The Man on the Mountain

(Message from July 15,  Rogers Memorial Church, Rock Hill)

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.   Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."

 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.   As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.   When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset.   So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.   Ex 17:8-13

Most people think they know the story of the Exodus because they’ve seen The Ten Commandments or Prince of Egypt. 

But its only part of the story.  Some important details are usually left out.  

First, we forget the sheer size of the Israelite horde—between two and three million.

Second, we forget just how rough the desert.  The average high there is one hundred and two and no rain.

Third, we forget just how disorganized they were.  No one was quite sure whose tribe they were in.  Once they arrived at Mt Sinai, it took about fourteen months just to get organized.  Until then, they were more like a horde of army ants streaming in across the desert.

Fourth, we forget that they were not alone out there. There were marauding nomadic tribes who made their living plundering unfortunate travelers--think Hell’s Angels on camels. To these tribes--collectively called Amelkites—the sight of three million people traveling in a broad line across the desert was a tantalizing target.

These Amelkites followed them to Rephadim, a long gully in the desert with high walls on two sides, where these marauders decided to make their move.  Moseswasent his young lieutenant, Joshua to lead a band of untrained men to fight the Amelkites

Meanwhile, Moses did something strange. Moses stood on top of a mountain holding his staff over his head—the same staff that was called The Rod of God.  As long as Moses kept his hands in the air, they would win. If Moses let his hands fall, they started losing Aaron and Hur had to help old Moses’ hands up. Joshua fought the battle. Moses watched with his hands in the air. and they won. 

hy was it so important for Moses to stand on the mountain with his hands in the air?

This is not an idle question, because we do something like it—we pray. There is no logical connection between prayers and what we are praying for, yet we pray anyway.

Suppose a couple has a child who is desperately sick.  The doctor is like Joshua, a very skilled fighter for the health of the child. All the couple can do is stay in the waiting room praying.  The minister comes in and joins them.  Deep down we wonder.  Do the prayers make a difference, or are they just for show.  Are we like Moses, just standing on the mountain with his hands in the air?

People give all kinds of explanations why Moses had to stand on that mountain.   One explanation is magical.  The Rod of God (they say) was like some kinds of magical object.  He brought down God’s power with his magic staff. His rod gave him the power to command armies and to defeat the enemy.

Maybe--but I don’t think so.  God doesn’t give His power away. Moses was just a man, he was not a superman.  Neither are we X men.  If we are praying for a miracle, then that doesn’t mean was can just demand it.  God doesn’t work like that.  Sometimes we all pray for something and it doesn’t happen. Sometimes just one person prays once, and it happens. Prayer is not a superpower.

Another explanation is psychological. The soldiers could see Moses on that mountain. It must have given them the feeling that God was there.  (After all, he looked like Charlton Heston).  Moses’ presence gave them hope, which gave them strength to defeat the Amelkites.

We think the same thing when we are praying for the sick or in trouble.  We think the real job is being done by the doctors, the nurses, and the sick person. We’re making them feel better, which I helping them to heal.  Prayer is a great psychological boost to those who are in trouble.

Maybe, but I don’t think that’s all it is.  Moses, Aaron, and Hur were spiritual leaders, not cheerleaders.  God didn’t tell Moses to stand on the mountain to lead cheers for our side. 

Another explanation is personal. Maybe God had Moses stand on that mountain just to make Moses, Aaron and Hur feel better. Moses and Aaron were old men, and you know how nervous old people can get.  These Israelites were their children.  So God gave them something to do, to occupy their time.  God told them “Here, you stand on the mountain with your hands in the air, and Joshua will fight the battle. We’ll call you if we need you to anything more.”

Again, this is what some people think about prayer.  A child is sick and her mother is distraught.  In times like this, the hospital workers call for the chaplain or the family clergy, to come pray with the family.  The chaplain’s job is to make the family feel better, to calm them down so the doctors can do the real work of healing. 

Maybe, but I don’t think so. Moses didn’t stand on that mountain just to make himself feel better.    If Moses dropped his hand, they actually would lose.  It wasn’t like the Panthers fan who thinks if he wears his lucky underwear to the ball game, the Panthers will win. The battles actually depended upon this seemingly disconnected act.  Without Moses on top of that mountain, nothing was going to happen.

Why did Moses have to stand on the mountain with his hands in the air?

It's a strange place to be. There is no real connection between an old man standing on a mountain and the flow of the battle below. 

For that matter, why does He want us to pray?  

People give all kinds of explanations why Moses had to stand on that mountain.  \

One explanation is magical.  The Rod of God (they say) was like some kinds of magical object.  He brought down God’s power with his magic staff. His rod gave him the power to command armies and to defeat the enemy.

Maybe--but I don’t think so.  God doesn’t give His power away. Moses was just a man, he was not a superman.  God doesn’t work like that. 

Another explanation is psychological. The soldiers could see Moses on that mountain. It must have given them the feeling that God was there.  (After all, he looked like Charlton Heston).  Moses’ presence gave them hope, which gave them strength to defeat the Amelkites.

We think the same thing when we are praying for the sick or in trouble.  We think the real job is being done by the doctors and nurses. Nevertheless, prayer is a great psychological boost to those in trouble.

Maybe that's why Moses had to stand on the mountain--but I don’t think so. Moses todidn't stand on the mountain to lead cheers for our side. 

Another explanation is personal. Moses was an old men, and you know how nervous old people can get.  These Israelites were his children.  So God told them “Here, you stand on the mountain with your hands in the air, and Joshua will fight the battle. We’ll call you if we need you  for anything more.”

This is what some people say about prayer.  A child is sick and her mother is distraught, so the hospital workers call for the chaplain or the family clergy, to come pray with the family. The chaplain makes the familyfeel better, calming them down so the doctors get on with the real work of healing. 

Maybe it made Moses feel better, maybe it didn't--but I don’t think it was the reason Moses was standing on that mountain..If Moses dropped his hand, they actually would lose.  It wasn’t like the Panthers fan who thinks if he wears his lucky underwear to the ball game, the Panthers will win. The battles actually depended upon this seemingly disconnected act.  Without Moses on top of that mountain, nothing was going to happen.

So why did God have Moses up on that mountain?

It think it is for a much deeper reason. God had Moses on that mountain, and God has us pray because He actually have become partners with us.

The Bible word for this partnership is koinonia.  Originally, it meant a business partnership like Sears and Roebuck, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Ben and Jerry’s. Business partners are bound together. One partner has to have permission of the other to proceed.  If you can sign a contract, your partner must also sign it to.

Marriages are the same situation. Your husband may be a lousy businessman and you may be good businesswoman, but you are bound together.  You sign what he signs, assuming both the responsibilities and benefits.  Then you may regret becoming partners, but you still need to cosign.

God has entered such a partnership with us.  He made us responsible along with Him. Although He has the ability to do whatever he wants whenever He wants, brings us into the process, so holds off until we also sign off on the project.

You may think that this is a foolish thing for God do to. But results are secondary to God.  Our relationship with him is far more important.  God does it because He loves us and intends for us to share in the work of redemption.

God told Moses to participated, not in the earthly struggle, but the divine struggle on which all human activities depend.  He did this because God and Moses were partners.

You may think God doesn’t need us telling Him what to do. That is right—He doesn’t. But whether or not He needs it, God wants it.  That is why He made prayer a prerequisite for His interference in life.

The words we pray don’t matter. Our eloquence matters even less. All that matters is that we are willing to join God in partnership, stand with Him, over the battle, praying for God to win.  We are not simply encouraging when we pray. We are fighting along with God.  God has the strength He needs to prevail, but He has linked His strength to ours.  We must stay there, constantly praying, and God will do the rest.

Many things happen because we pray. Many things do not happen because, we do not. We do not keep up our part of the partnership. We reason that this is silly, and we drop our hands. But it is not silly. It is necessary.

Why does God do this? Because He wants us to be part of what He does.

When I was a child, my father would let me help him doing work around the house.  He didn’t have to. It usually took twice as long when I helped. But he wanted me there. 

Today, God chose to use the church.  We aren’t necessary, but He does it, because he loved us. He loved us so much that He sealed the partnership with the blood of His only begotten son.

Now we need to do our part. We need to stand on the mountain, lifting the battle up to Him. If we need help, we should bring in others to help. But don’t’ give up. Keep those hands up in prayer, and at the end of the day, the battle will go our way, 

So why did God want Moses to stand on the mountain with his hands in the air? For that matter, why does He want us to pray?  The answer is much more complicated than any of the simple explanations we have so far discussed. It has to do with our relationship to God and the nature of what God is doing in the world.

We are God’s children, to begin with. We become God’s children through faith in Jesus Christ.  If you are not a child of God though Christ, then there is no guarantee that prayer will work. Prayer for you may be one of those other explanations we have hitherto discussed.  You may as well be cheerleaders at the bedside. God might hear your prayer, but He doesn’t have to.

But for His children, He has done something amazing.  He has entered into a real partnership with us. He has bound His will to our will. 

The Bible word for this partnership is koinonia.  Originally, it meant a business partnership like Sears and Roebuck, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Ben and Jerry’s. Business partners are bound together. A partner has to have permission of the other to proceed.  If you can sign a contract, your partner must also sign it to.

In the classroom, a teacher will sometimes assign people to work in groups of two or three, to enter into a study partnership.  Smart students usually hate this arrangement. One usually complains that the others are not doing the work or that they do it poorly. But the professor insists that they all get credit for the assignment. It is a learning exercise in cooperation and collaboration. We are learning to work together.

Marriages are the same situation. Your husband may be a lousy businessman and you may be good businesswoman, but you are bound together.  You sign what he signs, assuming both the responsibilities and benefits.  Then you may regret becoming partners, but you still need to cosign.

Have you ever cosigned a loan?  If you have, may have come to regret it.  On the other hand, you may have helped someone you love, like a child, get a boost up in life.   

God has entered such a partnership with us.  He made us responsible along with Him. Although He has the ability to do whatever he wants whenever He wants, brings us into the process, so holds off until we also sign off on the project.

You may think that this is a foolish thing for God do to. But results are secondary to God.  Our relationship with him is far more important.  God does it because He loves us and intends for us to share in the work of redemption.

God told Moses to participated, not in the earthly struggle, but the divine struggle on which all human activities depend.  He did this because God and Moses were partners.

You may think prayer does nothing.  God doesn’t need us telling Him what to do. You are right—He doesn’t. But whether or not He needs it, God wants it.  That is why He made prayer a prerequisite for His interference in life.

The words we pray don’t matter. Our eloquence matters even less. All that matters is that we are willing to join God in partnership, stand with Him, over the battle, praying for God to win.  We are not simply encouraging when we pray. We are fighting along with God.  God has the strength He needs to prevail, but He has linked His strength to ours.  We must stay there, constantly praying, and God will do the rest.

Many things happen because we pray. Many things do not happen because, we do not. We do not keep up our part of the partnership. We reason that this is silly, and we drop our hands. But it is not silly. It is necessary.

Why does God do this? Because He wants us to be part of what He does.

When I was a child, my father would let me help him doing work around the house.  He didn’t have to. It usually took twice as long when I helped. But he wanted me there. 

Today, God chose to use the church.  We aren’t necessary, but He does it, because he loved us. He loved us so much that He sealed the partnership with the blood of His only begotten son.

Now we need to do our part. We need to stand on the mountain, lifting the battle up to Him. If we need help, we should bring in others to help. But don’t’ give up. Keep those hands up in prayer, and at the end of the day, the battle will go our way,