Exodus 17:8-16: a reflection

8Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out to fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with God’s rod in my hand.” 10So Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. When he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses’ hands were heavy; so they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. His hands were steady until sunset. 13Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14The LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky.” 15Moses built an altar, and called its name “The LORD our Banner”. 16He said, “The LORD has sworn: ‘The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’”

When Israel fights Amalek, the battle turns on Moses' upraised hands: when he held up his hand, Israel prevailed; when he let it down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew heavy; he could not hold them up alone. So Aaron and Hur came alongside: they put a stone under him for a seat, and held up his hands, one on each side, until sunset. Moses could not do it alone; he needed others to hold up his hands when he grew weary, and Aaron and Hur held them up. The victory depended not only on Moses but on those who held him up when his own strength failed; he needed the support of others, and they gave it.

Notice that Moses needed others to hold up his hands when he grew weary. Moses was the leader, the one through whom the battle turned; but even he could not hold up his hands alone. His strength failed; his hands grew heavy. And so he needed Aaron and Hur to come alongside and hold his hands up, one on each side, sustaining him when he could not sustain himself. The victory depended on this support; Moses could not do it alone. Even the leader needed others to hold him up when he grew weary; and they did, sustaining him until the battle was won. The holding-up of Moses' hands by others was as necessary as Moses' own part.

That is worth taking to heart, for we too need others to hold us up when we grow weary; we cannot do it alone. We can imagine we must sustain ourselves, holding up our own hands in the battles of life, never needing others; but even Moses could not hold up his hands alone, and needed Aaron and Hur to hold them up when he grew weary. We need others to come alongside and hold us up when our own strength fails. Do not imagine you must sustain yourself alone, never needing others; you need others to hold you up when you grow weary, as Moses needed Aaron and Hur. Let others hold you up when you grow weary, and hold others up in turn, for we cannot sustain ourselves alone, as Moses needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his hands until the battle was won; for even the strongest grow weary and need others to come alongside and hold them up, and we are meant to sustain one another rather than trying to stand alone.

Lord, when Israel fights Amalek, the battle turns on Moses' upraised hands: when he held up his hand, Israel prevailed; when he let it down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew heavy; he could not hold them up alone. So Aaron and Hur came alongside: they put a stone under him for a seat, and held up his hands, one on each side, until sunset. Moses could not do it alone; he needed others to hold up his hands when he grew weary. Show me that Moses needed others to hold up his hands when he grew weary. Moses was the leader, the one through whom the battle turned; but even he could not hold up his hands alone. His strength failed; his hands grew heavy. And so he needed Aaron and Hur to come alongside and hold his hands up, sustaining him when he could not sustain himself. The victory depended on this support; Moses could not do it alone. Even the leader needed others to hold him up. Take that to my heart, for I too need others to hold me up when I grow weary; I cannot do it alone. I can imagine I must sustain myself, holding up my own hands in the battles of life, never needing others; but even Moses could not hold up his hands alone. I need others to come alongside and hold me up when my own strength fails. Keep me from imagining I must sustain myself alone, never needing others; I need others to hold me up when I grow weary, Lord, as Moses needed Aaron and Hur. Help me let others hold me up when I grow weary, and hold others up in turn, for we cannot sustain ourselves alone, as Moses needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his hands until the battle was won.