If Memory Serves—And it Does!
One of the ways memory serves us is to draw attention to significant markers in our spiritual growth, markers of maturity, and this includes lessons learned to achieve that maturity.
In Deuteronomy 25:17, Moses issues this invitation: “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt.”
The particular rationale prompting this recall is found in Exodus, chapter 17, where the account is given of Amalek fighting with the children of Israel in the wilderness.
Amalek, a descendant of that very profane man Esau, came to represent the flesh. The lineage of this labeling goes all the way back to that time when Esau was more concerned about his stomach than he was about his spirit and his birthright.
Caring more for earthly food than he did for future blessings, Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. How utterly insane! What kind of calculation went into that?
Many years later, when the children of Esau, the Amalekites, became a wilderness-bound people, their deserved status as a symbol for flesh became even more solidified. A glimpse of biblical history explains why.
In biblical typology, Egypt represents the old nature, the pre-salvation life, a life that ended for Israel once and for all with the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. After that, the people of God under Moses never engaged in another battle with Egypt.
This fact also lines up with what the Bible tells us about the old nature, that nature we were born with that dictated our ways before we became a Christian.
But once we came to the Lord and left our pre-salvation life, this battle with the old nature was over, never to be fought again.
In the wilderness, though, God’s people encountered a new enemy, not as formidable as the old enemy, but very dangerous, nevertheless.
No sooner do we get saved than the flesh shows up to do battle. In the battle Moses had with the Amalekites, we are given a picture of the only way our battle with the flesh can be won. So pay attention.
Moses stood on a mountain, extending the rod of God toward heaven.
So long as this rod was extended in an act of released faith, Joshua’s army prevailed. But whenever Moses’ arms became heavy, thus causing the rod of God to come down, the people of God would start to lose.
Hence, this battle with the Amalekites taught the leaders that their discipline and diligence are insufficient. They have to have God! And they have to have each other!
If it weren’t for Aaron and Hur helping the arm-wearied Moses to keep his hands and faith high, the Amalekites (the flesh) would have won.
Mark it down: This call to remember is a call to take our flesh seriously.
So do we? Do we?
What percentage of church membership is in the flesh versus what percentage is operating out of their new nature?
Would it be too presumptuous to guess that the first group is much larger than the second? And if so, why is this true? It's true because the scriptural strategy of an outstretched faith and a willingness to get support from other believers isn't used.
What was effective during Moses’ day can also be effective today.
The problem plaguing our lives is we’re not all that interested in being stretched out toward God in intercessory prayer.
The thirty second blessing is fine. Ten minutes petitioning God for new blessings is fine. But to pray longer than that with a heart passionate to know him? Well, later maybe, not now—perhaps later.
We're also not interested in regular meetings with fellow believers where self-disclosures lets them know when our faith is starting to sag. So the help we could have gotten, we don't get.
Rejecting the idea that we, the great Moses, need any Aarons and Hurs in our life, we have made a horrendous decision. And apparently, all these devastating defeats in the valley have not been enough to deter us.
God doesn't want us living like that! That's why he calls us to remember the right approach, the only winning approach, for defeating our flesh.
Engaging this battle with our flesh in a secretive, solitary way is precisely why we keep losing these battles.
So see that. Stop that. Start a better solution. Remember!
