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. (Exodus 17:12)
Part 1:
[Scroll down for Part 2]
The Lord wants us to look for His help in His Word and in the Church when we are under spiritual attack. This is illustrated for us in the story of the battle against the Amalekites. The Amalekites represent the lies associated with hidden evils. Just as they harassed the Israelites by attacking the weak and those separated from the main group, the hells go after us with lies when we are weak and alone.
The Israelites won the battle using the Lord’s power. So long as Moses raised his hands to the Lord, they prevailed; when he became weak and dropped his hands, the Amalekites prevailed. Likewise, in our own spiritual battles it is hard to always keep our focus on the Lord, because we are weak.
The image of Moses sitting on a stone, his hands supported by Aaron and Hur, is a representation of how we are to rest on the most basic and simple truths from the Word, and seek help from the Lord by looking to his Word and to his people—to one another. From this it follows that the Lord also wants each of us, as His Church, to be an instrument of His power, assisting others in their spiritual battles.
To see that this is true, read Exodus 17:8-16, John 16:20-33, Secrets of Heaven 7814-7817, and Secrets of Heaven 8555, watch Part 1 and Part 2 of the full video sermon, and then spend a week on the following task:
Help others striving to focus on the Lord and accept support on your own journey.
This week look to your spiritual community (friends, neighbors, spouse, family, mentors) to help keep your focus on the Lord. When facing challenges, reach out to your spiritual community and receive support and accountability as you walk your spiritual path. Ask for reminders of what is most important as you work on being a better person. Remember that you are not alone on your journey. Also, take time to recognize and offer the gifts and strengths you have to support your friends and neighbors in their spiritual work.
This sermon is part 6 of 8 in our series, “The Journey: Realizing Spiritual Freedom”, and is on the subject of offering and accepting support which helps to focus on the Lord. Check back next week for part 5, which will be about choosing to follow the Lord. For more information on the Journey, please contact us. To sign up for an online version, click here.
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.
Then Jehovah said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, Jehovah My Banner; for he said, “Because Jehovah has sworn: Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
John 16:20-33
“Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”Secrets of Heaven 7814-7817
The human being has been created in such a way that he can look upwards or above self, and also downwards or below self. Looking above self consists in looking towards neighbor, country, Church, heaven, and especially the Lord; but looking below self is looking towards the earth, the world, and especially self.
The reason why looking towards neighbor, country, and Church constitutes looking above self is that it is looking towards the Lord; for the Lord is within charity, and it is the nature of charity to look towards neighbor, country, and Church, that is, to desire their welfare. But people who turn away from them and desire only their own welfare look below self.
Looking above self is being raised by the Lord to a higher level, for nobody can look above self unless he is raised to a higher level by Him who is above. But looking below self is of human origin since the person does not in that case allow himself to be raised up.
Those who have the good of charity and faith within them look above self because they are raised by the Lord to a higher level, whereas those who do not have the good of charity and faith within them look below self because they are not raised up by the Lord. A person looks below himself when he channels towards himself truth and good flowing in from the Lord. And one who channels towards himself the goodness and truth flowing from the Lord sees self and the world in front of him. He does not see the Lord or His goodness and truth because these are behind his range of vision and come to be so indistinct that he pays no attention to them and eventually denies their existence.
Secrets of Heaven 8555
…The subject [of the second half of Exodus 17] is the conflict of falsity arising from evil with the truth and good of faith. That conflict is represented by the battle which Amalek fought against Israel. The fact that those who have the truth and good of faith within them are winning when they look up to the Lord, and losing when they look down, is represented by the children of Israel, who were winning as long as Moses kept his hands raised up, but losing whenever he let them down.
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