Êxodo 17

Êxodo 17

Barclay adds that stērízō means to make as solid as granite. Sterizo is used figuratively in James 5:8+ "strengthen (sterizo) your heart" and there is no doubt that the physical strengthening from Aaron and Hur did strengthen Moses' heart to remain "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor 15:58+) The Net Bible comments that "There may be a double entendre here; on the one hand it simply says that his hands were stayed so that Israel might win, but on the other hand it is portraying Moses as steady, firm, reliable, faithful. The point is that whatever God commissioned as the means of the agency of power--- to Moses a rod, to the Christians the Spirit --- the people of God had to know that the victory came from God alone The faith and perseverance of this tired but true triad represent a clear illustration of the truth stated in (He 6:11, 12-notes) by which the saints of all ages are to lay hold of God's promises and ultimately His victory over "the Amalekites". Joshua learned this lesson and at the command of Jehovah performed almost an identical role for his army taking Ai as Moses had done for Joshua (Joshua 8:18+) "Then Jehovah said to Joshua, “Stretch (natah) out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” So Joshua stretched out (SAME HEBREW VERB natah repeatedly used of Moses' outstretched staff/hand in Exodus - Ex 7:19, Ex 8:5, 6, 16, Ex 9:22, 23, Ex 10:12, 13, 21, 22, Ex 14:16, 21, 26, 27) the javelin that was in his hand toward the city....26 For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the javelin UNTIL he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai." (Joshua 8:18, 26+) COMMENT - So as long as Joshua's javelin was stretched out Israel was victorious, eventually blotting out Ai. Let us learn the basic spiritual warfare principle that Joshua had learned so well -- that is, that strength and success in battle against God's foes lay not in the "arm of flesh" (2 Chr 32:8) but in a constant and complete dependence upon Jehovah’s power. It is also interesting that even as Moses built an altar after the victory, Joshua likewise built an altar (Joshua 8:30+) and "wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel." (Joshua 8:34+). C H Spurgeon (who like most commentators associates the uplifted hands with prayer) offers the following devotional thoughts on this passage... Exodus 17:12