His hands remained steady
Ex. 17:12
The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for long. They had grown tired. But the Lord had provided them food, shelter, water and protection. Nevertheless, the Israelites continue to grumble.
In Exodus 17, we see that the Amalekites came to make war upon the Israelites. As the war raged, the Israelites pushed the Amalekities as long as Moses raised his staff with his hands. But when his hands slackened, the Amalekites became stronger. Meanwhile, Aaron and Hur helped Moses and supported his hands “so that his hands remained steady till sunset” (Ex. 17:12).
In the light of what we see above, let us consider these points:
- The Christian can become tired. In such a time, helping each other to rise again is what we must do. Even Moses grew tired and, as he tired, all Israel became weak. Like Moses receiving help and support, the church today needs support from people from all walks of life. Likewise, everyone needs support from everyone else, including the greatest as well as the least. Then, we can go forward and grow together.
- Have you wondered what would happen if Moses stopped raising his hands, or if no one had supported him? The Amalekites would have slaughtered the Israelites and they wouldn’t have conquered Canaan. This shows that leaders need to be strong in times of trouble. Not only the leaders, everyone needs to strengthen themselves in our daily battle against sin. We must stand strong until we reach the end of the day.
- Let us not grumble as the Israelites did even when the Lord continued to protect them, feed them and guided them.
- Lastly, there will come a day when our sufferings on earth will end. On that day, let us recognise our Lord, Jehovah Nissi and acknowledge his guidance, providence and protection through our wanderings in the wilderness.
