Spiritual Warfare, Stand Firm

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Spiritual Warfare, Stand Firm By Mike Watson, Small Groups Pastor We, as a culture, have a peculiar sort of fascination with war. Part of that certainly rests in the reality that our culture has been dramatically defined by the wars and conflicts of which we have been a part – especially since 2001. This past Friday marked the annual observance in our country of Veterans Day – a day set aside for us to remember those who have given their lives to protect, preserve, and promote the ideals of democracy and freedom that make our country so unique. In addition to such memorials, we can visit old battlefields from the Civil War, tour numerous war memorials throughout our country, and there is even a television channel (for those of us with options beyond basic cable) reserved specifically for documentaries and movies detailing wars of different eras and locations. Aside from all of these forms of remembrance and examination, there are countless books and periodicals written every year on seemingly all facets of war ranging from strategy to weaponry to conspiracies behind specific events. All of these information sources help us process and understand war better. We gain insight into why an enemy would have persecuted and brutalized people groups or why certain attacks were made. We learn about origins of disagreements that escalated into much greater conflict and destruction. In essence, we learn why war happened. Somehow, fueled by the inspiration of the resiliency of the human spirit and its desire for justice, we gain an appreciation for those who have fought bravely in the face of treachery and tyranny. War also inherently comes with a resounding sense of outrage. While the outrage can be based on the sacrifice of soldiers’ lives, the oppression that led to the conflict in the first place, or the strain the lack of peace places on a country, one of the greatest sources of rage in wartime is the loss of civilian life. Civilian life is different because it is not willingly or knowingly engaged in the battle at hand. They may have been on the field of war and never even known it. Clearly the greatest event of such outrage in our recent history was the events of September 11, 2001. Those, however, are physical battles that we see, feel, experience, and can perceive. Outrage is certainly justified and right in those instances. But when the battle is spiritual our reaction is dangerously different. Because the battle is not immediately perceptible, we can fall into the group of hapless civilians, not knowing that we are even on the battlefield. Worse, because the spiritual warfare that we are embroiled in is unseen, many refuse to acknowledge its reality, despite the overwhelming evidence of it in the Bible. As Paul warns in Ephesians 6:10 – 13, our battle is not with flesh and blood, but there is a distinctively spiritual side of our opposition that God alone can defeat (and has defeated, for that matter). In our own power, we are helpless to thwart the schemes of the devil. The overcoming great news, though, is that God does not leave us in our own power, but infuses us with His. That makes the battle go a lot differently. In fact, there is an excellent picture of the difference the power of God makes in overcoming enemies in Exodus 17:8 – 13. LEARN In our passage for this week, the Israelites are out in the wilderness after having escaped from Egypt three chapters earlier. In their relatively brief time as a free people, they have already seen God part the Red Sea (Ex. 14:13 ff); miraculously provide Manna for food in the wilderness (Ex. 16:1 ff); provide meat when they grumbled about Manna; and miraculously provide drinking water on two separate occasions. Still, the people of Israel grumbled about their circumstances. To say that there was a spiritual battle going on in the Israelite camp is a nice way of putting it. Still, if those minor inconveniences were stumbling blocks for the faithfulness of the Israelite people toward God, what happens in our passage must have shaken them to their core. In Exodus 17:8, the Amalekites come to attack the Israelites. From a historical background, there are a couple of important things to keep in mind in order to appreciate the importance of this conflict. First, Amalek, who was the

obvious patriarch of the Amalekites, was the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12). Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, who was the father of the tribes of Israel because he was Israel (Genesis 32:28). Esau was the older of the two twins. If you remember from last week’s study guide, Jacob deceived and conned Esau out of the birthright and blessing that was due to him as the elder of the two brothers. Esau was so infuriated at Jacob’s deception that he vowed to kill him, leading Jacob to flee to his uncle Laban’s estate to find refuge. Miraculously, after Jacob’s years with Laban, he was not only reunited with Esau, but also reconciled. However, being that the wrong suffered by Esau at the hands of Jacob was the stealing of the blessing of future generations, the descendants of Esau were the ones that were the most dramatically affected by Jacob’s duplicity. Understandably, the Amalekites felt as though they had a recurring, multi-generational score to settle with the descendants of Israel. This battle is a chapter in that ongoing conflict. Second, the Israelites were not warriors like the Amalekites were. The Amalekites were a nomadic people whose welfare and prosperity were dependent on their ability to militarily besiege the settlements of established people groups. They were fighters. The Israelites had been forced laborers in Egypt for over 400 years. They didn’t have weaponry and what little forms of self-defense they had would have been laughable in the face of the Amalekites under normal circumstances. These, however, were anything but normal circumstances. Verse 9 sets the character of the battle. Upon discovering the activity of the Amalekites, Moses turns to Joshua and lays out the plan for their upcoming battle: “’Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.’” This is the first mention of Joshua in the Bible, but it is clear his ability as a warrior had distinguished him as a leader in this regard. Joshua’s task was a bleak one. Scholar Douglas Stuart explains that, “Joshua probably had the challenge of finding men who could fight rather than paring down to a manageable amount the size of the group that would be needed from among all those who were qualified.” They were not trained warriors; they were freed slaves. The second half of the battle plan, though, was the determining half. Moses would travel to the top of an unnamed hill with the staff of God. At this point in their history, the Israelites would have understood that Moses did not wield the staff of God without the preceding command of God due to the events leading up to and following their exodus from Egypt. Moses represented the spiritual side of the battle. Verses 10 and 11 describe the pivotal factor for Israel’s success. Joshua did as he was instructed and positioned Israel’s army to fight the Amalekites. Moses ascended the hill with Aaron and Hur. Then, verse 11: “So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.” The ability of the Israelites to fulfill their calling as God’s chosen people, to become what He promised Abraham they would become did not reside within the Israelites at all. Their overcoming rested solely in the mighty hand of God, so that when He was honored above the human ability of the Israelites, they prevailed. When the exaltation of God was not sustained, they failed. Where there was an undeniable physical component to the battle with the Amalekites, the victory of the greater battle was explicitly spiritual. Again, Douglas Stuart pointedly states that, “this verse does not teach the efficacy of ‘prayer without ceasing’ but rather the fact that the Israelite holy war was God’s war. God reinforced this in the consciousness of Moses, Aaron, and Hur as well as the Israelite army by correlating the position of the staff with the fortunes of the army.” Verses 12 and 13 speak to the need of others in the season or moment of weakness. No degree of intent, passionate sincerity, or spiritual fervor were enough to allow Moses to maintain the position of keeping the staff of God lifted. He got tired and worn down. He needed the help of others. “But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stoneand put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” LIVE As we launch into our Spiritual Warfare series, we’re going to find spiritual power and tools to defeat schemes of the enemy that would seek to derail us from becoming what God has called us to become – both individually and collectively. The compelling thing about this passage in regard to spiritual warfare is that it acknowledges the merging of the spiritual with the physical. So many of the things that beset us as believers do exactly that. There are sins that we repeatedly fall prey to; obstacles that we have become convinced are insurmountable as we grow toward Christ; and

even forms of persecution that would seek to force into the lesser mold of the world instead of conformity with Christ. Make no mistake, just as in the battle with the Amalekites, the sovereignty of God and His power to deliver His people is the only way for us to gain victory. Knowing that is the case, it is absolutely imperative that, as believers, we are vigilant about maintaining our relationship with God. If we fail to do so, then we leave ourselves in the unfortunate position of trying to fight spiritual battles with only our physical strength. That puts us at an unwinnable disadvantage. Here are some questions to help you think through what standing firm in the Lord can mean for your life: 1. When was the last time you remember facing a hardship or struggle with an intentional focus on God’s presence? How did that alter your perspective? 2. What do your daily devotional habits tell you about your current ability to stand firm in the Lord? 3. What have you found to be the most empowering passage of Scripture in your walk with Christ? 4. Which activities, environments, or times of day do you feel like you are most open to communicating with God (not just giving him a list of desires)? 5. Before the Israelites entered into battle with the Amalekites, they had already witnessed God’s miraculous faithfulness to them in multiple ways. How do you think that aided their ability to go to war in this endeavor? How does remembering how God has shown Himself strong in your own life help you to be bold as you face spiritual challenges? LEAD Just like the Moses needed the assistance of Aaron and Hur to hold his arms up as he sought to keep the staff of God in elevated prominence, each of us have the need of others to come alongside of us. However, we also have the opportunity to be the one who comes to the aid of a fellow believer to encourage, lift up, and fight alongside them. Consider these questions as you think about how you might serve as an Aaron or Hur to someone else: 1. How would you help a friend discern the differences between a spiritual attack and consequences of poor choices? What are some similarities? What are some essential differences? 2. With whom in your life are you the most candid with spiritual matters? 3. How do you think you would recognize when a friend is struggling spiritually? 4. Who would benefit the most from your beginning to pray from them in a specific and systematic way? 5. How do you typically respond to those who are struggling? How could you ask for God to begin preparing your heart to be able to experience God’s victory in their life?