Bristol Road Baptist Church

30th May 2010 AM

Two Views of the Battlefield

1. Sharing the conflict

“. . .steady till sunset.”

8
The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to
Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I
will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
10
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and
Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites
were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12
When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on
it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his
hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with
the sword.
14
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be
remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out
the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
15
Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. 16 He said, “For hands
were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the
Amalekites from generation to generation.”
Exodus 17:8-16

Our first slide shows an artist’s

impression1 of the battle of
Rephidim – helping us to get a
perspective on the story.

You can see in the middle

distance the battle proceeding
along the valley, whilst on the
hilltop Moses stands with his
hands held out – and Aaron and
Hur are beside him.

When Moses’ arms grow weak his

helpers hold his arms steady -
steady until sunset.

1
http://www.artchive.com/web_gallery/reproductions/237001-237500/237492/size3.jpg
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When you consider the great leader that Moses was, it is surprising that he was
willing to share such responsibility.

However it has to be said that in the very next chapter of Exodus Moses will be
approached by Jethro his father in law and advised to delegate. It was obviously
not an easy lesson to learn.

In this narrative we can see clearly the way a partnership emerges – a partnership
that should be reflected in any endeavour we undertake for the Lord.

In the face of the Amalekite attack Moses instructs Joshua to select men and fight
whilst he in turn will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hands.

So far so good – Joshua will fight whilst Moses intercedes – an appropriate division of
labour. But by itself that would not have worked. The partnership is broadened to
include Aaron and Hur – because, as we shall see, Moses is not up to the task
unaided.

At the end of the battle God instructs Moses to record these events so that future
generations will understand how important the principle is.

Very often we see spiritual conflict as an individual matter. Of course we accept that
God’s power is needed and that prayer is essential – but we see it as something for
the believer to practise on his/her own.

This story demonstrates that VICTORY IS A MATTER OF PARTNERSHIP – and that

the lessons learned in an ancient battle are crucial in our times. There is a
difference of course – and we must return to it presently – and that is that our
intercessor is the Lord Jesus Himself.

I like to break up what I say into parts – and today there are four parts:-

o Victory is conditional
o God’s power has been and is at work
o There is a partnership in the conflict
o There is a principle to remember

Victory is conditional v11

11
“ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were
winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were
winning.
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There are two distinct viewpoints to this battle:

From the plain it appears that the battle waxes and wanes – comes and goes. There
is no consistent breakthrough. This must be due to the weaknesses in Joshua’s side
– or the superior strength from Amalek. In the midst of the battle that is how it
seems.

From the hill the same toing and froing of the battle’s progress can easily be seen.
Now one side, now the other is surging forward.

But here there is an understanding of purpose – for here we can see Moses – one
moment hands held high with the staff of God – the next wavering from natural
fatigue - the victory is conditional.

Both parts are needed – the battle on the plain – the intercession on the hill.

The narrative seems to suggest that Moses did not take into account how hard it
would be simply to hold up the staff of God for such a long time – he needs to realise
this – and then use his helpers to assist him.

We may understand the issues involved – but how easy it is for us to take on a task
without properly factoring in our own weakness.

Of course I cannot say that Moses did not anticipate this – but all the story says is
that Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill – certainly Aaron and Hur knew
what to do! Think of the consequences if Moses had gone alone!

God’s power has been and is at work v9

Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

That staff represented God’s promise – and Moses’ commitment.

Back in chapter four God had asked Moses the shepherd of Midian “What is that in
your hand?”

And God uses His power to demonstrate to Moses that He will go with him and
enable him to bring the people out of Egypt. God gave that shepherd’s staff a
greater significance through the faith and obedience of Moses.
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That staff represented God’s challenge to Moses

It had been held over the waters of the Nile

It had confounded Pharaoh’s magicians

It had brought forth plagues

It had divided the waters of the Red Sea

Recently – in the last chapter – it had been used to bring water from the rock:

“I will stand there before you by the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will
come out of it for the people to drink.”

It is important to see that God was there by the rock. The staff – if you will –
represents that which Moses has dedicated to the service of the Lord.

(Numbers 20 tells us the salutary tale of what happened when Moses misused that
staff.)

The staff of God was always associated with God’s presence

I guess if I was asked what the equivalent of the staff of God might be today I would
say the Scriptures.

In one sense this battle was a new experience – in another it was simply the same
powerful Lord working on their behalf.

Partnership in the conflict

The first partnership was that between Moses and Joshua

“I will stand. . .you go out and fight.”

Ordained of God but instigated by Moses – and at first it seemed enough.

“Moses’ hands grew tired. . .”

There is a natural weakness that influences the battle

There is a need to factor in that frailty
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It is difficult to be certain – perhaps Moses took Aaron and Hur with that in mind – or
perhaps they went with him – and

The partnership was broadened (even to the inclusion of a practical rock on which
to sit!)

When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat
on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so
that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite
army with the sword.
Verses 12 & 13

By God’s grace that is how the battle of Rephidim was secured

It remains a graphic and effective declaration of the PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLE.

By that means his hands remained “steady till sunset”

I am sure you can see how this story applies itself to us here at Bristol Road.

There will be the practical folks – like Joshua

The staff holders – like Moses
The supporters – like Aaron and Hur

Involved in a partnership. Because we cannot do it alone.

When the battle lines are drawn – and the course of the battle seems to be against
us – when difficulties arise and defeat seems imminent – then we need to check our
resources of prayer – ensure that the partnership – the fellowship – is alive and well.

When the church is under attack we need those who will share in the conflict and tap
in to the reserves of God’s strength.

A principle to remember vv 14-

14-16
14
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be
remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot
out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar and called it
The LORD is my Banner. 16 He said, “For hands were lifted up to the throne of the
LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

This verse provides an interesting insight into how the Bible came to be written.
 PAGE 6

A significant event or utterance would be noted down – then committed to memory –

and also spoken out loud:

, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that

Joshua hears it,

By constant rehearsing the words would be kept over the generations. A written,
accurate account of God’s ways and the principles of the spiritual life

This is accompanied by WORSHIP

15
Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. 16 He said, “For hands
were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the
Amalekites from generation to generation.”

Just now you will see many rallying points as the World Cup is upon us. Already on
cars and in windows the flag of St George is appearing. You would almost think we
were a patriotic lot – at such a time.

As someone who is not really interested in football even I can see the signs of a
shared interest if not obsession with the national team.

For the church there has to be a rallying point too – a recognition for which the flag
of St George will actually serve quite well – but for a different reason – a cross.

And holding high that cross – representing as it does the victory of Christ over sin
and evil we declare “The Lord my banner” - and we become for once conspicuous
declaring our allegiance to the Lord of Glory.

Let us make sure that we encourage that partnership – that true fellowship in our
church that recognises the value of every believer’s contribution and celebrates the
partnership with the Lord and with each other than declares we are on the winning
side!

I was so struck by the photo of the work upstairs2 that meant that
for once the street outside could be seen from the pulpit – and
the pulpit from the street outside. A new vision is taking shape
before our eyes – and it matters now more than ever before that
we make sure of our part in it – our willingness to share in the
conflict – so that Our Lord Jesus may be known by those around
us.Two Views of the Battlefield

2
The church is being reconstructed and a hole was knocked through a wall. http://www.davidagreen.com/churchpix.html
 PAGE 7

2. A word in the night

9
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on
speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no-one is going to attack and
harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed for a year and
a half, teaching them the word of God.
Acts 18:9-11

Paul’s visit to Athens was brief – and generally unproductive – so he makes his way
on his own the fifty odd miles to the major city of Corinth. Here he meets up with
Aquila and Priscilla, and after being joined by Timothy and Silas gives himself to
preaching. Corinth gave Paul many “headaches”

He writes to them much later:

1 Corinthians 2:1–3
2 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I
proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much
trembling.

Corinth was the place where Paul reached a crisis in his ministry – where he
purposefully turned from his usual practise of working in the synagogue to a ministry
to gentiles.

Moving out of the synagogue to the adjacent house of Titius Justus a gentile
worshipper of God – Paul soon sees the conversion of the synagogue leader and his
family.

From our perspective everything seems to be going well for Paul – but no doubt the
abusive treatment he received from the Jews at Corinth continued – in any event
something was troubling the apostle and Luke does not tell us exactly what it was.

A battle was raging – not the open conflict we considered this morning – but the
inner conflict in which almost certainly Paul was considering stopping his ministry.
9
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking,
do not be silent.
This is a different battlefield to the one we were looking at this morning – the
battlefield of the mind – where motives are questioned and the temptation to give up
ministry is surfacing.
 PAGE 8

Like our study of this morning where we saw the different ministries working
together to defeat the powers ranged against God’s people – Paul is not alone.

At Corinth he has met and worked with Aquila and Priscilla. (v1) Silas and Timothy
have joined him – almost certainly bringing financial assistance so that Paul no longer
needs to work at tent-making – but can devote himself to what we would now call
“full time ministry” (v5)

Perhaps that was part of Paul’s problem? It is not easy to serve God in that exclusive
way. There are many tensions and pressures in Christian work.

So that is WHEN the word of God came to him:

A. When God spoke - at night v9

(God had spoken to Paul at night before – remember the vision of the man from
Macedonia beckoning him to come to Europe.

Acts 16:9–10
9
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come
over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for
Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.)

“During the night. . .”

How often our fears and uncertainties are magnified at night!

I suspect you and I have been there before. The psalmist had:-

Psalm 77:1–9
.
1
I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted.
3
I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint.
4
You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
5
I thought about the former days,
 PAGE 9

the years of long ago;

6
I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart mused and my spirit enquired:
7
“Will the Lord reject for ever?
Will he never show his favour again?
8
Has his unfailing love vanished for ever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
9
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”

“During the night. . .” when the dark shadows distort every sense and the morning
seems so far away!

Serving Christ sometimes has moments of profound joy and the recognition that you
are part of the greatest campaign in all human history – but it also has moments of
self doubt and uncertainty. These are the night-time experiences of the soul. It is
not unusual for Christian workers to doubt their own ability and their calling – or if
not their calling perhaps their sphere of ministry. Perhaps Paul had been asking
himself whether it was time to move on. After all he is a man with a global vision,
used to moving from one town to another and across borders and cultures.

It was at such a time that the Lord chose to speak to Paul. He knows the fears that
trouble His servant and He is at hand to set him free from his fears.

B. God’s words vv 9,10

9
. . . “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and
no-one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”

Such words – though they do not say exactly what frightened Paul – help us to
realise the extent of his fear

Literally “Do not go on being afraid…”

They also show that Paul was considering not speaking any more.

Notice that the words – following OT pattern are in groups of two:

Don’t be afraid – keep on speaking

Don’t be silent - I am with you
No one will attack – I have many people in this city
 PAGE 10

God is used to dealing with fearful souls – he blends encouragement with promise
and instruction with purpose.

God does not give advice without promise – nor does he give promise without
expecting obedience.
There are three elements to God’s words to Paul in the night:

o Encouragement
o Promise
o Purpose

ENCOURAGEMENT

“Don’t be afraid, keep on speaking. . .”

This is surely one of the most common instructions of scripture: FEAR NOT!

When we are dealing with God – and working in His service the enemy of our souls
will be busy trying to paralyse our endeavour with fear: fear of consequences, fear of
suffering, fear of ridicule, fear of failure - so many kinds of fear.

Often such fears come at times of weakness or weariness – or as in this case “in the
night”

Our priorities are blurred – our senses heightened to danger – we are not at our
most rational.

Every believer needs to hear His Master’s voice “Don’t be afraid!” whatever our
reasons for fearfulness.

So many things provoke this fearfulness:

Change – or the possibility of change

Weakness – or a sense of worthlessness

Sometimes from outside – often from within.

And what are God’s words to us? “Don’t be afraid. . .”

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And these fears have one single purpose – to frustrate the proclamation of the
Gospel – to stifle our witness – to stop us doing the work that God has committed to
us!

“Don’t be afraid – keep on speaking . . .”

PROMISE

“Don’t be silent, I am with you”

Once again – this is a promise often repeated throughout Scripture – the promise of
the presence of God!

This was the ORIGINAL promise that Jesus made to His disciples:

Matthew 28:18~
18
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
19
me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

It is a promise without limits – “to the very end of the age…”

It is a promise borne of authority

It is the legacy of the departing Christ – administered by the present Spirit.

And yet – because we are weak and liable to doubt – and given to fears of one kind
and another – it is often repeated!

Even Paul – whom we tend to venerate too much – was inclined to doubt and
exposed to fears both external and internal – even Paul needed that promise
repeated.

MOSES – whose intercession we considered this morning – had grave doubts about
his ability to communicate for God. Even offered excuses for his failure and
unsuitability for the role God had for him. . . Moses needed to be reminded that the
Lord was with him.

And he in turn passed on that promise:-

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Deuteronomy 31:6
6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God
goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

For Paul God adds another dimension to His encouragement:

PURPOSE
10
For I am with you, and no-one is going to attack and harm you, because I have
many people in this city.”

In earlier times it was said that God did nothing except He revealed His plans to His
prophets.

Here too in the New Testament God reinforces His encouragement and promise with
an insight into HIS PURPOSE.

God shares with Paul HIS VIEW of Corinth – and it is almost certainly different from
the view that Paul has.

But this view is the real view.

One of the remarkable features of this passage is the extent to which Luke’s account
is reinforced by references to secular history for which we have – even at this
distance – clear historical evidence.

The expulsion of the Jews from Rome under Claudius – supported by the Roman
historian Suetonius

The character of Gallio who laid down a fundamental judgement concerning matters
or religion at Corinth – the elder brother of Seneca – tutor to Nero.

Luke’s account enables us to date the events to 51 to 52 AD.

And Luke’s eye for the chronological and political detail shows us that God sees the
whole picture.

As we saw this morning – the work of the Lord is a shared work.

At Corinth there was not just Paul – but Aquila and Priscilla, Timothy and Silas –
the new converts Titius Justus and Crispus and his family
 PAGE 13

Maybe – just maybe – one of the reasons for Paul’s misgivings was that he had
forgotten that. So God reminds His servant that He sees the whole picture.

I have many people in this city.”

And they’re not just the believers – but men like proconsul Gallio – people of real
power and influence. They too are part of God’s plan.

Effective encouragement v 11

“So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God”

Paul responds by obedience to God’s instruction. He will not stop speaking – he will
continue because it is God’s plan.

Of course the opposition will continue – the Jews will attack again – but this time the
unlikely ally will be the proconsul himself – establishing an important principle about
the state and religious arguments.

God kept His promise that “no one would attack and harm him” and the work at
Corinth continued. Later Apollos will take over.

We thank God for this insight into the work of a first century missionary – and for the
way in which God is at work in the battlefield for hearts and minds – even when that
battlefield is the apostle’s own fearfulness.

The night may come – and with it doubts and uncertainties – but God speaks into the
night because He knows our hearts – and He knows the plans He has for us!

Let’s keep listening so that we do not miss out – and remain part of His winning
team!