Gettin' By

Exodus 17:8-16

There was hunger. The people complained, seemingly forgetting all that God had just done for them. God could have been angry, but he just fed the people.

There was thirst. The people complained, seemingly forgetting all that God had just done for them, including feeding them when there was no food. God could have been angry, but he just gave the people water.

Now there is danger from enemies. This is no even match; on the face of it, Israel is no match for the forces of Amalek. What will happen?

Moses’ physical power is beginning to wane. Along with the lesson on teamwork that always gets pointed out here, that is the point of helpers needing to hold up Moses’ arms. Note that Joshua appears here for the first time. But the ‘bottom line’ message here is that if there is to be victory for Israel, it is up to the Lord. Once again for Israel, survival is at stake in the face of overwhelming odds. It could be argued that is the story of Israel. It is at least a major theme of Israel’s life through many ages. In the twentieth century there was a horrid attempt to do what Amalek couldn’t.

This is an aspect of Biblical witness those of us who teach and lead should not overlook. We speak, in Easter celebration, of victory and exaltation. A lot of people would consider it a miracle just to survive – the day, the kids fighting, paying the bills, dealing with work; just getting by. OK, that’s not exactly the Holocaust, but it’s what we deal with at the time. The Christ of ultimate victory spent a lot of time just being where people were at. In matters of communication and presence, that’s probably where Christ’s Body and Christ’s ambassadors need to start.

Prayer:
Lord, lead me to be with someone in the next while in such a way that just for them to have someone who will just really hear them will be a victory – and someday maybe life in abundance will be in view. Through Christ. Amen.