Day 34

Exodus 17:8–19:15; Matthew 22:34–23:12; Psalm 27:7-14; Proverbs 6:27-35

IN EXODUS TODAY, we read of the children of Israel’s first military encounter. A million people would have been a hard thing to hide —especially in the wilderness —and the Amalekites were spooked. They attacked the Hebrews, and Moses was about to learn a valuable lesson in his leadership.

Whenever Moses held his arms outstretched before the battle, Israel’s children prevailed. But when he put them down, the battle turned against them. Obviously, Moses needed to keep his arms up, but this was no small task —stretch out your arms and hold them there for a few hours if you don’t believe it. Moses’ brother, Aaron, and a man named Hur found a rock for Moses to sit on, and they held his arms up for him. The Amalekites were defeated.

Soon after, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, came for a visit. Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and their two sons back to her father while he dealt with the Egyptian drama and the long march into the wilderness. It was good to have the family back together, and the next day, Jethro observed Moses’ daily life, which consisted of settling disputes between people from morning until evening.

“This is not good!” Jethro exclaimed. “You’re going to wear yourself out —and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself” (Exodus 18:17-18). Then he gave Moses a valuable piece of advice: “You should continue to be the people’s representative before God” (Exodus 18:19).

Moses took his father-in-law’s advice and appointed capable men to hear the disputes, grievances, suggestions, and desires of the people and to make fair judgments. Moses was then free to seek God and deal with only the issues that needed his direct intervention.

We all must learn this. We often bite off more than we can chew, and regularly our self-reliance makes a stressful situation much worse. But we are a part of a body —the body of Christ. We are not alone, and our burdens are best shared together. When we hold one another’s arms up, we win.

PRAYER:

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.” . . . Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the right path.