Exodus 17:1-16

17:1-8 | The people complained again, forgetting that if God could part the Red Sea, He could provide water to drink. The Lord’s assurance of His presence with Moses – I will stand before you – recalls the first time Moses heard these words, at the burning bush (3:12).

17:5-6 | Paul writes about this event: “They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4). The smitten stone of this chapter pictures Christ who, when He was smitten upon the cross, became the fountainhead of blessing, the Redeemer of the world.

17:8 | The Hebrew people had not been trained for war in their years of servitude in Egypt, but Moses had been given a royal course in leadership and warfare during his “palace years.” This was an unprovoked attack from a brother nation – the Amalekites were descendants of Essau, the brother of Jacob (Gen. 36:12-16).

17:9-10 | Joshua would be Moses’ personal minister for the next 40 years. He was also put in charge of the military, beginning with the conflict with Amalek. By holding the rod of God, Moses physically demonstrated total dependance on God’s authority and power.

17:10-16 | As long as Moses held up his hand in a gesture of dependance on Yahweh, the battle went Amalek’s way. Neither Moses nor the rod was empowering Joshua and his army; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was ensuring the victory. After the battle, Moses built an altar and named it as a memorial to the Lord in the manner of the patriarchs (Gen. 12:7-9).

17:16 | Because the Amalekites attacked the Hebrew people as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised land, Yahweh announced through Moses a most solemn oath: the LORD will have war the Amalek from generation to generation. Later, Moses told the of Hebrew people entering the Promised Land to blot out the enemy nation (Deut. 25:19). A final encounter between Isarel and Amalek served as a victory for Israel and a failure for King Saul (1 Sam. 15).