By committing to faith and righteousness, victory is achievable. As a result of his disobedience, Saul loses Gods favor and is eventually replaced by David as king of Israel.Throughout Scripture, then, we see that Amalek represents those who oppose God and His people. Establishing and confirming divine truth (Gods written Word) in His saints, for their edification and equipping, and preaching the convicting Law and saving Gospel to lost souls. us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt (Num. As mentioned throughout this study, the cure for Israel's woes is the There arent that many images of Esau, whom the church has so often treated as an enemy. It may seem precarious to say that 1 Samuels report of the utter destruction of the Amalekites contains the words of a people traumatized, the memories spoken down through every generation to remind the people that they are not alone. from his proper place and was not privileged to enter the land of Israel, for through them Thats what we experience as we wrestle with the Amalekites. The Israelites were victorious in this battle, but the Amalekites continued to be a thorn in their side throughout their time in the wilderness. God also commands that all future generations should remember what the Amalekites did and continue to take vengeance against them. world as long as God's holiness is not completely manifest. 10). Yet, we also need to be a people of action and visibly show whose side we are on. But its a different disposition to look back at the Bible as a record of Gods interweaving with human life. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. war above, and thou, Joshua, prepare thyself for the war below. This is the meaning According to the Book of Exodus, they were descendants of Ham, and thus enemies of the Israelites. Over time the differences between them blossom. evil riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. Such was the case of the The Amalekites were nomadic people who inhabited the southern part of Canaan, between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. 6. I can imagine the wide eyes and ashen faces staring back at me. This was an abomination to Jehovah and He demanded that His people have no dealings with them (Exodus 34:12-16). Exo 17:10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Each time we read, we explore our fear, our enmity, and our vengeance. We can now make the following contrasts and comparisons: Thus "doubt," caused by lack of Torah study, is a tactic used Eventually, God commanded Joshua to utterly destroy the Amalekites and he did so. Verily, doubt in the minds of humans (i.e, such as in the Garden of Eden story). God turns us around, back toward redemption. His disobedience led to the loss of his kingdom and, in Esther's time, the threat of annihilation for all Jews. The figure of Amalek (first mentioned in Genesis 14:17) gives us a Corrections? In Jewish history the Amalekitesa tribe with genocidal intentions against Gods peoplecame to symbolize all those who sought to eradicate the Jewish people, from Titus to Hadrian, Khmelnitsky to Hitler. Esau pledges to kill his twin in retaliation. We begin with a short citation from the Midrash on Numbers: Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XIX:20 - The Amalekites you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. The interpretive work for the rabbis was to explain how the command to blot out Amaleks line forever had been fulfilled through the death of Haman in the book of Esther. We see the place where Gods life is complicated within the story of people, and we are there, observing it all. and in the world to come. Earlier readers, our foremothers and fathers, show us how to live within the broad reach of the Bible. wicked are literally the mazikin (goblins) of the world; and there is an impurity from the of the golden calf: Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 28b - The Amalek means warlike. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'spiritualdesk_com-box-4','ezslot_13',169,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-spiritualdesk_com-box-4-0'); 2) The Amalekites were extremely cruel. Here again we discover that the line between God and people is unclear. They not only attacked innocent civilians, but they also tortured and killed them in brutal ways (1 Samuel 15:33). At the Islamic school in my city, the young students not only study the Quran but work toward memorizing it. are not all equal, but this side of the serpent is accursed above all of them. In our Christian tradition of proclamation, we often cut carefully around the edges of our scriptures, clipping troubling stories out of their place within the Bibles narrative arc. In the book of Exodus there is a curious line about the Amalekites that reminds us that these lost siblings will always be within us. The prophecy is ambiguous, the words in Hebrew unclear. Maybe Jacob and Rebecca were wrong. Do I want to read scripture as warrant to punish people, as permission to make someone elses life vile? Gods haunting words to Rebeccatwo nations dividedinclude no indication of how this will work itself out. One day Esau returns from a hunt famished, and Jacob offers him stew in exchange for his birthright. Refidim" (Exodus 17:8). One commentary states: The Amalekites were a formidable tribe of nomads living in the area south of Canaan, betweenMount Seirand the Egyptian border. What is the Spiritual Meaning of Back Pain? destroyed? Sanctification, being set apart to Christ, choosing to love and obey Him over self is the primary battle of the believer, from the moment Jesus saves him, as hes on his way to the promise land of eternal glory (Romans 6-8, etc.). the cause of the "three great sins" -- idolatry, murder and unchastity (sexual from the creation of the world until then, and since then till the coming of the Messiah, [CDATA[// >