See on the Top of the Hill
(Exodus 17:8-13)

Everyone wants to live a happy life as it is given to us once. In order to live such a life, we should move forward, relying on and trusting God in front of various problems of life. Today’s passage is the story where Israelites won the fight against the Amalekites, in the battle of Rephidim, the first battle after coming out of Egypt. I’d like to talk about their secrets to winning the battle which Israelites could not win on their own.

1. The war against the Amalekites
The Amalekites were very able for the war. They took Israelites by surprise as they were afraid that Israelites having crossed the Red Sea might take their territory away. Likewise, we sometimes meet our Amalekites, our enemy the devil in our desert like life path. The Amalekites of sin, disease, curse, and death come down to fight against us. The Amalekites attacked the weak people who were tired and lagging behind in the procession. Likewise if we are lagging behind in our procession of faith, they attack our weakness. Therefore we should be always spiritually awake. We should win the battle against the Amalekites, our enemy the devil, holding on to the Word of promise, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and depending only on God.

2. Moses who stood on the top of the hill
On the day of the war against the Amalekites, Moses had Joshua go for the war in the battle field and together with Aaron and Hur, he went to the top of the hill. This is because you can overlook both sides better from the top of the hill, not from the middle of the war field. Like this, we should life up our eyes to God rather than looking only at the situation. In any situation, there is solution in God, with your eyes of faith looking at the situation. Have you met any problem like the Amalekites? Go to the top of the hill, the place of prayer. And there meet God who is greater than your problem.

3. The person God accompanies
Moses ascended to the top of the hill and began to pray, holding up both hands. Then on the battle field down the hill, a strange thing happened. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands from less power, the Amalekites were winning. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up alongside him and his hands remained steady till sunset. So Israelites had a great victory.
Israelites’ secret to victory was not swords and spears, but ‘prayer’. Victory or defeat of the war was determined by the place of prayer which was the top of the hill, not the place of battle. After winning the battle, Moses praised God that victory came from Him and built an altar there, calling the place ‘Yahweh Nissi’, which means ‘Yahweh is my banner’ and confesses that God has become the banner of victory for those who depend on Him. Even today God of ‘Yahweh Nissi’ is with those who are praying and becomes a banner of victory for them.