Then Came Amalek!
Introduction:
I will always be grateful to all those, especially Thomas, who have showed me
the relentless consistency of the Holy Spirit in the language which He uses in
His revelation of truth throughout the whole of the Bible. He may use several
types or symbols to illustrate the same spiritual principle, but such types or
symbols as He may choose, He will use with complete consistency throughout the
whole of Scripture. It is one of the most remarkable evidences of the miraculous
inspiration of the Bible.
Was it just me, or did you notice the clarity with which Thomas points out
the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit in the life of the believer? I am
still puzzled by his statement on page 39, "…that we might be delivered from
sin’s power, because this old sinful nature, called the flesh, died with
Him." I was gratified to see that Thomas clearly understands that we are not
delivered from sin’s power because the flesh died, but because our old sinful
nature died and the Spirit has come in its place to defeat the flesh in our
lives as we choose to walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit.
Perhaps one of the most important concepts for us to comprehend is that the
Spirit is the means of overcoming the flesh, not
the reward for overcoming the flesh!
Group Discussion:
What is the threefold portrait that God gives of a redeemed people living in
the wilderness?
They were baptized unto Moses—the believer identifying with Christ and
taken with Him through death into resurrection life.
They were partakers of the daily manna—the believer experiencing the
witness of the Holy Spirit to his heart, that he is a child of God, sealed
unto the day of redemption, but having only a foretaste of all that Christ
can be to those who enjoy the fullness of His Spirit.
They were refreshed with water from the smitten rock—the believer
receiving the gift of eternal life, on the basis of redemption through the
precious blood of the crucified Lord Jesus Christ.
What is the significance of the statement in Exodus 17:8,
Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim?
No sooner had God given water to Israel from the rock that Moses smote,
than Amalek came to fight. Amalek here is a picture of the flesh, seeking at
all costs to bar the onward journey of God’s redeemed people, through the
wilderness, into the land of promise.
Just as soon as the Holy Spirit is restored to your human spirit as a
believer, His office is to re-invade your soul, there to re-establish the
sovereignty of the Lord Jesus in the area of your mind, will and emotions so
that your whole human personality may become available to Him, who has come
to re-inhabit your redeemed humanity that your body might become the temple
of the living God.
There is, however, immediate resistance on the part of the flesh.
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do
the things that you please. (Galatians 5:17)
The flesh contests every attempt of the Spirit of God
to lead you on into spiritual maturity. Standing across your pathway from
the very outset of your Christian life is Amalek!
Moses told Joshua to gather an army to fight Amalek the next day and that he
would stand on the mountain with the rod of God in his hand. What was the
significance of raising his arms and holding the rod of God in his hand?
To understand the significance of the rod, we must look back to the time
when God called Moses to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. Moses
protested that the people would not listen to him, Then Moses said,
"What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say,
‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ " The Lord said to him, "What is that in
your hand?" And he said, "A staff." Then He said, "Throw it on the ground."
So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from
it. But the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its
tail"—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in
his hand—(Exodus 4:1-4)
This was the sign that God had already won the victory for Moses. He was
simply asking Moses to "enter in" to His victory…it’s the same thing He says
to every believer!
When Joshua went out against Amalek and Moses let down the rod, Amalek
prevailed and Joshua was fighting a battle already lost. When Moses held up
the rod, Joshua prevailed and enjoyed the victory already won! Victory over
the flesh is not to be attained—it is to be received! In other words, to
walk in the Spirit is to assume by faith the victory with which He credits
you, and God will vindicate your assumption and make it real in your
experience.
How does Satan attempt to deceive believers in the battle against the flesh?
He tries to invert the truth and turn it into a lie. He says, "Try not to
fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and then you will walk in the Spirit." He
tries to make us believe that the Spirit is the reward for overcoming the
flesh. Nothing is more pathetic or nauseating than our flesh trying to be
holy! But therein lies the trap—if you achieve some perceived "success" in
overcoming the flesh, you will become self-confident and be filled with
self-praise. If you fail, and in reality you always do, you will be filled
with self-pity…you will either become religious or rebellious!
What is the relationship between Amalek and Esau?
Esau was Amalek’s grandfather…Timna was a concubine of Esau’s son
Eliphaz and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. (Genesis 36:12)
What is the lesson to be learned from Jacob and Esau?
The Bible says that God loved Jacob and hated Esau…was Jacob a better
person than Esau? How could God love a person like Jacob…a twister, a cheat,
a sneak, a deceiver, a supplanter and a thief? What was Esau’s "great" sin?
The difference not that Jacob was superior to Esau in behavior or
character, but in his attitude toward God…Jacob recognized his deep need and
sought God while Esau would not admit that he needed anything from God…he
could handle life on his own. God can do nothing for the man or woman who
will not admit their need.
Prayer:
Daddy, have told us that we are Your children, yet we have been afraid to
call you Daddy. You have told us that by sending the Spirit of Christ to live
inside us, we could come boldly before Your throne of grace and be intimate with
You, but we have kept our distance, not sure that You would receive us with open
arms. Well, here we are, not because we’re good, but because we have finally
realized that we belong to You. Lead us out of the wilderness to experience the
saving life of Christ as our very own in a more consistent way as we walk by
faith…trusting in Jesus alone. Lead us to surrender completely and to depend
entirely upon You and to see You as our Daddy. Save us from being
independent…show us the areas of our lives where we still resist and hold on to
our independence. Thank You for loving and accepting us unconditionally, even
when we fail and fall short of the abundant life You have given us, in Jesus
Christ. We bring ourselves before You and ask these things in His name, Amen.