bravery. They were good men. Seeing more than a few heads turn to look in his direction, he straightened his shoulders under the invisible but heavy load that rested there. The staff of God was in his hand. It was his job to keep it lifted, keep his hands up, for the entire battle. If he failed, if he dropped his hands, Israel would be defeated. The entire nation was depending not on their men on the battlefield, but on their leader on the hill. It was an overwhelming responsibility for any man, but especially for a man of his years.
Moses wasn’t young. Eight decades of his life had already elapsed. Physically leading the people, spiritually tending the people, being their liaison to God was hard work. Draining. Tiring. And no one was looking after Moses. No one was checking in to see how he was doing. No one asked if there was a way they could lend a hand or lighten his load. He was doing it all, and the people were happy to let him do it. Like a group of children, they expected him to anticipate their needs and blamed him when they became disgruntled with their circumstances. There was no glamor and glitz in this leadership position. He was often the verbal whipping boy. But God had called. Moses had answered. He wasn’t about to quit when they needed him most.
As the battle began, Moses lifted his hands in petition to God. And he left them there. Raised in position to ask and receive blessings from above. It is logical to believe that along with his raised hands, prayer flowed from his heart to God’s throne. They needed a victory. Not just so they could be the winners. Israel needed a victory because they needed to increase their faith. Moses knew it. God knew it. Their faith was meager at best. A win on this battlefield might well be the shot in the arm they needed to boost their belief in the active power of God among them. Moses wanted to see that. He wanted to see them grow their faith. He wanted them to believe that the God who had delivered them from Egypt was leading them down the best path to get to the best place in the best way possible.
It was going beautifully. Until it wasn’t. Moses began to tire. His shoulders tightened. His back ached. His arms felt like lead weights. His hands began to lower. Bit by bit, they slid down to take a tiny respite. Immediately, the tables turned for the troops down below. Things went awry. The Amalekites began to win. Handily. Still fighting with all their strength, the Israelite men knew they were losing ground. So did Moses. Scraping together every ounce of his energy, forcing himself past the screaming pain in his shoulders, he lifted his hands again, all while knowing it wouldn’t last long.
Standing there beside Moses, Aaron and Hur saw the struggle. They knew what rested on those raised hands. They also knew Moses couldn’t do this on his own. The victory or defeat of their people hung not only on his physical strength, but on their ingenuity. They had to help him. They had to ensure his hands stayed lifted. Quickly searching the area, they found a large rock, big enough to sit on, high enough to still watch the battle. Working together, they wrestled it over, giving Moses a place to sit and rest his trembling legs. It didn’t help his arms. They had to stay lifted. It was imperative he keep them up. Their fate, the future of their wives and families and friends all rested in Moses’ ability to keep his arms raised. In unspoken agreement, Aaron and Hur came alongside their leader to render aid. Aaron on one side. Hur on the other. They braced their feet, positioned themselves, and held Moses’ hands. They never fell until the sun went down and God brought Israel victory over their enemies.
Something about the mental picture of two men standing beside their leader, bracing his arms, lifting his hands, sharing their strength, gives me pause. Pierced my heart with an arrow of conviction. Had me asking myself a soul-searching question. How often do I lift up–in word, in thought, in deed, in prayer–the people who lift me up to the Father? That is what Aaron and Hur were doing. Their backs must have ached. Their arms must have grown tired. Their shoulders surely hurt just as much. Their knees locked, their calf muscles knotted. Yet still they willingly gave their support, their strength, to the man who talked to God regularly, directly on their behalf. (Exodus 17:8-13)
How often do you do that? How often do you pray for your pastor? How regularly do you intercede for your small group leader, children’s minister, or Bible study coordinator? How important is it to you to lift up the people who lift you up to God? How regularly do you shoot off a text begging for prayer to the “prayer warriors” in your life, but fail to lift them up to God in return? How frequently do you phone someone, disregarding the time, to ask them to pray for your miracle? And they do. Willingly. Happily. How often do you show up for church service, prayer service, small group, or Bible study, looking to have the pastor or leader petition God for your needs? And they do. Regularly. Intentionally. How often, while they are lifting holy hands, expending themselves to pound on Heaven’s door for your needs, can you be found calling out to God for them as well? Why not? You should be.
God’s workers aren’t supernatural. They are human, just like you. They have struggles and trials, physical ailments and emotional upsets. They need your prayers. Doing God’s work well is difficult. Being a pastor isn’t golfing and going to lunch with other preachers all week, spending a quick 20 minutes on Saturday evening sketching a Bible lesson for Sunday. It’s not 6 days of personal time and one day of parishioners and Jesus. Working for God isn’t an easy gig. Your preachers and worship leaders, Bible study teachers and children’s ministers are busy planning all week long. Some of them are juggling day jobs as well. They sacrifice their time to ensure your soul and the souls of your family are fed. They dedicate time in their prayer hour to mention your name to God. They walk you through every rough patch, every spiritual drought, every tragedy, every victory, and every joy. It’s draining. Spiritually. Emotionally. Physically. They need your prayers. They need your support. They need your help. Whether they verbalize it or not, your spiritual leaders need you to lift them up to the Father as they carry your burdens and theirs alike.
Over and over the Bible commands us to pray for one another. Fellow believers. Friends. Enemies. Pray for your leaders. Not just the political ones, as important as that is. Pray for all of your leaders. Everyone in a place of leadership or authority in your life. Your government. Your company. Your boss. More importantly, pray for your spiritual leaders. Pray for the godly people you lean on for support. Pray for the people who lead your church. Pray for the people who lead your children’s church. Pray for those who lead your youth group. Pray for the people who daily lift up holy hands in prayer for you. Pray that they will be encouraged and strengthened. Pray for them to be bold and courageous. Pray for divine detection in their hearts and direction in their lives. And listen. Maybe God is asking you to do more than pray. Maybe He is asking you to come alongside and lift their load in one way or another. Take something off their to-do list. Volunteer at church. Cook them dinner. Mow their lawn. Babysit their children. It doesn’t have to be big and overly spiritual. It can be something as simple as what Aaron and Hur did for Moses. Simply coming to stand beside them and offer your strength, your resources, your prayers in their time of need. (Ephesians 6:20; I Timothy 2:1-4; Hebrews 13:16; Proverbs 3:27)
God certainly used Aaron and Hur to change my prayer life this week. I hope they changed yours, too. I hope they enabled you to see the people you count on for prayer and support as the humans they are. Needy. Frazzled. Uncertain. Sometimes desperate. Just like you. I hope you started praying for them as much as you rely on them to pray for you. I hope you intentionally take the time to look for ways to encourage and strengthen their hearts. I hope you find a way this very week to come alongside those loving souls and lift up to God the holy hands that regularly lift up you. (Colossians 4:2; I Samuel 12:23; Galatians 6:2; I Thessalonians 5:11, 25; Ephesians 6:18; Romans 15:30; Hebrews 12:12)
so so good!!!! Thank you🙏❤️