Stephen Olford - Amalek: The Enemy Within

Amalek: The Enemy Within

By Stephen Olford

(Exodus 17:8-16)

Matthew 11:12: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”

From the days of John the Baptist:

This was the introduction to the ministry of the kingdom. This was the commencement of Christ's ministry on earth, and we see in... the very first encounter that Jesus has is the encounter with Satan in the wilderness where He is severely tempted in His flesh. Family, the Kingdom of God is in these days advancing. We are on our way to the promised land, and there is warfare. There is warfare that intensifies as we approach the coming of the end of the age. Satan makes the most noise when he is on his way out. And he is on his way out.

In the book of Genesis there is an account of the experiences of the Israelites which can be described as a type of what the church is experiencing in these days.

Exodus 17:8-16:

"The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. [9] 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." [10] So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. [11] As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. [12] 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. [13] So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. [14] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." [15] Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. [16] He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."

We have been speaking about the significance of Jesus Christ in our lives today. He is the way to a better life. We see this morning that Jesus Christ is the way to victory over the enemy of the flesh. In this passage we will see some types that represent Jesus Christ and His activity in the lives of believers today.

We are speaking about spiritual warfare and we notice first of all that for the children of God on their way to the promised land:

I. The Conflict is Inevitable:

Notice the significance of the enemies appearance.

"Then came Amalek." No one can live the Christian life without confronting an enemy named "Amalek" The very nature of the Christian life will cause conflict with our fleshly desires. Paul asks in 2 Corinthians 6:14: "What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Spiritual conflict for the believer is a given. When does it occur? "Then." Suggesting that it was after a certain event that Amalek came. And as we look at this event, we see preceding it that there was the deliverance from Egypt. They were delivered by blood, you will remember. Then they had come through the Red Sea. These two events speak to us of deliverance through the blood and power. Now they were on their way to Canaan. Then they had no water to drink. So they chided Moses. Moses then went and struck the rock as God instructed and the water flowed. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4 says that rock is Christ. Smitten so that blood and water might flow. The blood reminding us of Calvary, and the water reminding us of Pentecost. Now notice this. It is very important. As soon as the rock was smitten and the people had appropriated the water, Amalek appeared.

This is a parable of spiritual experience. Until the moment that we appropriate the blood of Christ to our lives, and are filled with the Holy Spirit there is essentially no spiritual conflict. Galatians 5:17: "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." As soon as this spiritual transformation takes place, Amalek appears.

Amalek is a type of the flesh. The seed of Esau, the carnally minded man who was more concerned about his stomach than his inheritance. Amalek was always indicative of the flesh. He was always inside the camp of the Israelites and today the devil is always at work, using the flesh to cause havoc on our lives. The Bible is very clear that our greatest enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil. But it is through the flesh that the world and the devil seem to conquer us.

The devil is a conquered enemy. Jesus Christ has overcome the world. Our enemy, death, no longer has any power. The one enemy that is still able to break into the life of the believer is the flesh. So there is a constant battle. Flesh against spirit. It stands to reason then, that if we are to experience victory in our lives, we must conquer the flesh. We must conquer Amalek. The significance of his appearance. Then notice the:

2. Seriousness of his antagonism:

Verse 16. The marginal rendering here is that the hand of Amalek was against the throne of God. The flesh is antagonistic to anything which is godly. The flesh is within us. The nature has been nailed to the cross. But the flesh remains, a constant reminder that there is nothing inherent in us which seeks after or cleaves to the things of God. Romans 8:7: "The sinful mind (or the mind set on the flesh) is hostile towards God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." So, when we allow the flesh to win, it is no wonder that our desires begin to change. It is no wonder that our thoughts begin to take us captive. This attack is antagonistic. It is wild in it's venture. It will break the home. It will destroy marriages. It will split the church. And the devil is uncannily crafty. He knows our weaknesses and so we see:

3. Subtlety of the attack:

Deuteronomy 25:17-18: "Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. (18) When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God." He is subtle. He comes from behind and he attacks the faint and the weary. He seldom confronts us head on. When we find ourselves lagging behind in our faith we are extremely susceptible to his attacks. When we find ourselves overworked and stressed out we become tremendously vulnerable to his attacks. When we find ourselves getting comfortable with sin and with those things which are on the edge so to speak. He pounces upon us and he catches us unawares.

I was once told how the Chinese hunt for Duck. As most of you know, the Chinese have quite a taste for wild duck. They also have a very interesting way of catching these duck. They place hollow gourds on the lakes and ponds which are frequented by these ducks. Soon the ducks become accustomed to these gourds floating around, and have no fear of them. Before long, a man will cut a hole in one of these gourds, which is like a large hollow pumpkin shell, and put it over his head. He will then quietly get into the water and move around amongst the other gourds and wait. As the ducks come by, one by one he grabs the ducks leg and pulls it under the water and rings its neck without a sound. That evening the sounds of laughter and joy fill that home of that man as his family enjoys roast duck for dinner.

That is what Satan does to us. He causes the danger to creep up on us sometimes without us even knowing that he is there. We see it all the time. We begin to make excuses about coming to a midweek Bible study. We make excuses about our private quiet time. Soon Sunday School becomes boring, so we find better things to do. Pretty soon those better things consume the time that we would be in worship, and before we know it we are backslidden and held captive by the restraints of Amalek. Oh he is subtle and we must always be aware of him. Sometimes like a roaring lion. Other times he is like an angel of light.

So we see that there is something inevitable about this conflict. It is something that all who call themselves Christians must face.

Notice in the second place, concerning spiritual warfare, that:

II. The Duration is Indefinite:

He has never stopped coming. Exodus 17:12: “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.” This is a day long battle. The flesh attacks continuously. It seems that there is seldom a moment that we can rest. 1 Corinthians 10:12: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” Our society doesn't make it easier. The flesh appeals to us wherever we look.

It is also an age long battle. In Exodus 17:16: "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." The physical battle still goes on today. The descendants of Amalek, the Arabs, are still at war with the Jews.

In the same way, since the very first attack of the flesh against Adam & Eve, the spiritual battle continues, and it will continue until the end of time.

So the duration of this war is indefinite. There is no end in sight and we must continue to be prepared for the battle. 1 Peter 1:13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

The conflict is inevitable. The duration is indefinite. There is one more observation. Praise be to God!

III. The Victory is Indisputable:

Exodus 17:11-13: “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. (12) 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. (13) So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. There are three fundamental truths that we must get a grip on in order to have victory over Amalek.”

The first truth is that we have available to us:

1. A Life of power:

This life of power comes to us through Jesus Christ within us. In the Israelite account, Joshua is a type of Christ. The name Joshua means savior. Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim, the most powerful of all the tribes. He represented power. Joshua selected men for this battle who were committed. They were devoted and totally submissive to the task. In order for us to have victory over this enemy which attacks us in these days we must be devoted to the cause of Christ. We must be committed to His agenda.

2 Peter 1:3-4: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (4) Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

But even though they were devoted. Even though they were submissive and in the thick of battle, there was still the possibility of failure. So we see that in addition to the life of power, we need:

2. A Life of prayer:

Verse 12. Aaron was the priest. He represents, or is a type of the priesthood of believers. We who according to Peter have become a holy nation and a royal priesthood unto God. We call upon that privilege as priests to pray against the enemy. To pray through the battle.

As we saw that Joshua was a type of Christ, we see too that Moses was a type of Christ in another sense. Not as savior, but as intercessor. Hebrews 7:25: "He is able to save completely because He intercedes for us." It was Moses who interceded on behalf of the warriors, but there must be the Aarons. The prayer warriors. Yes, Jesus Christ prays to the Father on our behalf. He is forever pleading for us. But the Word is abundantly clear that we must also pray. A life of power, a life of prayer, and then there is without question.

3. A Life of Purity:

Hur always represents that which is holy. Prayer is canceled out when there is a life of consistent unholiness. You cannot expect God to answer your prayers when you live each day like you're in hell and then when there is a crisis, you come crying to God to help. The prayers of the righteous man avail much. The ear of the Lord is not inclined towards the unrighteousness. See what the prophet Isaiah writes in this regard: Isaiah 59:1-2: “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. [2] But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

The topic of holiness fills several pages in a concordance. It is appears 548 times; 43 times more than love, and 500 times more than happiness. It is the major theme of this book. We call it the Holy Bible. Let there be no question about the fact that Christians are called to live holy lives. This is our most certain weapon against our spiritual enemy. There is a lot of preaching today on happiness, but very little on holiness. The church today has missed the point. We are so anxious to be relevant, that we have forgotten to be reverent.

Peter speaks of the Church as being a holy nation; set apart for God. Also, it is not a mystical type of holiness, but rather a practical holiness. Here is a description of the holiness we are talking about. 2 Peter 1:5- 8: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; (6) and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; (7) and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. (8) For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is a difficult truth to swallow, but it is a truth nevertheless. James 3:7: “Submit... Resist... He [the devil] will flee.”

The circle must be complete. The life of power, the life of prayer and the life of purity. All three are necessary to conquer Amalek.

So we see that our enemy is real. There is no question about it. It is a life long battle, but we can rest assured that in Christ we do have the victory. The victory is inevitable!