Introduction: Read Exodus17v8to16.

As if the Israelites didn't have enough problems in the semi-desert of the Sinai Peninsula they also had a vicious enemy - the Amalekites. The trouble the Amalekites caused the Israelites is a picture of the trouble Satan and his agents causes Christians during their earthly pilgrimage. I will examine the passage under four headings:

(1) The nature of the enemy.

The Amalekites were:

(a) Kin. Amalek was the grandson of Esau and great grandson of Isaac the patriarch. It is probable that the Amalekites were his descendents. Their common descent with the Israelites from Abraham did not lessen their animosity to the sons of Jacob.

There is no doubt that Satan uses family and friends to mount attacks upon the Christian. 'The Screwtape Letters,' by C.S. Lewis is an imaginative account of the demon Wormwood's efforts, with advice from his uncle, arch-devil Screwtape, to undermine the faith of a new convert to Christianity. Screwtape is delighted with the use to which Wormwood puts two new acquaintances of the young Christian. He writes to Wormwood: The middle-aged couple who called at his office are just the sort of people we want him to know - rich, smart, superficially intellectual and brightly sceptical about everything in the world. Screwtape advises Wormwood to keep the young Christian from acknowledging that his beliefs are very different from his new found friends for as long as possible. He goes on: As long as the postponement lasts he will be in a false position. He will be silent when he ought to speak and laugh when he ought to be silent. He will assume, at first only by his manner, but presently by his words, all sorts of cynical and sceptical attitudes which are not really his. But if you play him well, they may become his. What an ominous last sentence!

We must not think that Satan only uses militant atheists and humanists in his army. He more commonly uses people like the above and worldly members of our own family. Many Christian parents have their commitment to Sunday worship tested by children and grandchildren who have no belief and want to treat Sunday like any other day.

(b) Nomadic. The Amalekites main grazing ground was in the Negev desert to the north-east of the Sinai Peninsula but none the less they roamed far and wide and this brought them into competition with the Israelites for scarce grazing land.

Satan is able to cause trouble whenever there is competition for scarce resources within the local church. This was the case in the early church. The Grecian Jews .... complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. Acts6v1.

Today a scarce resource in many churches is the time available to the leadership for visiting and counselling. Some Christians inevitably feel neglected. Very often it is those who vocalise their problems who get the lion's share of attention. Satan is good in such circumstances at fomenting resentment and jealousy.

Sadly, in Britain churches compete for the scarcest resource of all, namely personnel. Many fellowships, all over the world, grow at the expense of others. One church poaches Christians from another. The church that is left fatally weakened will be exposed to satanic attack and may succumb to despair and defeatism.

(c) Elusive. This is another characteristic of nomadism. It was very difficult to finish off the Amalekites owing to their mobility and ability to slip rapidly away from the scene of battle. They were a remarkably persistent enemy.

Joshua defeated the Amalekites at Rephidim but they feature as invaders of the land of Israel in the time of the Judges. Gideon overcame a mixed multitude of Midianites and Amalekites. See Jds6v3. Later Saul tried to annihilate the Amalekites in the time of Samuel without success. See 1Sam15. They reappeared to burn David's camp at Ziklag and take away the women and children. David caught up with them, attacked and defeated them - but even so 400 young men escaped on camels. See 1Sam30. Only in the time of king Hezekiah did a band of 500 Simeonites kill the remaining Amalekites in the hill country of Seir. See 1Ch4v43. But even this did not remove the Amalakite menace from Israel. In the last historic book of the Old Testament Haman the Agagite, a senior official in the court of the Persian king Xerxes, plotted the genocide of the Jews. It is likely that Haman was of Amalekite descent. See Es3v1.

This is a picture of how hard it is to defeat Satan. Jesus was triumphant over Satan in the wilderness. He resisted all his temptations. We read he left Jesus for a season. See Lk4v13. But Satan returned again and again. Peter acted as his mouth piece rebuking Jesus, saying, "Be that far from you Lord," when he talked about his death. When Jesus hung on the cross there was a concerted effort from all and sundry to tempt him from the cross. Thieves, priests, soldiers and passers by all yelled out, "If you be the Christ save yourself."

We know that Satan's power has been broken by Jesus' death and resurrection but still he lingers on like the ancient Amalekites, the enemy of individual Christians and the church as a whole. He is both active in my life from day to day sapping my effectiveness as a servant of Jesus and the instigator of the murderous hatred of Muslims in the Middle East that is driving hundreds of thousands of Christians from their homes.

(d) Cowardly and malicious. It is evident from Dt25v17to19 that the Amalekites attacked the weary and worn out who were lagging behind. They targeted the old, the sick or the very young. Later in the time of David the Amalekites attacked his camp when he and his fighting men were absent. They were opportunistic, preying on the vulnerable.

Satan is very like this. He will often attack us after a blessing when our guard is down. The Israelites had just enjoyed water from the rock at Horeb and set out again refreshed and renewed. Their sense of well being did not last long thanks to the Amalekites. I find that whenever I have done something that pleases Jesus Satan gets his own back - often by inciting me to lust.

Christians, who are exhausted in Christ's service, tired and in low spirits, are especially liable to an attack by Satan. Our enemy loves it when we are stressed. We are then particularly prone to short temper, impatience and imprudent speech. My father used to tell me, "John, you can destroy a lifetime's work with one outburst of bad temper."

Satan is no gentleman. He does not spare the old, frail, sick and in pain. Such will be afflicted with doubt, anxiety and self-pity.

Satan reserved his most malign and malicious attack on Jesus for when he was in agony on the cross. He did everything in his power to spoil the great redemptive work Jesus was doing - BUT HE FAILED. Thank God Satan does not always succeed when he attacks us!

(2) The necessity of engagement.

There are three aspects to the battle against the Amalekites:

(a) It was fought under an inspirational leader: Joshua led the resistance against Amalek. He was a valiant commander.

Christians engage in spiritual warfare under the command of the great Captain of their salvation - the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the veteran of many battles. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Heb2v10. A.V.. Jesus took on Satan over and over again and always emerged victorious. He is a commander we can trust!

(b) Each soldier fought as an individual. Christians are called upon to fight individually. Paul instructs us in Ephesians to put on the whole armour of God. Christians do not put it on to look good or to engage in a mock battle. We are equipped with shield and sword to both defend against and attack the enemy. See exposition on Eph6v10to24.

(c) Each soldier fought collectively. The Israelite warriors did not fight in isolation but as a team. They supported each other and depended upon one another.

In our highly individualistic society with our love of independence we are disinclined to involve others in our battles against Satan. We fight alone whereas with the help of others Satan could be more readily overcome. It is the duty of a Christian soldier to go to the aid of a comrade in distress. Even Jesus took three of his disciples with him in the Garden of Gethsemane to watch and pray while he battled with his doubts and fears. Sadly they let him down.

Elderly and shut in Christians need to be visited. Home groups, prayer groups and prayer meetings all facilitate collective action against the enemy of our spiritual welfare. It is a terrible mistake to think that faith is a private matter and that we can survive as Christians alone.

(3) The need for encouragement.

Moses' staff was a symbol of God's presence with him and the means by which God's power was exercised through him. So when Moses climbed a hill and held his staff aloft with two hands (probably horizontally) it signified that God was with the Israelites in their fight against Amalek. It encouraged Joshua and his men in the battle. When Moses needed to rest his weary arms Israelite morale dropped and the tide turned in favour of the Amalekites. So Moses was given a rock to sit on and Aaron with Hur - one on either side - supported their leader's arms taking the strain from fatigued muscles.

Lessons:

(a) Christians who are in the thick of the action and consequently frequently subject to satanic attacks need the encouragement of prayer support. There is absolutely no doubt that those who are most active in the service of Jesus will experience Satan's most ferocious assaults. One only has to read Paul's letters to the Corinthians to see the variety of ways Satan attempted to bring the apostle's work as an evangelist to a premature end. Paul was so upset by the attitude of the Corinthians to him and so desperate to hear better news from his emissary, Titus, that he passed up a great preaching opportunity in Troas. See exposition on 2Cor2v12to17.

(b) Christians can grow weary in prayer - especially solitary prayer. My attention wanders; I get drowsy; I fall asleep. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. It is easier to concentrate if praying in a small group of three. Three can alternate, pray in short bursts and spark one another off.

(c) Moses lifted up his staff to heaven all day with the help of Aaron and Hur. Sometimes there is a need for prolonged prayer. A church may hold a day of prayer for a special need: revival, unity, outreach, calling a pastor, setting aside an individual for a particular task. I have attended such days of prayer and the time just flies!

(d) Christians should not be ashamed to ask for help when overcome by bodily weakness. I give an elderly lady a lift to church on Sundays. Recently she has lost confidence and so I have offered her my arm for support. She does take it but with some reluctance. Now I suppose it is understandable as I am not the sort of man whose arm ladies long to cling on to but I feel it is sad when we are reluctant to receive help from a fellow Christian. Perhaps, we should remember Jesus who must have been glad for Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross for him to Calvary.

(e) We should not be afraid to offer assistance to those who are much maturer than us in the faith and in most respects more gifted. Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram and a great man in the sight of his master. He went to Elisha the prophet to be cured of his leprosy and was told to wash himself seven times in the river Jordan. Naaman was very angry that his cure did not proceed as he imagined it would. He stomped off in a rage. It was Naaman's servants who persuaded him to wash in the Jordan as he was told. They gave their master good advice and ensured that he was healed. His flesh became clean like a young boy. 2Kngs5v14.

The apostle Paul, the greatest of all evangelists, received much assistance from others. I love what he wrote of Rufus' mother in his letter to the Romans: Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Rm16v13.

Jesus who fed the five thousand with five loaves and 2 small fish was grateful to Mary, Martha and doubtless other worthy women for hospitality.

I cannot say many ladies have made a huge fuss of me - but when I served as sports organiser at Pioneer Camp my friend, the cook, Freda May would bring me mugs of tea as I refereed yet another game of football on a warm summer's evening. I remember those cups of tea - harbingers of affection and concern - with gratitude.

(4) The name of the encounter.

Moses built an altar, not for sacrifice, but as a memorial to the part played by God in the defeat of the Amalekites. British war memorials are memorials to the fallen. They commemorate the sacrifice of the many who died in battle to preserve our way of life. Moses' memorial was raised in honour of God. He gave it a strange name: 'THE LORD IS MY BANNER.' It is not really clear what Moses meant by this. I think he wanted to commemorate the day that his staff and arms were upraised in acknowledgment of God and in dependence upon his power for victory. The LORD - a combination of his mercy and power - was the standard under which Israel fought and defeated the Amalekites.

Christians have one memorial to the great victory Jesus won over Satan. It is a simple meal during which we remember the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf so that we can live not just in freedom in this life but forever.

God told Moses: "I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." v14. Whenever I celebrate the Lord's Supper I raise my little glass of wine and before drinking it toast the Lord's return - 'Till he come'. The day of Christ's return will mark the end of Satan - he will be finally destroyed never to trouble the redeemed of the Lord again.