The Secret of The Exodus: The Arms of Moses

THE SECRET OF THE EXODUS:  THE ARMS OF MOSES

By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly

“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” – Exodus 17:11

Any time I read this passage of scripture, my mind reflects back to scenes of Charlton Heston in His iconic role as Moses in the 1956 movie, “The Ten Commandments.” With ominous skies in the background and the wind billowing his dramatically highlighted hair, his upraised arms were pivotal to the victory of the Israelites in their battle with the Amalekites.

Every time his arms became too tired to remain raised, the Amalekites would gain the upper hand. When his arms went back up, the Israelites would regain their footing and prevail in battle. The position of the arms of Moses was so critical to their success, that Aaron and Hur were drafted to take on the role of lifting the exhausted arms of Moses.

God often uses symbolic events in our lives to hint at deeper truths.  They are there for the taking if we care to dig to discover them. It isn’t lost on me that the raised arms of Moses are suspiciously similar to the raised arms of victory seen at every major football game. Ironically, it is also the position of surrender taken on by a suspect who finally realizes they have been bested by authorities and, again, the posture seen in countless churches across the globe on Sunday mornings — lifted hands of worship.

I don’t think that it is by any mistake that the arms of Moses needed to be raised during the battle. It wasn’t simply meticulous attention to detail that prompted Moses to notate the fact in the Pentateuch. This tiny symbol is a powerful, multifaceted key and enduring truth that will continue to stand as a pillar for life for us, and for as many generations as there are to come.

Even after the blood of Jesus delivers us from the captivity of our sin, we will still need to walk out our faith through the deserts of life. We will encounter hardships, opportunities to grumble and attacks of the enemy in an attempt to re-enslave us and prevent us from ever inhabiting our promised land—the blessings promised to us in God’s Word.

The truth washes over me once again, as I, just like you, face daily battles.  The lifted hands of Moses spoke volumes, both then and now. The meaning of the lifting of his arms did not simply symbolize either victory or surrender or worship, but rather all three in an inextricably-fused trinity of truth.

Our victory in the battle with our flesh—our Egypt—is dependent upon the three foundational truths that form the three legs of a three-legged stool, if you will. The three underpinning truths here are:  faith, surrender and worship.

Moses raised his hands in faith. He proclaimed victory in advance of seeing it with his eyes.  He took Father God at His word and took steps that would have been seen as both risky and foolish by faithless onlookers.  He believed God and declared the victory he foresaw through the eyes of his faith.

Moses raised his hands in surrender. Like the arms of Jesus outstretched on the cross, Moses took on the posture of “not my will, but thine be done (Luke 22:42).” Scripture recounts, “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked unto the recompense of reward.” – Hebrews‬ ‭11:24-26‬ ‭ASV‬‬

It would have been so much easier for Moses to live a quiet life herding sheep in the desert than to lead around a ragamuffin group of sweaty whiners for forty years.  But Moses saw his sin and the sin and suffering of God’s people, and he surrendered to the ultimate authority. He found that surrendering his free will to the captivity of God’s perfect will ultimately lead, counterintuitively, to ultimate freedom.

Finally, Moses raised his hands in worship. He not only believed God and surrendered to His will, but he worshipped continually in the battle.

The three legs of our stool of truth are faith, surrender and worship. With any of the legs missing or loose, our stool is bound to topple over.  With all three intact, we can step up and rise up above our battlefield and struggle of the flesh, to embrace victory in Christ Jesus.

Father, the battles we face in life can be fierce. They can be physical struggles we encounter, but all too often the battle is between our ears and hidden within the recesses of our hearts. The struggle with our flesh might be invisible.  But invisibility, as with both gravity and oxygen, does not discount their reality and pervasiveness.

Lord, we ask for revelations about our own three-legged stools. Show us where our faith has grown loose, where the leg of surrender has lost its nail or where, in the exhaustion of a long fight, our leg of worship has fallen off altogether. Show us how to put the pieces back together again.  When we are tired, send us a faithful Aaron and Hur to come along side to help hold up our arms.

Then, on that day, when we come before You and stand among the saints of every generation, I pray You will find us faithful. I pray as our stories are told, there will be countless victories serving as testimonies of Your power, authority and faithfulness. I pray You will receive shouts of worship and jubilant adoration at the work You completed through your faith-filled, surrendered and worshiping children.  Do Your work in and through us, Father, that we might win the battle over our flesh, the powers of darkness, and most importantly, that You will be glorified.  In Jesus’ Name ❤️

https://www.facebook.com/Prayers-of-a-Ragamuffin-Warrior-171515087035441/

Modified and edited from original publication on July 29, 2019.  Some things bear repeating.