“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Exodus 17:8-13
Can you even imagine what this battle must have been like for the Israelite army? They had been released from captivity just a few months before and are now given permission to fight against an enemy. As I read these words it plays out in my mind like an image on the screen of an IMAX theatre. Finally they can defend themselves and their families and fight for what is rightfully theirs! I imagine that it was an intense battle with all the rage and anger that must have been stored up in their bloodline for over four hundred years in the generations! God not only gave them their freedom from the Egyptians but in this act of love He was restoring their manhood and their authority! What a day of rejoicing that must have been for the men as they returned to camp victors instead of victims, heroes instead of captives!
Think about what it must have been like as they heard the cheers from their wives and children when they returned to camp and how in awe of God they must have been because now they knew that God was with them, for them, and willing to perform His Word to take them to the Promised Land! How would you respond if you came to this revelation? Wouldn’t you be committed to serve God wholeheartedly and do whatever He instructed you to do? And how long would your adoration for God last? Of course all of us would say that if this happened to us we would be fully committed and dedicated to serving God all the days of our lives and do whatever He told us to do; but that reality didn’t play out for the Israelites and it wouldn’t play out for us either because it can’t be done by human effort!
For the Israelites though they were about to learn what God wanted them to do (keep the laws) and we will see that it was one of the greatest acts of love that God showed His people. But we are about to discover that knowing what to do and actually doing it are two completely different things. We will come to understand that man adhering to the laws of God perfectly in their own strength and by their own efforts is impossible and it can’t get you saved or keep you saved! You might ask, “Who then can be saved and how do we stay saved if it is not something we can do in our own strength and in our own efforts because didn’t God tell us to keep His laws?”
I will let Jesus answer this question for you from a conversation He had with the rich young ruler and His disciples in Matthew 19:16-30. This is the passage I want us to meditate on. There was only ONE good enough to keep the law perfectly and His name is Jesus Christ! If man could have done it then Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were unnecessary. This knowledge is the passageway to understanding why the laws were given in the first place and why we are now only required to believe in Jesus Christ as the way to salvation. When one walks through this passageway to understanding they enter into peace in knowing that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone and that Christ in us is the hope of glory; not us keeping the laws of God in our own strength or by our own efforts.
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, 'and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
In this passage Jesus amplifies the truth that nothing we can do and nothing we have in and of ourselves is good enough to gain access the kingdom of heaven. And the more we value ourselves and what we have or do, the less we value the life He has called us to, which is to believe in Him wholeheartedly and follow Him. He is asking are you willing to abandon all you have thought, all that you have, and all you know to follow Me? It is the same thing God was asking the Israelites when He gave them the laws as we will discover over the next couple of days.
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