UNDERSTANDING THE REPHIDIM STRATEGY

REFERENCE TEXT: EXODUS 17:8-13

This text details the fight between Israel and Amalek in Rephidim, the stand out image being Moses standing on the hill top, rod in hand. When his hands were raised, Israel were winning and they were losing losing when his hands went down. Take some time to read the text but here are the core inspirations I gleaned from reading it:

1. In verse 8 “the Amalekites were the first to attack. So the fight came to Israel, they did not go looking for it. Therefore, let’s not be surprised when the enemy brings battles to our doorsteps. There really is nothing like “but I didn’t do anything”, being on the Lord’s side alone is sufficient reason to become a target. Be prepared to fight every battle.

2. In verse 9, Joshua was charged with selecting men to lead into battle, while Moses said he would go up the mountain. As leader, he understood that he was not the man to lead battles, he knew what else to do. You won’t always have to lead the charge, but you should know who can, and trust them to do a good job.

3. In verse 10, Moses was to go up the mount alone but he took Hur and Aaron with Him. That strategy proved to be a master stroke because without them, his weary hands would have dropped and Israel would have lost the battle. It’s not every fight you enter the ring alone.

4. All men are still human, and they get tired physically. Sometimes, the reason victories were lost is because men became weary and tired. Not because they did not have zeal or passion, but their physical strength failed them. Don’t be angry when the humanity of men show up because it takes a renewal of strength gained from waiting on the Lord to remain standing.

5. Hur and Aaron understood the finer details: ‘victory was secured as long as Moses’ hands held the rod up. So in verse 12, they held Moses’ hands on either side while he remained holding on to the rod, That was wisdom. For others, that would have been the opportunity to seize the rod from him because he was incapable of wielding it. Mind you, if you are not authorized to wield that rod, it won’t have the same efficacy in your hands. You try.

#sly