And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
Exodus 17:11
Amalek was to dwell in the land, but not to reign in it. Romans 6:12 says, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies." The command would be unmeaning if the sin nature were not existing in the Christian. The sin nature dwells in a Believer, but dwells and reigns in an unbeliever.
The hands "upheld" signified total dependence on the Lord. When the Believer is totally depending on the Lord, and what He did for us at the Cross, the victory of Christ belongs to us; otherwise, it doesn't!
Exodus 17:12 says, "But Moses' hands
were heavy; and they took a stone, and put
it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."
(The "Stone," as well, is symbolic of Christ. Moses exhaustion portrays the fact that our own efforts soon result in spiritual burn-out. But once we are in God's glorious way [sitting on the Stone], the victory is ours. "Aaron" was a Type of Christ as our Great High Priest, and "Hur," whose name means "light," speaks to us of the Holy Spirit. This is the help afforded the Child of God. But unfortunately, most Christians are trying to hold up their hands [trusting in God] by their own personal strength, which is doomed to failure.)
The Holy Spirit doesn't require much of us, but He does require one thing, and without reservation. Our Faith must be exclusively be in Christ and the Cross, understanding that this is God's Prescribed Order of Victory. When we stay "victory" we are speaking Victory in every capacity, be it spiritual, financial, domestically, physical, etc. God's Prescribed Order of Victory is "the Cross of Christ."
The Way Of The Spirit
Focus: The Lord Jesus Christ (
John 14:6)
Object Of Faith: The Cross of Christ (
Romans 6:1-14)
Power Source: The Holy Spirit (
Romans 8:1-2,
11)
Results: Victory (
Romans 6:14)
Man's Way
Focus: Works.
Object Of Faith: Performance.
Power Source: Self.
Results: Defeat!
The only way to God is through Jesus Christ (
John 14:6)...the only way to Jesus Christ is by the Means of the Cross (
Luke 14:27). The only way to the Cross is a denial of self (
Luke 9:23). If any person tries to come any other way, Jesus says, "they are a thief and a robber" (
John 10:1).
Exodus 17:13 says, "And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword."
(The "sword" here is a Type of the Word of God [Eph. 6:17]. The Word of God holds the answer to every single problem which pertains to "Life and Godliness" [2 Peter 1:3-4].)
JSM